@ Rhonda: Thank you for the kind words. Some clients want to get to know *you* and what you are all about, and some just want to pass out the work. Sometimes, you can make a connection just as a fluke. One of my clients gave me an assignment one time and for some reason, I acknowledged it by saying that I would “make it so.” Turns out she is a HUGE Captain Picard fan and she has now turned into my biggest-paying client. Maybe the comment helped, who knows? It certainly didn’t hurt anything.

You’re probably better off being who you are in both situations. Either your date or the potential client is going to like what they see, or they won’t. Don’t take my word for it, though: I’ve been married for almost 20 years, so the only dates I am really familiar with right now are those things that look a lot like raisins!

This is one of the best articles I’ve read on the subject.

In regards to making an effort to be attractive to someone, we may be trying too hard to give them what we think they want, rather than who we are.

Of course, that’s not a wise mistake to make when dating since we’re talking about ending up in a potential life-long relationship, but it sure is hard when it comes to applying for writing gigs. I have both a professional side and a fun-loving side to my personality, and I’m learning that some sites want one and not the other, and it’s not always the professional side they are looking for in a “first impression” cover letter.

Some sites want a writer to be free to be themselves, and others want a writer who can write what they want, regardless of whether or not it has anything to with who the writer is. That said, I’m glad freelancing gives the opportunity for me to write about only those topics that I enjoy-both fun and serious.