I just splurged on some new business cards. My friend Randa Clay designed them and I paid for quality printing. I didn’t use one of those free except for shipping places as I had in the past, because I wanted a unique design. When I first began freelancing I didn’t really think much of business cards. My work was mostly web based and I had a website and some blogs, so why did I need a business card? Once I began face to face networking, I realized the importance of sending folks home with my number and email address. Let [Read more…]
Procrastination
August 31, 2009. 3 Comments
Right, we are now inspired to produce scribblings of the finest prose so we must get to the keyboard and begin. We’ve finished the school run and kissed our partners farewell until the evening so we have the rest of follow our inspiration wherever they may lead us. The day lies before us like a glorious canvas and we have many vivid colours to spray around like Jackson Pollock on a particularly inspired day. Let’s get going! 0910 – Well, whilst I make for the computer to boot we may as well open the post whilst I wait for the [Read more…]
FWJ Investigates Freelance Bidding Sites
August 30, 2009. 12 Comments
At FWJ we’re often asked our opinion of bidding sites. The truth is, I don’t have much experience. I tried one several years ago and lost many jobs to low bidders. Because of my negative experience, I’ve never had anything good to say about these services. I’ve been wanting to do a series on bidding sites for some time now, but never had a chance to fully investigate. That’s about to change. Today I registered for a popular bidding site and may try a few others. I will attempt clients, even if I have to lower my rates a wee [Read more…]
Quick Query Tip: Work Your Contacts
August 30, 2009. 1 Comment
Writers tend to meet with, connect and befriend other writers. We build social networks and professional contacts that are both supportive and invaluable. These same contacts can be used to help get your foot in the door with editors and publications. Now before you hustle off to pitch a magazine using the name of a Twitter friend who has also written for them, you should know there is a fair amount of courtesy and responsibility that comes with using someone’s name to further your career. The first thing you have to do is ask the person – seems obvious, but [Read more…]
31 Free Online Writing Courses
August 29, 2009. 16 Comments
If there’s one area in which I’ve been remiss, it’s in brushing up on grammar and usage. School was a very long time ago and my writing has gotten a bit…informal. I put off continuing education for some time thinking I’d go back to school once my son was in school, but other obligations prevented this. The good news is that I can still take some terrific free courses without having to leave my house. Learning has never been easier. These writing courses can be done on your own time, at your convenience. 31 Free Online Writing Courses The Writer’s [Read more…]
Self Editing Tip #3: Check if You’re Not Sure
August 28, 2009. 2 Comments
Technical Writer Needed for Automotive Articles
August 28, 2009.
10 Reasons Freelancers Need to Take a Break Once in a While
August 28, 2009. 11 Comments
Note: This post is a blatant rip off. I’ve been spending a little time at Men with Pens, reading about James Chartrand’s vacation. It prompted me to write a bit about my own time off. This summer, for the first time since I was 15 years old, I took the summer off. Sure, I blogged for FWJ a bit and worked on some personal projects, but I didn’t take on any client work at all. I wasn’t planning a vacation. I simply wanted to downsize for the summer. So I spent my mornings working on my projects and the afternoons [Read more…]
What Would You Do If You Became a Famous Writer
August 28, 2009. 10 Comments
Yesterday I shared a little video about the “Imaginary Publishing Process,” as well as an anecdote about how it was so relevant to my life because…um…I know someone going through the process. Well, here’s another one by the same folks that is probably even less likely to pertain to me, but is still really funny. I particularly like #4. If I did become a famous author, though, I think my first order of business would be to attach that title directly to my name. You know, like how once someone has won an Oscar, they are forever known as Academy [Read more…]
What is Your Small Business Story? It Could Be Worth a Technology Makeover
August 27, 2009. 4 Comments
Every business owner has a story. Perhaps you’re one of those people who walked uphill in the snow both ways to go to school in order to earn a scholarship. Maybe you didn’t struggle at all, maybe your business grew quickly and with little effort. It’s still a story. It’s a success story, and everyone likes a success story. AT&T wants to learn your story. They want to know how and why you started your business, and how you built it into what it is today. They’re even willing to make it worth your while as they’re giving away a [Read more…]
The Freelance Writing Jobs Photo Contest
August 27, 2009. 27 Comments
See that big, splashy coffee cup on the home page? It’s not working for me anymore. When we first put it up, it was part of a gallery of “coffee images”. The gallery didn’t work for us, however. We chose one picture to represent FWJ’s theme as a coffee shop for writers, but now it’s time to change. That’s where you come in. I want a new image for the home page, one that gets us back to our coffee shop feel. Before you send me pictures of coffee mugs, take a look around and get a feel for the [Read more…]
Getting Published is Soooo Easy
August 27, 2009. 1 Comment
I’m currently cheerleading from the sidelines as my business partner goes about trying to get her first novel published. Shoot. I’d better call her and make sure it’s ok for me to out her as a romance junkie… Thumbs up from the soon-to-be-famous Tamara Morgan. Where was I? Oh, yes. Tamara took some time out last November to pen her first romance novel during NaNoWriMo. I was quite impressed by her stick-to-it-ive-ness as she wrote in fits and bursts, as well as the occasional overly-wrought dry spell. I was supportive and encouraging and didn’t even laugh at her when she [Read more…]
You Have a Full Plate: Do You Still Look for Work?
August 26, 2009. 8 Comments
The short answer to this question is “Yes.” Marketing your writing business should be an ongoing activity. Many freelancers have peaks and valleys in their work load. It goes with the territory. If you want to keep the work coming in, you should be constantly doing activities that will grow your business. Even if you are at the point where your time is completely booked and you couldn’t possibly squeeze one more thing in, do it anyway. Find a few minutes to check out job boards, the job leads we post here at FWJ, to make a couple of cold [Read more…]
Things Not to Do with a Sick Toddler
August 26, 2009. 1 Comment
Lorna last week: see more Lolcats and funny pictures Things not to do with a sick toddler: 1. Drive 539 miles in one day – Spokane to Billings 2. Expose tons of other little kids to her illness – Sorry, cousins and cousins’ friends. 3. Let her put her fingers in your mouth – Now I’m sick, too. 4. Feed her dairy products – Hello, mucous. 5. Attend an hour+ -long church service – She sure looked cute in her matching hat and dress, though. 6. Expect her to spend more than five consecutive minutes without being held – [Read more…]
A Word About Plagiarism
August 26, 2009. 11 Comments
Yes, we need to talk about it. Yes, many of you have heard this talk since the 6th grade, but it is worth revisiting. Plagiarism is serious and quite common, particularly on the web. The OWL at Purdue University defines plagiarism as the uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of someone else’s words or ideas. Many writers and not all of them are newbies, include information in their articles, blog posts, etc., that originally appeared somewhere else without giving credit to the originator of the information. Look at the first sentence in the paragraph above, see how I gave credit [Read more…]
Sponsored Posts: Smart Advertising or Selling Out?
August 26, 2009. 17 Comments
I’ve been thinking about sponsored advertising a lot this week. Many bloggers won’t have anything to do with sponsored post advertising as they feel it’s a sell out and will turn off their readers. I can appreciate that. I think, though, many of us are lying if we say we don’t wish to make good money with our blogs. Make no mistake, FWJ is first and foremost a blog providing a useful service to freelance writers. However, it’s also a business. Blogging is a business. The bloggers at this network expect payment and I hope to turn a profit. With [Read more…]
60 Tips for Getting Started in Your Freelance Writing Career
August 25, 2009. 13 Comments
Every day new freelance writers visit FWJ seeking tips for getting started. We hope to answer them all, but we can’t always respond. Instead, I enlisted the help of some friends and compiled the best tips for beginning freelance writers. Feel free to add yours in the comments. 60 Tips for Getting Started in Your Freelance Writing Career Research the types of freelance writing jobs: It’s important to learn about the different types of writing and think about the tasks that suit you best. For instance, there are different writing styles applied to web content, blogs, copywriting, newspapers and magazines. [Read more…]
2009 Copywriting Success Summit
August 24, 2009. Leave a Comment
Ok. You know me. I don’t spam. I don’t sell. I don’t do a heck of a lot of product reviews here. I don’t even pimp my ebook much. The reason for this is because there aren’t enough products or services I believe in enough to dedicate a whole blog post. Sure, I’ll put banners in the side bar for a more subtle approach, but in your face selling isn’t my style. I like to think that’s the reason you like us here so much. I have a sales pitch for you today, one that will lead to an affiliate [Read more…]
The Stars Come Out for the Copywriting Success Summit
August 24, 2009. 2 Comments
Ok. You know me. I don’t spam. I don’t sell. I don’t do a heck of a lot of product reviews here. I don’t even pimp my ebook much. The reason for this is because there aren’t enough products or services I believe in enough to dedicate a whole blog post. Sure, I’ll put banners in the side bar for a more subtle approach, but in your face selling isn’t my style. I like to think that’s the reason you like us here so much. I have a sales pitch for you today, one that will lead to an affiliate [Read more…]
Blogging: The Rules Are….There are No Rules
August 24, 2009. 20 Comments
Bloggers who earn money like to tell other bloggers how to earn money. It’s what we do. We like to think our way is the best way and share our success secrets with others. Here’s the thing though, what works for one blogger doesn’t necessarily work for another. If there’s one thing I’ve learned these past few years it’s to use other bloggers’ experiences to experiment with my own blog, but find my own formula for success. Every time I read another blogger’s thoughts on how to kill a blog, I feel as if they’re writing about me. My sidebar [Read more…]
When to Name Names on Your Freelance Writing Resume
August 23, 2009. 4 Comments
Thank you to Jeanne Grunert, whose comment was the inspiration for this post. When you are preparing your freelance writing resume, do you list your clients’ names or do you keep them confidential? There isn’t one clear answer that will work for everyone. If you have signed a confidentiality agreement, then you can’t reveal the fact that you have worked for a specific client. I do include some client names on my resume and some others I don’t mention, although I do describe the kind of work that I have done for them. Here’s how I make the call: If [Read more…]
43 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs
August 22, 2009. 27 Comments
It’s that time of the year again. Every year at about this time, I let you in on my daily routine – the places I search to find freelance writing jobs. I update this list every year because it changes so much. Some of the places on my first list of 23 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs are no longer in existence. We also have some new sites to search since last year’s 22 Places to Find Freelance Writing Jobs list. Here’s your 2009 Version. Please note this list is only for job lists or search engines. It doesn’t [Read more…]
I Think Blogging is Making Me a Little Lazy
August 21, 2009. 13 Comments
While writing up a shopping list the other day, I took notice of my handwriting. I used to receive many compliments on my penmanship. Nowadays, unless I take the time to write slow and neat, it’s rather sloppy. My online writing has gotten sloppier as well. While there’s no excuse for typos (which I’m famous for!) and bad grammar, I notice that my writing has definitely gone downhill since I began blogging. Because it’s more casual, I tend not to pay as much attention to my writing. The problem is, my formal writing is suffering from my bad habits. I [Read more…]
10 Reasons Freelancing isn’t as Glamorous as it Looks on Paper
August 20, 2009. 23 Comments
Tell someone you’re a freelance writer, and what do they usually say? “Cool! Wish I could do that” or “Wow! I’d love to work at home”. Freelancing is fun for sure, but it’s also work. In fact, writing is just a small percentage of what we do to run a successful business. Freelancers love their life, but we’re also realistic enough to know it’s not as glamorous as it looks. Don’t believe me? Check it out: 10 Reasons Freelancing Isn’t as Glamorous as it Looks 1. It’s Lonely When you work by yourself day in and day out, it can [Read more…]
Blog & Web Writing Gigs for August 19, 2009
August 19, 2009. 1 Comment
A fair amount of decent paying gigs today, although I swear people are getting less and less clear when writing these things. It’s not that hard – Location? Pay? Hours? Duties? That works. I think maybe people are trying to be too fancy. In any case, no tip today but I do think this post is worth a read – Don’t Ignore the Hidden Job Market for Freelancers. Anywhere gigs: Engineering Blogger Established website seeks Editor in Chief – AND Blogger/Editor Needed for Pet Loving Startup – pay issues sounds super iffy on both gigs so approach with care Intern [Read more…]
