Dear Jodee, I was hired by a client to do some writing work. We discussed the details of the project and had agreed on its scope, as well as payment. Then the client disappeared. It’s been a few weeks now and although I’ve followed up by e-mail, I haven’t heard anything back. What happened here – is this person being a work tease? Frustrated Dear Frustrated, It sounds like this is a gig that just isn’t going to happen. Something must have changed for this client and rather than explain that to you, he or she just disappeared. Are they [Read more…]
Closing the Deal on Conclusions
Four ways to find closure
December 7, 2010. 3 Comments
I admit it. I’m a terrible closer. If I spend 20 minutes crafting my lede, you can guarantee I spend 18.5 minutes on the closing. It’s something I work on more often than I want to think about, however, it is better than the alternative – driving your audience off a cliff. When I’m stuck on my wrap-up I try four things to get myself back on track: 1. Revisit the lede. The lede brought your audience into the article and the conclusion will touch back home on the same thought, feeling or person – if an anecdote – that [Read more…]
What Have You Done Lately?
Adding Achievements to Your Freelance Writer's Resume
December 6, 2010. 4 Comments
If your goal is to stand out from other freelance writers who are applying for the same gig, you need to spend some time thinking about yourself and the skills and abilities that you bring to the table. You will have included this information on your resume, so that a prospective client can find out something about you and the kind of work you have done in the past. To provide the reader with more information about you, include achievements in your resume. What achievements, you may be asking yourself. Think back through the jobs you have had and try [Read more…]
5 Easy Article Research Tips
Digging deeper into subjects and sources
December 2, 2010. 5 Comments
If you peer into the heart of a great article, you’ll find it being kept alive from lede to conclusion by thorough research. And while access to information is easier, digging through the massive amounts available can be difficult, time consuming and frustrating. Simply tweaking a few already used tools will yield quicker, quality, in-depth information. 1. Google Tweaks A big source of info and debate is how best to use this vast resource. One thing to keep in mind while doing a Google search is the items that are listed first are not necessarily the best on the subject [Read more…]
Feedreader Dump Saves the Day
Out with the have to reads and in with the want to reads
December 1, 2010. 2 Comments
On a typical day, writers wake up, check their emails, skim through the job boards and hit their feed readers to catch up on the day’s news, events and hot topics. If we’re honest with each other, many of the items in our readers are, “have to reads.” These are key players and newsmakers in the industry – writers, bloggers, editors, niche experts, etc. If you want to get anywhere in your career you have to follow them. Right? Right? Eh. It is imperative that you stay current in your field. It helps you stay relevant, competitive and gives you [Read more…]
2011 Writing Prep: Work on Your Ledes
Simple writing exercise to boost your work
November 30, 2010. Leave a Comment
A good lede (lead) draws readers into the piece. It’s purpose is to pique interest, tell readers what the piece is about and transition them into the body of the article. It also needs to develop rather quickly. That is a lot of weight to place on a paragraph or two, which is why it’s the area writers agonize over the most. As with most things, writing improves through practice, critique and analyzing others. This exercise incorporates all three. Rewrite the ledes you come across throughout the day. Newspaper or magazine articles, blog posts – it doesn’t matter, simply read [Read more…]
Writing is Like Sex
Keeping it fresh and frisky with new crackers
November 30, 2010. 8 Comments
While you’re doing it, you’re focused, zoned in and intense. Every distraction is met with deep disappointment – the phone, the kids, the dog standing there watching you do it. When you’re not doing it it’s all you can think about leaving you distracted. “It” is writing, but the passion in which we pursue, fantasize about and devour it makes it a lot like sex. That’s another big reason why it’s fun. The Heat. There’s nothing like the heat of new blog post, new assignment or new magazine. The magazine represents an opportunity. The blog post or assignment represents a [Read more…]
2011 Writing Prep: Thick Skin
Mentally preparing for additional success
November 30, 2010. 1 Comment
As a writer, it is perfectly normal to get shellacked on a weekly or monthly basis. Whether it’s rejection letters, feedback from clients or mean-spirited comments on a blog or website there are plenty of days where the heart and ego will get bruised. Here’s the thing, it is the unfortunate by-product of success. Many define a writer’s success by their annual revenue. Others measure success by a writer’s influence – both online and offline. I look at those things, but I also look at a less rosy and overlooked area of success – feedback. We’ve all felt the sting [Read more…]
Creating Your Own Freelance Writing Gigs
Rainmaking as an Alternative to Job Listings
November 30, 2010. 7 Comments
I believe that one reason writers aren’t in higher demand is our collective shortcoming in marketing our gifts and their value. We have a tendency to wait until people see a need for us when we should be telling them why we’re so damned valuable. When you’re rainmaking, that’s exactly what you’re doing.
Do You Care About Your Clients’ Business?
It's Not a Four-letter Word
November 29, 2010. 7 Comments
How much do you care about your clients’ business? And what does caring have to do with getting hired for a freelance writing gig? Plenty. I believe that success is based partly on having a certain amount of raw talent but it’s mostly about showing up, doing the work and developing good relationships with the people you work with. Part of having a good relationship with your clients is caring about them and their business. You may be hired to provide a writing service, but what you are really doing is helping your client solve a problem. They may be [Read more…]
2011 Writing Prep: Editorial Calendar
Start the new year on schedule
November 29, 2010. 4 Comments
We are barely past the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday and here I am crashing through all the fun of the season by bringing up January. There’s no point sticking your head in the sand. The new year is coming and with it comes new responsibilities. To put a positive spin on it, it brings new opportunities to get organized and to create the cushy work environment of which you’ve always dreamed. In my dreamland, all of my calendars – editorial, home, kid activity and husband, are perfectly synced and color coordinated. In reality, my editorial calendar clashes with the other calendars [Read more…]
Job Hunting During the Holidays
Are You Listening to Hearsay or Focusing on Evidence?
November 22, 2010. 7 Comments
With the Holiday Season fast approaching, it can be tempting to abandon your freelance writing job search in favor of getting together with friends, shopping, baking and other enjoyable activities. I’m all for shopping, baking, hanging out with friends and family and enjoying all the wonderful things this time of year has to offer, but you should also devote some time to connecting with prospective clients. Be careful when you to go holiday-related events, though: chances are you are going to run into someone who will be less than encouraging about your career and your chances of getting your next [Read more…]
What’s More Scary: Fear of Failure or Success?
Which One Bothers You More?
November 16, 2010. 9 Comments
Fear of failure is something that I think most writers live with. In order to work, we have to either be answering ads, pitching our services to prospective clients, sending our queries or writing and marketing our own products. Sometimes we get the gig, and other times we don’t. Most of the time, we realize that we won’t get hired for every opportunity that we go after. Sometimes we can roll with the punches and shake off getting turned down for a gig, while at other times it can be upsetting to find out what the client didn’t feel that [Read more…]
Magazine Editor Steals Article, Admits It, Asks for Payment
Cooks Source is stirring up trouble in writing world
November 12, 2010. 10 Comments
I couldn’t resist it. The Gawker article or the pun in my subheading. Normally, I ignore the good old writer vs editor vs Twitter and Facebook trolls vs media snapshot thing. Or I read it, giggle, and move on with my real work. Today I couldn’t walk away from the trainwreck. The editor for Cooks Source so brazen, the topic too juicy and, well, it’s Friday, I’m always down for a bit of fluff. If you haven’t heard, Gawker has a fantastic post about a writer who found out her article was lifted from the original site it was published [Read more…]
Freelancer? Writing Consultant? Work at Home?
Tackling titles and respect
November 9, 2010. 23 Comments
Today my fav blogger and former owner of FWJ, Deb Ng, started a discussion on Facebook about the lack of respect people have for work at home folks. I joined in and voiced my annoyance over how quickly people dismiss my job and ask what my husband does for a living to decipher the ‘real source’ of our family’s income. They figure if I’m at home playing on the internet he must have a real job somewhere, out in the wide, wide world. It blows their mind when I tell them he does the same thing I do…from home. “Oh!” [Read more…]
Do You Send Holiday Greetings to Clients?
Why You Should Include Them on Your List
November 8, 2010. 11 Comments
It’s not too early to start thinking about Christmas. I saw Christmas decorations out in the stores right next to the Halloween items a couple of weeks ago. (Some things are just wrong.) Now, I prefer to get one holiday out of the way before I start thinking about the next one, but apparently retailers don’t think that way. From the number of Christmas flyers that have magically appeared in the mailbox recently and the amount of times I’ve been hearing, “Mom, can I have…..” recently, the holiday season seems to be gearing up now. At the risk of adding [Read more…]
Killing Clutter Quickly
Is Clutter Killing Your Career, You? Part 2
November 4, 2010. 3 Comments
In my earlier post “Is Clutter Killing Your Career, You?” I talked about the toll clutter can take on careers and writers’ bodies. Clutter causes chaotic time sucks and allows writers to put off important things like exercise while causing stress in all areas. Today I’ve got a few quick tips to getting things under control. Hire a professional organizer. Yes, they do exist. If you can get paid to sit at home in your underwear and blog about cats, these professional can get paid to get dressed, leave the house and come organize yours. A professional organizer is a [Read more…]
Is Clutter Killing Your Career, You?
How clutter hurts Part 1
November 3, 2010. 6 Comments
I know, the title sounds dramatic. A bit like the teaser for your local six o’clock news during sweeps, but it’s absolutely true. Your home office could be killing you or at the least, your career. Right now. Wait, before you jump up and run for the front yard let me explain… Clutter kills. You don’t have to have junk piled up to the ceiling like some reality TV shows, but disorganization in any area can affect others. Gone are the days of the lovable, messy writer whose creative passion overflows into piles and piles of papers, books and knickknacks. [Read more…]
Do You Ask for the Gig?
Getting the Client to Make a Decision
November 1, 2010. 4 Comments
You’ve been talking to a prospective client about his or her writing needs. So far, everything sounds good. You know you can do the work and give the client what they want, but they haven’t made you an offer. Now what? In this situation, you do have some options. You can back off and focus on the work you have in front of you right now and give the client some space and hope that when the time comes to hire someone that you will get nod. You have another option, though, and that is to assert yourself and get [Read more…]
Read What You Write
So you don't become like Jerry Springer
October 31, 2010. 6 Comments
Jerry Springer. Everyone knows the name though no one will admit to watching the show. It’s been on for decades and yet the show’s host, Jerry Springer, admits he doesn’t watch it. Why? In an article published on the Huffington Post, the talk show host said “I don’t watch the show, but it’s not aimed at 66-year-old men. If I were in college, I would watch. I enjoy doing it. It’s a lot of fun.” I’d wager there are several (hundred) writers that don’t read what they write. Whether it is a blog post, column or article, many writers finish [Read more…]
You’ll Never Get Paid On Time!
And other spooky freelancer tales
October 31, 2010. 2 Comments
In honor of Halloween I’d like to trot out and kill a few monsters in the closet that scare would be freelancers out of their dream. Monster: You’ll never get paid or paid on time! There’s not a working freelancer I know that has never been hosed by a client. There’s also not a store I know of that has never had to deal with a bounced check or shoplifters. Kill Strategy: Planning and prevention. Magazines are notoriously slow. There’s not much you can do about it other than to stack work so while your waiting on Shopper’s Delight’s article [Read more…]
5 Way to Be Super UNSUCCESSFUL
Success is boring, make a splash and be mediocre
October 31, 2010. 8 Comments
Some people claim they want to be successful freelance writers yet one quick look at their business and writing practices and you quickly realize they are actually pulling the old Jedi mind trick on you. Their every move is designed to make fail look awesome. Are you one? Want to be? Here are five ways to be super unsuccessful. Here’s to failing! Ya! 5. Don’t bother with research. When you start out your freelance writing career you really should just focus on interviewing or emailing successful writers. Pick a few and ask them to regurgitate and hand feed you all [Read more…]
