There are two sides to the writer debate – those who require certain comforts and those who can write in the middle of a toxic dump. I’d argue both types are just as likely to have hazardous work environments. Your office could be making you sick, or at the very least, decreasing your productivity. The good news is there simple way to creating a safe and healthy work environment. 1. Trouble in the Air The information is scary: according to the August 2000 EPA Indoor Environments Division, Indoor Air Quality and Student Performance report, “Indoor air quality can reduce a [Read more…]
Fix Your Toxic Writing Environment
Five areas to address to breathe easier and write better
February 3, 2011. 4 Comments
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…]
Freelancer? Writing Consultant? Work at Home?
Tackling titles and respect
November 9, 2010. 22 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…]
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…]
Niche or No?
Weighing your writing options
October 28, 2010. 7 Comments
There is one big question freelance writers must tackle regardless of their experience or career length: niche or no? Newbie writers will read article upon article and blog upon blog touting the importance of finding a niche, picking a niche, taking a niche out on a date…Veterans will find themselves bombarded with articles and posts on when it’s time to leave a niche, switch, combine, create a Frankenstein and give a manic laugh… The truth is – you have a choice. Pro Niche: 1. Building a good reputation as a writer is important. Getting steady work is important as well. [Read more…]
There are No Small Freelance Writing Gigs
August 9, 2010. 6 Comments
I’ve been thinking about the quote, “There are no small roles, only small actors,” and how it relates to freelance writers. Freelance writing and acting do seem to have a lot in common. Consider the following: You’re only as good as your last gig. There is no guarantee that anyone will hire you for your next one. Start pulling a lot of attitude and no one will want to work with you. Period. All of us have the opportunity to decide for ourselves which gigs we want to go after and which ones aren’t right for us. Before you turn [Read more…]
Writing Divas Need Not Apply
June 24, 2010. 6 Comments
I saw an ad looking for freelance writers in my travels today that listed the characteristics this particular client is looking for. It mentioned that they were looking for someone who could behave professionally and that “writing divas need not apply.” I’m not sure at what point we started deciding that diva-ness was something that we should be celebrating. Maybe it was around the time that companies started marketing the princess concept to little girls and their parents. If the focus of hiring a freelance writer to do a job is the work, why would a client want to put [Read more…]
What Do You Value as a Freelance Writer?
June 17, 2010. 2 Comments
At first glance, it may not appear that your freelance writing clients and your values are related. The types of gigs you go after, the people you decide you would like to work with and what you have decided is most important to you are very closely related. Good Income As a freelance writer, if you have made a decision that you want to make a lot of money (and there is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding that making a high income is one of your goals), you will make a point of seeking out clients who have deep pockets. [Read more…]
Waiting for Confidence to Strike
June 12, 2010. 1 Comment
More than one person I know has said that they couldn’t work as a freelance writer because they don’t feel confident enough. I tell them that feeling confident is not a requirement; if I waited until I felt completely confident and I was wearing just the right outfit and the phase of the moon was just so, I would never reach out to any prospective clients. If you take how you personally feel about your job hunt out of the equation, you can get a lot more accomplished and be on your way to finding a gig that is a [Read more…]
Building Your Freelance Writing Career Broom – One Straw (Gig) at a Time
May 21, 2010. 1 Comment
Do you want to have a freelance writing career? You must be interested in writing if you are reading this. If you want to have a writing career, you need to start with a single freelance writing job and build it over time. By definition, a job is something that you do and you get paid for it. Usually a job implies that you are an employee, but let’s leave that out of the equation for the sake of argument. A career is something that a person dedicates him or herself to over the long term, and it has opportunities [Read more…]
Skeletons in Your Freelance Writing Closet
May 8, 2010. 3 Comments
Everyone has a past. If an event happened before now, it’s relegated to the past. As freelance writers, we can’t rest on our laurels, nor can we spend time worrying about what someone will think about who we worked for previously or how much we were paid. Do you have some skeletons in your freelance writing closet? I’m willing to bet you do. There may be some gigs you may not be proud to admit that you took on, either because of the subject matter or what you were paid. I believe that we learn from all of our writing [Read more…]
Why I Don't Want to be the Best
May 3, 2010. 3 Comments
I know people say that freelance writing is a highly competitive field and that if you want to succeed, you need to be the best. Deb addressed the issue of convincing a client that you are the best in her blog post, If You Don’t Feel You’re the Best, How Will You Convince Your Clients? I’ve been thinking about the idea of being “the Best” and I want to explain why I don’t want that designation. I’m Enjoying the Journey To me, deciding that someone is the best means that they have peaked. If there is a summit as a [Read more…]
Are You Trying to be a Big Deal or the Real Deal?
April 15, 2010. 1 Comment
Before I started freelance writing, I worked as a legal assistant. My first job was working at a very large firm (250 lawyers at the time) and I’ve worked for a sole practitioner, as well as a few firms with staffing numbers in between. One thing I noticed was that the lawyers who had the worst attitudes were generally the ones at or close to the bottom of the firm letterhead. (If a law firm lists its lawyers, the most senior ones are at the top.) The senior partners have already proven themselves and don’t need to go around telling [Read more…]
3 Truths About Freelance Writing
April 1, 2010. 4 Comments
There are many myths floating around about freelance writing and working from home in general, and you have probably heard or seen them already. Comments like it’s easy to write for a living, anyone who can put together a sentence can be a writer and you can make big bucks your first day as a freelancer (one of my personal favorites). Rather than perpetuating myths about freelance writing, today I’d like to share some truth, or at least the truth as I see it. Clients are not an interruption to a freelancer’s schedule. I’ve had clients want to talk to [Read more…]
Freelance Writers and (Professional) Commitment Issues
March 6, 2010. Leave a Comment
If working for an employer can be likened to a type of professional marriage (you work for one employer at a time, and if you decide to moonlight and take on another job, you probably want to keep that fact quiet or face consequences), working as a freelancer is more like living together. You are committed to that client as long as the arrangement meets both your needs, and you accept that it may not necessarily be a long-term thing (but there is a possibility that you will be working together indefinitely). Each professional relationship has its advantages and disadvantages, [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Isn't Brain Surgery, But….
January 30, 2010. 3 Comments
Recently in my online travels, I came across a comment on a message board that got me thinking. The commenter stated that freelance writing is “an open door that invites anyone in.” This person goes on to say that well-educated and informed writers have to prove themselves. I agree that the Internet has opened up many possibilities for freelance writers. There are opportunities available online that simply weren’t offered a few years ago. And yes, many people think that they want to “get into” writing. It’s a situation of many being called, and few having what it takes to stick [Read more…]
Are You Waiting for Your Dream Job to Come?
January 27, 2010. 1 Comment
On the main blog on the Freelance Writing Jobs Network, Deb asked readers to describe their dream job. It has been really interesting reading the comments to see what other writers consider their ideal freelance writing gig, and it made me think about the next logical (to me anyway) question: Are you waiting for it to show up on your doorstep or are you taking steps to make the dream a reality? Waiting for your dream job to come is a bit like waiting for Prince Charming to show up on his white horse. While we may have all heard [Read more…]
Why I Don't Want to be a Rock Star Freelance Writer
January 24, 2010. 6 Comments
I’ve seen more than a few ads looking for “rock star freelance writers,” and every time I see one, it just rubs me the wrong way. Really. To me, a rock star is someone who is all about image. They have a certain level of arrogance, and somewhere along the way, they lost track of their craft in favor of hype and excess. They might produce something that is in demand, but the public rarely finds out how many takes it took to produce the songs that we eventually buy. They live fast and die young. Or they may hang [Read more…]
Do You Need a Freelance Writer Resume?
January 14, 2010. 6 Comments
Looking for freelance writing jobs is an interesting thing. As I’ve said before, when you work as a freelancer, you are your own boss. When you apply for work, you aren’t applying for a job, exactly. The person who hires you to work isn’t your employer; they are a client. You might work with a client on the different projects that you do, but you are your own boss. Some potential clients want to find out about a freelancer’s background and education before they hire them and may ask to see a resume. Although I will provide a potential client [Read more…]
3 Things Freelance Writing Jobs and Home Improvements Have in Common
January 5, 2010. 1 Comment
DIY is big business these days. If you go into your local home improvement big box warehouse store on a weekend, it will be jam packed with people who are interested in repairing or updating their homes. I like to go to Home Depot to get ideas for projects and in a past life I worked for a paint and wallpaper retailer for a number of years. I’ve been doing some thinking about the kinds of things that home improvements and freelance writing jobs have in common. Here’s what I was able to come up with: 1. There many different [Read more…]
Not Another End of the Year Blog Post
December 31, 2009. 3 Comments
I know a lot of people enjoy the end of the year lists that are so popular online, in print and on television. I’m not one of them. It’s just not something that holds my interest. I’ve learned over the years that it’s probably not a good idea for me to make New Year’s resolutions. I tend to set the goal way too high, like resolving never to eat chocolate again when I have never been able to successfully give it up for Lent, without breaking the goal down into a plan to increase my chances of success. Since now [Read more…]
