By Terreece Clarke Two blogging days, two niche subjects, more at the banquet for you. While on the journey of freelance writing, the majority of writers will find themselves either parading down Article Avenue or hanging out on Corporate Corner. On Article Avenue, writers both newbie and experienced, will find boutique shops offering tips, haute writing challenges, the latest trends, industry news and insider expert interviews, all geared toward making each article you write the best you’ve written so far. While on Article Avenue the FWJ community will be able to stop under shady “evergreen” topics such as: o Interviewing [Read more…]

by James Chartrand Have you ever faced a moment where you just don’t know the answer? I have. I’m wondering what the right answer is right now, in fact, because I’m supposed to pitch my niche and get specific about what I’ll write here at FWJ. The problem is that I don’t want to make promises I’m not going to keep. You see, I could tell you that I’d like to write on fiction and the process of finding an agent or being publishing. I could say that I want to focus on writing website content or blogging. Maybe I’d [Read more…]

by James Chartrand When you first realize that you’re going to do something you’ve always dreamed about, it’s exciting. The feelings that swirl around and the obvious potential fills your mind. You’re doing it. You’re going to be a freelance writer. You’re on your way – finally! After a few weeks, or months, or maybe even a year or two, you might realize that you’re feeling blasé. Okay, yes, you love your job, and being a writer is great, but the shine has gone out of it. It’s a job, more or less. Then what? Well, then you have choices [Read more…]

By Mary Hay  Davis Sophia Loren said, “Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go much further than people with vastly superior talent.” Each of us travels our own unique road throughout our writer’s journey, and it’s unlikely that any two of us got to this point in exactly the same manner. There are two things, however, we should all share — a deep-seated faith in our personal talents, as well as an unwavering commitment to bringing those talents to light. How many [Read more…]

by Terreece Clarke Much ado is made about niches – where to find one, how to break into one, who has them on sale, etc. Writing experts, in making their cases for and instructing about niches, often don’t talk about when writers and niches don’t mix. Curiosity Killed the Niche Ravenous curiosity is one reason writers may decide to forgo having a niche. There are writers who are very passionate about one or a few subjects. They could spend hundreds of years researching and writing about them. Other writers are curious about and are able to research a wide variety [Read more…]

By Underdog The tongue-in-cheek Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest recently announced its results for the worst writer of 2008: Garrison Spik, a 41-year-old communications director and writer from the state of Washington wrote: “Theirs was a New York love, a checkered taxi ride burning rubber, and like the city their passion was open 24/7, steam rising from their bodies like slick streets exhaling warm, moist, white breath through manhole covers stamped ‘Forged by DeLaney Bros., Piscataway, N.J.’”

by Mary Hay Davis Dictionary.com defines Crisis as: 1. a stage in a sequence of events at which the trend of all future events, esp. for better or for worse, is determined; a turning point. Almost all freelancers have experienced some type of work crisis during their writing career – the printer goes out as you’re preparing a manuscript for a 5 p.m. mailing deadline or your internet service goes down the day a big project is due. In this line of work, it’s not a matter of if we’ll face a crisis, but when. More tellingly, success in this [Read more…]

by Carly Schuna I’m continually amazed by what a great community we have here at FWJ, but I think we can do better. That’s right… I’m issuing a challenge. (Isn’t that what Megatron does best?) One of my favorite things about coming here each day is seeing how all of the community members interact with Deb and Jodee and Ugur, respond to what’s posted, and ask their own questions that spur new posts and dialogue. It’s truly a collaborative process, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

By Terreece Clarke With all that Freelance Writing Jobs has to offer it was difficult to assess where one could improve on all that Deb and Jodee have built. The thing I kept coming back to is the wide variety of writers that visit FWJ. Nowhere is this better reflected than in the types of leads Jodee puts out everyday – everything from web content writers to tech editors and more. What better way to improve FWJ than to add more variety?

by Mary Hay Davis There are two terms frequently used in the vernacular of web development: Static vs. Dynamic. Static refers to a page where the content remains constant – you can go back to that page time and again and the content appears the same each time. Dynamic, however, refers to a state of flux or change. When you view a fancy website that has a dynamic flash intro, the colors may starburst and then fade into one another. Logos and taglines often scroll across the screen. Throw in a video intro or themed musical interlude and you have [Read more…]

by Carly Schuna After learning from a few of my past posts, I’m still here (thank you!) but with one key difference—I’m not about to make any assumptions regarding what the community of FWJ wants. So as for the topic of how I can improve the site, here’s my honest answer: I don’t know. Here’s what I do know: I’ll do my best to try to improve it by writing and researching things we haven’t seen here so far that I think will help your careers and things that I think some of you want to see addressed. I’m the [Read more…]

by Mary Hay Davis “Discovery consists of seeing what everyone else has seen, and thinking what no one else has ever thought.” — Albert Szent-Gyorgoi Von Nagyrapolt There are many aspects to a freelance writing career, many of which serve as deterrents to getting any actual writing done. But when it comes down to it, what keeps us all in business is our commitment to putting pen to paper (or more likely, fingers to keyboard) and hammering out a finished product. So let’s push aside all the other tangents that distract us from our mission, and concentrate on the craft [Read more…]

by Terreece Clarke Always hustle. It’s a simple rule that isn’t easy to follow. It applies to all stages and areas of a writer’s career and is key to their success. The Gig Hustle In the beginning, writers usually do one of two things – they either start off with fire, running after every gig they can get, or they dip a toe or two into the pool and test the waters. Regardless of the approach, new writers must always hustle to get new gigs, experience and clips. Successful writers go beyond the virtual world, keeping their eyes and ears [Read more…]

by Becky Scott “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” That’s a quote from Winston Churchill, often misquoted as “Never, ever, ever, ever give up.” The meaning is close enough – don’t give up. As a writer, you must be persistent. Keep going no matter what the obstacles, the naysayers, the writer’s block. Just keep going. Write through it. Pitch those queries. Find your niche. Being tenacious, unwilling to quit, unable to [Read more…]

by Carly Schuna It’s a powerful feeling to know that you’re in charge of your own career. It’s also easy to feel that such a statement simply isn’t true, and that you’re never really in control. On some days, it just seems like someone else is pulling the strings—namely your clients. If you lose your highest-paying job, why shouldn’t you feel bad? When your queries are met with rejection after rejection, why should you keep plugging along instead of giving into the thoughts that maybe freelance writing isn’t really for you after all? If someone stiffs you for a long-term [Read more…]

by Mary Hay Davis It’s hard to toot your own horn when you’re adhering to terms of non-disclosure so as not to reveal your identity. How am I supposed to prove to you I’m qualified if I can’t give you detailed information about my background and accomplishments? Since I’m a firm believer that obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of your goal, I’m looking forward, and improvising with my abridged version of the childhood game “20 Questions” (tightened to 10 for the web.)

by Terreece Clarke The FWJ community is a lucky lot. You have the opportunity to pick from an extremely talented pool of writers for a new bi-weekly blogger. The tough part for all of you now and for the next several weeks is to decide on what you’re looking for in a blogger.  All of the writers in the running have skill and experience, but what separates #3 from the pack? I am fluid, focused and tough. FWJ needs the type of writer who can appeal to a broad range of writers with credibility and style. My writing career has [Read more…]

by Becky Scott Who am I? I mean, really, who am I to think that I can teach all of you? I have gleaned a lot of great information from this community over the years, and I just want to give back a little. Or a lot. I love to learn. Toss me a topic, tell me what you want to hear, and I’ll go look for it. And then I will return to share. My knowledge is useless unless I can share it. I’ve struggled to learn how to be a good freelancer – a freelancer with steady work [Read more…]

by Misti Sandefur As a long-time reader of FWJ, I’ve learned a lot and landed new clients through the daily freelance writing job listings. To blog for Freelance Writing Jobs would be an honor, and since I’m already a loyal reader, I know the blog’s style, tone and audience. With over 10 years writing experience and more than two years blogging and social networking experience, I have lots of advice to share with the FWJ community. I’m not afraid to reveal my freelance writing mistakes and share advice on what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes. You’ll [Read more…]

by Chris Cristiano The readers of FWJ are an active group all striving towards a common goal; to gain financial independence through their writing efforts. I share in this goal too. Like many other FWJ readers, I juggle an outside job and family responsibilities with my writing aspirations with hopes that one day my hours will be spent fulfilling writing requests from an array of clients. But for now, I must do both to sustain a living and satisfy my creative side. Some days, this is not an easy task.