If you find that mundane day-to-day tasks steal away a lot of your time, making it harder for you to focus on the more important tasks at hand, it’s likely you’re keen to find ways to increase productivity and streamline your working day. [Read more…]
Let’s Talk About Coworking (And What It Has to Offer)
Once upon a time, there was the hum-drum office space, where people would gather from far and near, take to their desks and work. Then came the internet. Soon after, forward-thinking companies like Apple and Google formed huge corporate community workspaces. Then came social media. Soon after that, the “startup” appeared on the scene, mirroring the corporate workforce, but fusing into a smaller network of guerrilla entrepreneurs. [Read more…]
Avoid Using “Very” Because It Makes Your Writing Very Weak
“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys – to woo women – and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.”
― N.H. Kleinbaum, Dead Poets Society
I’ve always thought that lazy writers are worse than “bad” writers (those who just need to hone their craft). If we were to live by the quote above, I suppose I just revealed how I think of myself as a writer — at times, at least.
There is no point in denying it — I use “very” more than I should.
How about you? Are you aware of how often you use the word? [Read more…]
Inspiring Movies Every Writer Must Watch
Writing inspiration is all around us, everywhere we look. That guy at the next table at the coffee shop who’s alone and reading a book instead of playing with his phone. That little girl at the park sitting on the grass staring at a tree. That sparrow who is pecking at the crumbs of your cheesecake.
Books. Blog posts. TV shows. And, yes, movies.
Even if these materials aren’t specifically about writing, we can still glean inspiration from them. Today, I’m sharing watching material for movie buffs – or even the casual movie watcher. I’ve seen some of these movies, while the others are on my watch list. [Read more…]
Download Our Free eBook “100 Websites that Pay Writers”!
From the FWJ family to you – a free eBook titled “100 Websites that Pay Writers”.
As a way of showing our appreciation for your continued support and participation in the community, we created this eBook.
We’re all freelancers who need to find clients and gigs constantly, and we know just how difficult that can be at times. With this eBook, we hope to add to the holiday spirit – and help increase your income.
Become an Exceptional Writer with Udemy’s “Writing with Flair” Course [FREEBIE ALERT]
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
― Albert Einstein
We’re still alive, aren’t we? We continue to look for new clients and work with existing clients.
Shouldn’t we then apply Einstein’s words to our professional lives? Shouldn’t we find ways to continue growing professionally?
The reason I’m writing about this topic is that I have always been a firm believer in keeping up with new ideas and trends in my line of work. This is particularly important for online writers as the landscape of freelance writing, blogging, and content marketing is in a constant state of flux. If you stand still by not expanding your knowledge, you’ll find yourself being left behind.
Ways to continuously improve as a writer
One of the best and easiest ways to keep up with the times is to read – blogs of other writers, books, news, and other material that will aid you in learning more about writing and other online jobs you may have.
Another way – and perhaps more effective – is to take courses that teach you skills and ideas beyond what you already know. There are a lot of online educational providers today, some free, some for a fee.
I know that not everyone has the money to spend on expensive courses, but guess what? We have a treat for you.
Udemy
The guys a Udemy got in touch with us about a “free writing course” they are currently offering.
If you’re not familiar with Udemy, it is one of the biggest providers of online courses. Their courses range from app development to search engine optimization to job search to writing. Some of their courses are free, but they also have paid courses.
One of their current offerings on writing is “Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer”. It focuses on tightening your writing style while at the same time honing your skills to take your writing to the next level.
My experience
Michael Blau from Udemy generously gave me a code to take the course, which is priced at $299 (now don’t stop reading yet), and while I haven’t finished it, based on the outline and the sections I’ve gone through, I can honestly say that I will walk away a better writer when I am done.
To give you a sneak peek, the course introduces you to the “world elite writing” – not the usual articles/web content you see online – and the “secret sauce of flair” (while at the same time cutting out the unnecessary).
The good stuff
When you saw the price of the course in the previous section, you might have ditched the idea of taking it – and understandably so. The $300 price tag is not easy to swallow, and even if I keep on repeating how good the course is, some of you may just not want to spend that money.
I’ve got good news for you, though. Michael was generous in giving me a code to take the course, but he has gone the extra mile by giving a code for our readers, essentially making “Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer” a free writing course!
How do you get in on the action?
Just visit the course page, and enter the code NOEMIBUSINESSWRITING.
It’s that simple. You get to take a $299 writing course for free!
Here’s one important detail: This code is good for the first 50 users who sign up (no fees to create a Udemy account).
Learn how to improve your writing skills from one of the most popular courses on Udemy without spending a single cent. How’s that for a great deal?
5 Blog Posts You’ll Want to Read This Week
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” – Stephen King
While not everyone is a fan of Stephen King, it’s difficult to deny how true this quote is. As writers, we need to continuously evolve, and one of the best ways to do this is to read the work of others. Whether you read books, essays, or blogs – it doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you make time for reading and that you learn from what you read.
Today, I’d like to share five blog posts that will help you in your freelance writing life. Knowing how hectic a freelancer’s schedule can be, I don’t suggest reading them all in one day. Spread them out. Re-read them. Learn from them.
How to Not Set Yourself up for Failure with New Year’s Resolutions by Jeff Goins
Every new year starts with good intentions. We’ve been conditioned to plan a fresh start and make resolutions for a better life. The thing is, we all know too well that New Year’s resolutions tend to be thrown out of the window at some point.
This post by Jeff Goins shows you that New Year’s resolutions are achievable. In one sentence: “Measure the process, not the outcome”.
A Better Approach to “Write Every Day” by Jessica Strawser
“Write every day even if you don’t feel like it.”
You’ve heard this piece of advice many times. You may even have shared it with fellow writers. It doesn’t always work, though, and if that’s the case for you, this blog post will give you a fresh perspective.
The Forest for the Trees: How to Cure Overwriting by C.S. Lakin
Is there such a thing as overwriting? Definitely. Here’s how the author defines it.
Overwriting takes many forms. Wordiness. Overuse of modifiers and weak sentence construction. Vagueness. Redundancy. Convolution. Pushing metaphors so far beyond the breaking point that they cease to be enlightening and become ridiculous instead. Purple prose.
If that hits too close to home, then read this post first.
How to Avoid High PayPal Fees: A Lucrative Trick for Freelancers by Alexis Grant
There are many ways freelance writers can receive payment, but PayPal is probably one of the most common. If you use PayPal, you’re already aware of the fees that cut into your earnings. This post will teach you how to save on those fees.
Finding Readers: Strategies for Building Your Audience in 2015 by Stacey Roberts
If you are using your blog to make money, you definitely want to increase your reader base. The theory is simple, but the implementation is not always an easy road. This blog post gives actionable tips that will help get more readers.
Happy reading!
P.S. It wouldn’t hurt to follow that woman’s example (in the image up top) and read with a glass of wine in your hand.
Also read: 7 Forms of Freelance Writer Payment You Can Accept
Best Cities for Telecommuters in 2013
With the growing popularity and use of the Internet, more and more people are sitting at their desks thinking: I could do this from home. Fortunately, company owners are also starting to realize the fact that many jobs can now be done at home through the Internet. This is especially true for writing gigs. This is known as telecommuting, and for those who have landing a telecommuting job, home can really be anywhere in the world.
Maybe I Just Don’t Test Well…
Aw, gee. I’ve mentioned time and time again on this blog that I consider myself to be a “word-nerd.” I love to use superfluous words, and I am a fiend for a compound sentence. In addition, I love to read and to rend some deep meaning out of the words and passages of classic literature. For an American, I’m pretty well-read.
Or so I thought.
I took this simple little quiz and was appalled at my results. There were 17 quotes listed, and in the 5 minutes provided, I could only identify 7 of them. (They even had the author’s initials listed as a clue for each.) I may have to revoke my own word-nerd street cred after that abysmal showing.
So, now I’m curious. How many of them can each of you get right? C’mon. Humor me. It won’t take more than five minutes since there’s a timer and everything; and you can even count it as “work” since it’s totally writing related!
There seem to be a whole bunch of these types of games on this site called Sporcle, but the one I’m talking about is the Classic Quotes game.
An Interview with Dan Schawbel – Author of Me 2.0
I was fortunate enough to have international best selling author and personal branding expert, Dan Schawbel, write the forward for my book that’s coming out next month, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing
I spent a few minutes with him discussing how freelance writers can build their own personal brands in order to build their businesses. Dan’s insightful answers to my questions are included below. Be sure to read the Building Your Freelance Writing Brand series here on Freelance Writing Jobs for more information about how you can start developing your own brand to boost your writing business.
Susan Gunelius: How can freelance writers benefit from personal branding? What can they learn in your book that can help them get started?
Dan Schawbel: Over 30% of the US population is freelancers, and in my opinion, everyone should have a freelancer’s mentality. You should always be looking for work and new opportunities, even if you have a full-time job.
Being a freelancer makes it easy and critical to build a personal brand. Freelancers can benefit from personal branding because they need to differentiate themselves, be found online through searches, and build portfolios to display their work. A freelance web designer will be judged based off of the website they create for themselves, and writers will be judged based on online clips from published sources. Me 2.0 helps freelancers discover, create, communicate, and maintain their brand over the course of their lives. It’s imperative to take advantage of your brand now, so that you can attract the right opportunities.
Susan Gunelius: What is your response to someone who says they don’t need a website or an online presence for their freelance writing business?
Dan Schawbel: I would probably look at them like they were crazy, to be honest. It’s hard to imagine a freelancer that doesn’t have a web presence. For freelancers, I recommend that you have your own website (yourfullname.com), as well as your full name as a vanity URL on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It’s also important to have your full name as an email address ([email protected] is what I recommend). If you don’t have an online presence, you won’t be found which is a major competitive disadvantage. I haven’t made one sales pitch in three years. I get new clients and opportunities based on being found, and it works.
Susan Gunelius: You’ve achieved a lot of success at a young age and even have an internationally best selling book to your credit. Could you share some of the story of how you got to this point and specifically share the story of how you got your first book published?
Dan Schawbel: I wrote the entire story on my blog in length, but will summarize it for you! I had eight internships, seven leadership positions, and a consulting company during college. I got each internship by showcasing my “personal branding toolkit,” which was composed of my business card, a website, resume, cover letter, references document, and a CD portfolio of my work. This impressed employers and I considered it to be “marketing myself” back then before I knew the term “personal branding.” Despite all of this hard work, I was afraid to network, so it took me eight months, meeting fifteen people, and getting rejected twice, to get a job at EMC corporation.
I started the Personal Branding Blog on March 14th 2007, and then created a video series, wrote articles for magazines, started the Personal Brand Awards, and launching Personal Branding Magazine on August 1st with an interview between Donald Trump and Guy Kawasaki. Fast Company wrote about my six month journey, and my life changed at rapid speed. I was asked to speak at Google and was recruited internally by a VP to lead the social media efforts in communications at EMC. I had the idea to write Me 2.0, once I flipped the recruitment process over, and was given a job based on my personal brand outside of work. I went through seventy agents, and three publishers, before I received my publishing deal with Kaplan in January of 2008. I started my company in January of this year.
Susan Gunelius: For a freelance writer who does not yet have a website, blog or other branded online destinations, what are the first steps they should take to begin developing their personal brand?
Dan Schawbel: The easiest part is crafting your online presence, and the hardest part is to figure out what you’re passionate about, what your current writing skills are and what you need to improve, as well as your short and long-term goals. Ask yourself “where do I want to go with my career, and in twenty years, what do I want to do”? Then, craft your personal brand and your long-term positioning. It’s not about the job you’re doing now, but where it all leads you in the end. That’s what counts! What’s your mission, your values, and what lasting impact do you want to have on the world?
Susan Gunelius: Many freelance writers are confused about how to brand themselves online — their personal name, a business name, a pseudonym? What do you recommend from a brand-building/business-building standpoint?
Dan Schawbel: If you’re a freelancer, than you are your business, so you have to brand yourself, and not some random corporate name. You don’t have a team, which means if people hire you, they get YOU. I recommend that you use your name everywhere, and connect it to your expertise.
Susan Gunelius: What are your thoughts on writing for websites for free as a marketing effort to build your brand? I’m a strong proponent of it but many freelance writers can’t make the shift in thinking from requiring payment for their writing to using it as a marketing/advertising/publicity tool. Where do you stand on that debate?
Dan Schawbel: That is an extremely good question Susan. As an expert in my field, I look at freelancing as a loss leader and something that is used to just promote my book and other assets. I never set out to make a living off of writing for magazines or sources. For writers who depend on money to survive, you should charge based on your experience, talents, and supply/demand for what you cover. If you need to write a few articles for free to get a brand on your resume, it could be a good idea for you. The only problem is that you’re writing won’t be looked highly upon and it might hurt your chances of getting paid by that brand later.
Susan Gunelius: What’s next for Dan Schawbel?
Dan Schawbel: I’m working on a new book concept right now that I can’t reveal of course. I’m launching the 14th issue of Personal Branding Magazine on November 1st, which I’m very excited about. I’m also speaking at Harvard Business School this month, and receiving an award by the Massachusetts Governor. You won’t see me expand my platform by creating more websites and blogs anytime soon. My goal for the short-term is to build upon what I already have, and create a monetization funnel that can support me and my employees. I see live events as being a huge part of that, especially since that’s where TechCrunch and Mashable make all their money.
Susan Gunelius: Where can Freelance Writing Jobs readers go to learn more about you and your book?
Dan Schawbel: Personalbrandingbook.com and on Amazon.
About Dan Schawbel
Dan Schawbel, recognized as a “personal branding guru” by The New York Times, is the Managing Partner of Millennial Branding, LLC, and the leading authority on personal branding. He is the author of the bestselling career book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 2009). Me 2.0 made the Amazon top 100 business book bestsellers list when it came out and was the #1 job hunting book. It also made the New York Times summer reading list for job seekers, was one of three social networking books recommended by Shape Magazine, was the #1 career book of 2009 by The New York Post, and is being translated into Japanese and French.
With over 900,000 results for his name in Google, Fast Company calls Dan a “personal branding force of nature.” If you search for branding experts in Google, Dan ranks #2! BusinessWeek named Dan as one of twenty people entrepreneurs should follow on twitter, alongside Richard Branson and Details Magazine cited him as one of five internet guru’s that can make you rich, alongside Seth Godin. He is the founder of the Personal Branding Blog®, which was the #1 job blog by Careerbuilder in 2008 & 2009, is an AdAge top 30 marketing blog and is syndicated by Reuters, Forbes, Fox Business and other major networks. Dan is also the publisher of Personal Branding Magazine® and the Student Branding Blog, head judge for the Personal Brand Awards®, director of Personal Branding TV®, and holds live Personal Branding Events. As a brand futurist, Dan was one of the first seven bloggers to have their own iPhone application.
In 2007, Dan co-created one of the first social media positions in a Fortune 200 company, EMC Corp. He is a syndicated columnist for Metro US (New York, Boston & Philadelphia), reaching over 1.2 million readers bi-weekly. At 26 years old, Dan is BusinessWeek’s youngest columnist and previously had a column with CBS Interactive’s BNET. He is also a featured contributor to Mashable, LifeHack, and MediaPost and he has written articles for BrandWeek Magazine and Advertising Age.
Dan has interviewed over 270 successful business people and celebrities, such as MC Hammer, Kathy Ireland, Jerry Springer, Perez Hilton, Timbaland, Tim Ferriss, Marcus Buckingham, Tony Hsieh, George Foreman, Ivanka Trump and Tom Peters. He’s been featured in over 150 media outlets, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, The Washington Post, CBS, ABC News, MSNBC, NPR, USA Today, Forbes, and The Boston Globe. Dan has 8 years of marketing experience, employed at companies such as EMC, Reebok, Lycos, LoJack, and TechTarget.
Dan is a keynote speaker at colleges and universities, such as Harvard and MIT and at major companies such as Time Warner and CitiFinancial. He is exclusively represented by the Big Speak Inc. speakers bureau, who also manages Donald Trump and Lance Armstrong. He helps both individuals and companies with creative branding solutions. Dan lives in Boston, MA and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bentley University in 2006.
