We’d like to say a big thank you to all of you who supported us when we ran our survey last November. As we promised, we are sharing the results of the survey with everyone.
We asked freelance writers questions that provide insight into our work and industry as a whole and put together the data into one graphic.
To give you a quick overview of the results, here is a summary of the key points. [Read more…]
Freelancing in any niche is a tough task, requiring you to play the roles of boss, employee, client hunter, marketer, and motivator each and every day, a workload much more demanding than many more traditional jobs! Being successful and moving upwards may be tough, but it’s entirely possible; you’ll just need to stay on the cutting edge of what’s new, exciting, and useful in your field.
Planning to take your freelancing career to the next level? Check out any of these five freelancing seminars to sharpen your mind and build your contact list: [Read more…]
As a mother and blogger, you’ve got a full plate, juggling more in the way of demands than any corporate position entails as you work to please your children and your readers, all at the same time. Given the extreme importance of your dual positions, whether you blog for fun or for business, you’ve got to stay sharp at every moment.
Luckily, conferences aimed at moms with home offices are abundant, offering workshops and networking opportunities that will help you to hone your skills in every department as you learn from the busiest and best of your peers!
Connect with other moms who double as power bloggers at one of these four international mom freelance bloggers meetups: [Read more…]
The freelance writing community is getting a little paranoid. I find I can’t hold a casual online conversation with someone without that person apologizing for typos or errors. It’s getting a little silly. Excellent writers are posting thought provoking comments on blogs and in forums, and then turn around and post again apologizing for typos most others wouldn’t have noticed in the first place.
Relax, people. You’re human. You’re allowed to make mistakes.
The purpose of this post isn’t to say we shouldn’t be diligent about our writing and do our best to ensure clean writing every time. Mostly it’s to say we don’t have to be so paranoid about our writing when we’re having an online water cooler conversation.
Just as there are times we should take extra care, there are times when we can relax a bit. I am always extra careful when turning in client projects or when applying for gigs, sending official correspondences, and on anything I consider “formal” writing. However, when I’m writing a letter to Dear Diary, I’m pretty sure I don’t need the grammar police looking over my shoulder. While I do try and be conscious of my errors (and many of you write to let me know when I miss the mark ) my genuine rule of thumb is to be particularly mindful when I have something to gain. For example, if a client is paying me, I’m creating a sign, or if I have to write a letter to my Congressman. If I’m posting a comment in a casual discussion forum and I “your” when I should have “you’re ‘d” I’m not going to be bothered by it too much.
You shouldn’t take it to heart, either.
I’m not decrepit, but I’m no spring chicken. I like to think I’ve been around the block a few times. Over the past four and a half decades, I have yet to find a person who is perfect. I’ll even go as far as to say that most people make at least a mistake a day, and many go beyond that. Yeah, there are the sticklers (Lynne Truss, I’m talking to you!), but I’m sure even the sticklers would agree that it’s OK for folks to let their guard down once in a while. If I’m having a conversation with another writer, I’m not going to be talking in the AP Format. I might notice horribly poor grammar (My pet peeve is “Where’s it at?” ) but there’s a difference between improper usage and honest mistakes. Only people with superiority complexes complain about honest mistakes in casual conversation , most people couldn’t care less or they realize a mistake for what it is and mind their manners.
Because the not-so silent minority are now policing the social networks to ensure we’re not “righting” when we should be “writing,” freelance writers are paranoid they’ll be called out as bad writers if they make the slightest mistake. Not a day goes by that I don’t see a casual conversation among writers where one apologizes to another for a typo. Both sides need to lighten up. We’re people, people, and we make mistakes. No one is going to think you’re a poor writer for having typos. Show me a writer who has never made an error, and I’ll show you a liar.
You know why you don’t see popular novelists or journlists making many mistakes in their writing? Because editors are proofing their work. What you see is the finished product. Chances are, those writers made a few errors before going to press.Of course I cringe when I see major gaffes in magazines or misspelled signs, but having gaffes get past a professional proofreader is a hell of a lot different than than a misplaced apostrophe in a Facebook comment.
You’ll probably find typos all over this blog, and even some on Twitter and Facebook…and you know what? I don’t care. If Facebook wants to pay me for turning in clean writing, I can certainly be more diligent. However, if I’m participating in casual conversation and the odd typo comes out, I don’t owe anyone an apology.
There’s no excuse for improper grammar, but we don’t need to be so paranoid we’re constantly (publicly) apologizing for forgetting a comma or adding an apostrophe.
Go ahead, make a typo. I’ll still respect you in the morning.
Being the top blog for freelance writers used to mean a lot to me and I worked very hard to achieve that goal. I wasn’t necessarily working to become number one, being a success was more important than being the top blogger in this very crowded niche. So I worked hard to be a success and the number one thing happened.
You know what? I don’t want it anymore.
Sometimes I miss the early days of Freelance Writing Jobs. The days before we were a network. The days when we were just a small community of writers sharing job leads and tips…and the days before we were number one. I hope we never become so big we lose sight of what’s important or remember where we came from.
I’m backing off the number one thing, someone else can have that gig. When you work hard to stomp the competition or take over the world, you lose something in the process. I don’t want to be that person.
Let’s take it down to eleven.
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Many of us belong to at least one freelance writing community. We enjoy the camaraderie and look forward to sharing tips and asking questions. I credit much of my success to social networks and freelance writing communities. Thanks to the generosity of other freelancers I received tips on leads, referrals and there were even times when clients directly approached me after reading my contributions on writing forums and blog posts.
Not all freelance writing communities are alike, however. Today, I’d like to offer some tips for choosing a community that best fits your vision.
Before signing up, consider these questions.
Because a freelance writing community requires a fee to join, doesn’t make it spammy or scammy. Most paying communities exist in order to deter spammers and ensure all members of the community are serious about freelance writing. Freelance writers in most paying communities are putting out the money because they want to learn and succeed and consider the mentoring to be a worthwhile investment.
Before investing in a community, learn as much as possible about it beforehand.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with free writing communities either. Not everyone wants to spend $100 per year to chat with other freelance writers. Plenty of free social networks and communities host discussions for serious writers. Make the choice that works best for you, and see which community’s mission, policies and members agree best with your vision.
If you’re going to participate in a community, be sure it’s worthy of your participation. If there are very few conversations happening and many discussions haven’t been commented on in months, you’ll probably want to find a livelier group. You’ll want to find a network with discussions that are updated daily with a variety of responses. One or two “ITAs” or noncommittal responses aren’t enough motivation to join a community. Look for lively discussions presenting all sides and points of view.
How does the community on a whole respond to the different conversations? Are they patient with their responses, even in disagreement? Do they tend to leave out newbies? Is it cliquish? A good freelance writing forum encourages conversation from all members, whether they agree or disagree. A good freelance writing community doesn’t have a “pile on” mentality towards those who don’t agree with the most popular members, nor does it allow members to be disrespectful or rude towards other members. By all means look for a spirited group, but they should be respectful in their rebuttal.
The best writing communities cover topics of interest to all freelance writers, niches, genres and experience levels. There should be topics of interest to everyone and not a select few. Choosing a discussion forum that’s too “nichey” might mean you’re not going to learn about all aspects of the freelance writing business. Make sure to choose a community that serves all your needs. If you’re a beginner, you want to be sure there are more experienced writers to answer your questions. If you’re an experienced writer, you may want to share with others on your level in addition to mentoring newbies. The best forums run the gamut and talk about freelancing on the web, with corporate clients, book writing and so much more.
Do the owners and community members truly care about your freelance writing success? If the forum topics are mostly commiseration and community members are reluctant to share tips and ideas, they may not be what you’re looking for. The best communities are made up members who are genuinely happy to see each other succeed and don’t mind sharing their paths to success.
In writing this post I’m assuming you’re scouting out a freelance writing community to help with your career, and also, so you can learn and share with other freelance writers. If this is the case, think about how each community can help you. Some writing communities take the subject matter seriously, while for others it’s a coffee shop atmosphere so they can break of the solitude of working from home. If there’s more coffee talk than career talk, you’ll have to decide if it’s the place for you.
Without a comment policy writing forums, blogs and other social networks can become virtual free-for-alls. No one likes censorship but if the members spend more time fighting with each other and launching personal attacks on those who don’t agree, it doesn’t make for productive atmosphere. Make sure a clear comment policy is in place. Usually the worse offenders claim it’s censorship not to allow all points of view but that’s not true at all. Most writing communities allow all sides of the story as long as they’re respectful and don’t attack other members.
If you’re joining a community to land more gigs and learn more about the business, consider whether or not the members or administrators post leads to freelance writing jobs each day, or on a regular basis. If you’re not looking for work, you’ll want to look for a community that isn’t necessarily focused on gigs but rather sharing other tips for success. For most writers, whether or not a freelance writing community posts leads isn’t a deal breaker, but whether or not they’re included might be a way for you to narrow down writing communities.
Some freelance writing communities are clearly for beginners, while others are only for vets. There’s nothing wrong with having an exclusive community. Keep in mind that if only beginners are offering advice to beginners, they may not necessarily be offering tips to break out of the beginner patterns. Groups that are only for established freelance writers might offer better guidance, but might also be too advanced for those just entering the business. A solution for new writers might be to first find a community catering to all writers and narrowing the focus once they receive more experience.
The best way to learn about a freelance writing community is to read the posts to see what the other freelance writers are talking about. Do all the discussion topics interest you? Is the community positive? Everyone’s needs are different, assess yours and find the community working best for your situation.
There are different types of writing communities such as blogs, social networking groups and forums. Think about the kind of group you like best and which types with which you’re most likely to participate. There are so many helpful communities available to freelance writers, you should have no problems finding one to accept you with open arms.
What do you look for in a freelance writing community?
