Top Tips Writers Series #2: KeriLynn Engel

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What’s on the iPod: Prove It To You by Kris Allen

I love when this blog introduces me to new people. KeriLynn Engel is one of those people. When Keri signed up for my newsletter, we struck up a conversation. What I learned was this is a woman who is bright, eager to learn, and able to discern what’s right for her business and what’s not.

That’s one hell of a beginning, too. She’s new to freelancing — just this year — but her insightful advice shows a depth of understanding of what’s needed to succeed. I’m so happy to share her advice with you because it’s advice from the trenches — that sort of live-and-learn advice we forget to include when we’re way too far into the career.

5 Top Tips for
Freelance Writers
I’ve been freelancing on the side for years, so when I went
full-time in January 2014 I felt like I knew exactly what I was doing, and had
total confidence I could make it, and quickly.
Well, relying on freelance work for 100% of your income is a
little different. It took a bit longer that I thought, and I definitely had a
LOT more to learn that I thought.
But, thanks mostly to the wisdom and advice I’ve learned
from following Lori’s and other writer blogs, I learned quickly! Now, following
Cathy Miller’s tip #9, I’d like to give back
and pay it forward. Here are some of the most important lessons I’ve learned:
   
1.       
Set & review
goals often. Set yearly, biannual, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. Take
stock of where you are now and where you’d like to be, then start tracking your
time and activities to find out what you’re doing now and what you need to do
differently in order to reach your goals. I don’t reach every goal I set, but I
know my career is developing in the direction I want it to thanks to this
practice.
   
2.       
Experiment to
find what works for you. You probably read the same fifty-bajillion posts
about the “rules of freelancing” that I have: never work in your
pajamas, don’t run errands during the day, always get a deposit, never work for
free. But really each list of rules is just the list for that one individual
author… You’ll have to create your own list. One of the best things about
freelancing is you have the freedom to discover what work habits are the most
productive for you — and they’re sure to be different from everyone else’s. Try
breaking the rules and see if it helps or hinders you.
   
3.       
Find fitting
role models… At first in my freelance career, I tried to read every
freelance writing blog and follow everyone’s advice. After reading a bunch of
contradictory advice, and discovering I can’t actually do everything at once, I
realized I needed to choose just a couple of role models to follow… and that
some of the blogs I had been following, while they were great blogs, made no
sense for me personally. (Like following a freelance magazine writer when I
have zero interest in magazines- still don’t know what I was thinking!)
   
4.       
…But don’t
negatively compare yourself to them. Role models are great to follow for
ideas, tactics and techniques, and inspiration. But don’t beat yourself up for
not being as successful as them overnight! Many well-known freelance writers in
the blogosphere have been at it for many years, some even decades. You won’t be
at their level in just a few months.
   
5.       
You can’t do it
all. There are so many blog posts out there about things you
“must” do to be successful. But nobody can do it all. Try out the
advice you find, but not all at once! For example, instead of trying every
marketing technique at once, just pick one or two to focus on this month. If
they don’t work for you, try something different.
My favorite thing about freelancing is that you have the
freedom to craft your own career to fit you, no matter how weird you are! But
it does take time to discover what works for you. Don’t expect to know it all
right away — enjoy the process as you learn about yourself.

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11 thoughts on “Top Tips Writers Series #2: KeriLynn Engel”

  1. Thanks for the shout-out, KeriLynn. I have enjoyed "chatting" with you around cyberspace. And to see you use the word bajillion (one of my favorite words) seals the deal. I like you! 🙂

    I have only been freelancing for 6 years so I still feel like a novice in some areas. I can remember my first year like it was yesterday. I love that you have already found the power in following your own path. You go, Girl!

  2. Cathy, you of all people are far from novice! I agree with your assessment of Keri — I like her, too. 🙂

    Great advice, Keri. Thank you for gracing these pages!

  3. I have to admit I've never been a good goal setter. My goals tend to be pretty broad: Earn enough to pay the bills, and try to break into a new market each year. (A couple years ago it was knitting and craft publications, last year it was to land a custom content client, this year it was simply to land one new regular, or at least semi-regular client, and I've met them all.)

    But I especially love your #2 and #5 tips, KeriLynn. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to freelancing, so we each have to figure out the right formula for ourselves. After that, we have to keep adjusting the mix.

  4. Thanks so much for the awesome intro, Lori! And I'm so honored to be a part of your "Top Tips" series 🙂

    Cathy ~ If you like "bajillion," you should check out my favorite online dictionary, Wordnik.com! It creates a page on-the-fly for any possible you look up, so it literally contains every possible word. I love linguistics much more than grammar, and I'm a big fan of learning the rules of writing just so I can know when and how to break them ;D

    Paula ~ #5 is the one I have to keep reminding myself! I tend to put too much pressure on myself to do it all, so I think I could actually benefit from broader goals like yours.

  6. Good stuff, Keri. I, too, have learned a bunch by reading blogs of writing pros I really respect, and Lori's at the top of my list.

    I agree with Paula, though. I don't set goals, either. In fact, I was just talking to a source about that. She said she started feeling bad that she didn't have a plan–everybody says to have a plan–but she's done better in her life by being open to things as they come. I'm not quite that way, but setting goals doesn't work for me.

    That said, I do have a ballpark monthly figure in mind and a ballpark annual figure in mind. But if I don't it that one month, I don't really freak. So maybe I do set goals. Anyway, long meandering thoughts to myself over!

    Thanks for sharing.

  7. I set goals, but mine are pretty loose. I have a monthly earnings goal, and now and then I get an idea in my head to expand into a new area or test the waters somewhere else. For some of us, goals are essential — for others, not so much.

    Oh, and the one goal I typically try for is to fill the next month coming with projects.

  8. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's not a big goal setter.

    That said, I do have a "modest monthly income" goal – which I'm happy to say I've smashed to smithereens the past two months. (But that was after a couple of bad months, so sadly, it probably evens out.)

  9. Paula, I think for those of us who have been at the rodeo for a while, we can intuit a little more of what we need. For beginners and those struggling, it never hurts to try planning it out. It can help those who aren't the most organized, and it can help those who just want a clearer direction.

    And congrats on the goal smashing. 🙂

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