I remember the day I finally connected with Sharon Hurley Hall — it was on Twitter, and I had to suppress my gushing (I don’t think I was too successful). I’d been noticing Sharon for a while as she and I hung out in the same writer circles. She intrigued me. Moreover, I wanted to know her. Hell, I wanted to be her.
So when we finally connected, I did a little happy dance. Ever since, Sharon has been an important part of my freelance support network. She’s a wonderful writer, a thoughtful, considered business person, and a sweetheart of a human being. I missed a chance to meet her last month, but I’ll meet her someday. Guaranteed.
Friends, please meet Sharon Hurley Hall.
Q: How long have you been
freelancing?
Sharon: I’ve been freelancing for about 10 years, but I’ve been
writing for almost 30.
tools. That’s led me into writing about analytics, social media, content
marketing, and a whole bunch of other interesting topics.
years of freelancing?
experience. I came to freelancing after taking a break from my writing career
to teach journalism for five years. When I came back to writing, everything was
moving online. I was lucky enough to join a group blogging site where there
were lots of people starting to freelance – we shared everything we learned.
One of those people was a certified SEO marketer who taught me about SEO. Added
to my own previous experience as a journalism, I had everything I needed to
become a successful freelancer – except clients.
practically everything you could think of. I worked for a copywriting agency
doing SEO fodder, for a site reviewing web tools and then I landed a regular
blogging gig for a travel company. That was my first really successful year and
it’s got better every year since then.
challenge? Why?
early freelancing years was a bit hairy after having been employed for years.
It can be hard to sleep well at night when you don’t know what’s coming in. I
was very lucky that my husband, who was also self-employed, had a stable
business he had been building for years. Finances often got tight, but never
impossible. A lesson from that experience was to be clear about the budget. I
started doing a spreadsheet to track expected and actual income and what my
outgoings would be – that made it easy to ride out the slow periods.
– the event or circumstance that shifted your perspective or had you
changing the way you do things?
my freelance career – NOT my clients. So instead of saying yes to everything, I
started saying no to some and shifting the deadlines so they matched how I
liked to work. Funnily enough, that hasn’t hurt my writing career. When I put a
value on my own time, my clients did too, and the best ones are willing to
wait, because they know they’ll get better work than if they try to rush me.
freelance writers one thing to help them build a better business, what
would that be?
value them too.
10 responses to “Writers Worth: An Interview with Sharon Hurley Hall”
Ah, one of my favorite writers, as well as one of my favorite people. In fact, Sharon and I discovered we are twins. Not everyone knows that. ☺
I stand (okay, maybe sit) in awe of how prolific Sharon is – without ever sacrificing quality. How does Sharon's story mirror mine? Sharon's a-ha moment, for one. Learning to stop saying yes to everything was huge. Now if my story could mirror Sharon's in location, I'd be a happy camper. ☺
LOL, Cathy. How did I know you'd be the first to comment. It's a surprise and a delight how twin-like we are. One day we'll have to compare notes face to face. 🙂
I'd love that, Sharon! 🙂
Lori:
It's really nice that you interviewed Sharon to get a little more insight to one of my favorite writers. I'm a little later to the party, but I think Sharon is a true professional and a nice guy too. She's given me valuable help on more than one occasion and I may not be her twin, since Cathy is, but I still want to attend the writers family reunion with all of you—you ridiculously talented and generous lady writers:) Thanks. Oh and I enjoyed Anne Wayman's interview, recently, as well. Great stuff, Lori, so thanks and take care. Sue-Ann
Thanks, Sue-Ann. I'm always happy to help and also appreciate all the shares. It would be great to meet all my writing buddies. 🙂
I wish I could be Sharon's twin, or triplet/quadruplet/quintuplet, but while I like to consider myself smart, I'm not even close to her league.
Loved hearing more of your story, Sharon.
You ladies are too much, Paula.{blushes} Thanks for the kind words.
Sharon, you mention that in the beginning of your freelancing career you had mentors who really helped you to get where you are. And you're the mentor now! You're such a generous person when it comes to your expertise, and I know I and many other writers are grateful for it.
Thanks, Ashley. 🙂
Sue-Ann, you've given me a great idea. Wouldn't it be amazing to meet and have a writers roundtable? Let's plan it!
Sharon, thank you. I love your wisdom and your energy.