What I’m listening to: Backyard Skulls by Frightened Rabbit This week will be better. It has to be. I spent all last week pushing through projects and deadlines and working ahead so that I could take a slower pace this week. And I am. I have work and I will get things done, but I…
Category: Freelance writing advice
Free Advice Friday: The Purposeful Freelancer
What I’m listening to: One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx Know those weeks when you’re trying to get a lot done so the next week won’t be so bad? Forget it. Nothing is getting done and next week looks like more of the same. I have four deadlines, three of which are indeed…
The Government’s How-Not-To Guide to Better Freelance Writing
When you need them, real friends are there. Such was the case last week. I had to take off for eight days because my parents needed me. Dad was in the hospital. Reports weren’t good. I bolted. Somewhere about four days or so into my absence, Paula Hendrickson checked in. As did Cathy Miller. As did…
Freelance Writing Self-Rules That Are Not Right or Wrong
Does the notion of rules leave you bristling? Or do you find comfort within the protective structure they provide? When I read Jenn Mattern’s post, Freelance Writing Rules (and Why You Should Break Them), I thought back to the start of my own freelance writing career. Since I began in 2008, I’ve read a lot…
The Necessity of Change
By Jennifer Mattern I’m in again for Lori today. Lori will be back next week, and tomorrow Cathy Miller will share a post with you on setting rules for yourself and how she’s done so in her freelance writing career. But first, let’s talk about something you can’t avoid if you want to succeed in…
Freelance Writing Rules (and Why You Should Break Them)
By Jennifer Mattern Once upon a time, I was newly self-employed and living much too close to my mother. (In my defense, she moved near me, not the other way around – into my apartment building, I kid you not.) There was no avoiding her. Every time she visited, without fail, she plopped a newspaper…
4 Issues Every Freelance Writer Will Face
What I’m listening to: Trip Switch by Nothing But Thieves Sometimes you come across something that’s stated simply, and it’s so brilliant that you have to share it. That was the case yesterday when I read this blog post by Jason McDowell. He said this: Never let a client treat you like anything but an equal. Take…
6 Sanity-saving Freelance Writing Moves
This week is busy. Aside from actual work, I’m fielding updates on my dad’s condition and updating my kids and my aunt. You don’t think that’s going to take up much time until you’re actually handling it. Then there’s the workload. For every project I finish, I seem to be getting two more in. I…
What Mosquitoes and Rain Teach Freelance Writers
What I’m listening to: All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down by The Mavericks What I’m reading: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman I did something last week that turned out to be the most refreshing, relaxing experience I’ve had in ages. I spent a week in a riverside cottage. In the rain….
The BS Litmus Test for Freelance “Expert” Vetting
I like to cruise Twitter to see what freelancers are talking about. A few days ago, I was doing my usual cruising. Maybe I’m just ultra-cynical these days, but it seemed to me the thing people were talking about was themselves. Specifically, they were bragging about how they had the secret to boosting their freelance writing…