A writer friend called me the other day about a project a contact had proposed. As I listened to my friend’s overview of the project, I got the same gut response she did — This project is, and always will be, a nonstarter. Not everything we writers deem to be a lousy business idea is…
Tag: projects
Tuesday Take: When to Pull the Plug on a Freelance Project
What I’m listening to: Incomplete and Insecure by The Avett Brothers A good start to the week. I got a project finished, got some marketing in, took care of some unfinished business, and had a call with a colleague. That last item was eye-opening. The colleague and I have had dealings with the same client. In…
Juggling Multiple Writing Projects
What’s on the iPod: Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars Busy, busy week. Today is filled with client calls, interviews, writing, and marketing. I have a trade show the end of April, so now is the time to reach out to exhibitors. Tomorrow won’t be much better as I have two tight deadlines, but…
Monthly Assessment: January 2015
What’s on the iPod: Call Ya Momma by Justin Townes Earle It was a lovely weekend. Our final Burns Supper was Friday night, so we dressed up and headed out into the single-digit temps to once again toast a barely intelligible poet who wrote poems about mice and lice in Scots dialect. Go figure. But the…
Ten Commandments of the Overworked Freelancer
What’s on the iPod: Last Time by Taylor Swift Ever have one of those days where everything goes nuts, usually after a number of days where not much at all is going on? Welcome to my Thursday. If you looked up nuts in the dictionary, I’d swear there would be a picture of my schedule…
The Upsell
What’s on the iPod: Portland by Middle Brother How was the weekend? Mine was lovely. The stepdaughter was home, and it was her birthday, so we were able to spend time with her and spoil her to some extent. She has to drive back to Maine today, which isn’t pleasant (it’s roughly 10 hours thanks…
The No-wait Policy
What’s on the iPod: Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen Super weekend. I know it’s Tuesday, but when you have a nice time off that lasts into part of the week, that’s a good thing. We met with a friend on Saturday for some bonding time and support during a rough period in her life. She’s…
Saying When
No one likes to drop a client, especially when that client has been a steady source of work and income. But we outgrow each other, we move in different directions, and dare I say we bore of each other? By the end of this week, I will have ended a long-term client relationship for numerous…
Being the Project Gatekeeper
I’m about to advocate a little bit of hand-holding. All writers should own their own process in every project, but sometimes we have to perform beyond our own processes so our clients’ business can thrive. Let me explain. In the past, I’ve had clients who are hopelessly unorganized, terminally late, or too overworked to take…
Playing to Your Strengths
If I could bottle yesterday, I’d seal it tight and bury it under several layers of rock, dirt, silt, and anything else that would hold it down. Too many deadlines, too much work. Today, I woke up with the expected headache. Today will be a lot like yesterday. But I’m taking tomorrow off. I need…