I hope Shawn sees this, Paula. The exasperation in his/her post is obvious, and it’s familiar. We were all there at one time.

When you say you’re tired of applying for jobs and tired of bidding wars, Shawn, it implies you’re using job boards and bidding sites to find work. Those are often the least effective ways to land assignments—and clients.

It’s not about you, the job, or even the client. It’s a numbers game. You’re one of hundreds, if not thousands, of writers applying for those jobs or bidding for them. Lori’s blog—and several others—are loaded with free advice on how to find and approach markets on your own. When you do that, you shift the odds to your favor. Instead of being one of many, you’ve set yourself apart. By taking the initiative to contact a potential client on your own, you could be the only freelance writer that potential client hears from that day—or even that week.

I’m not saying to avoid job boards all together. Every now and then you might find a good match that way, But why wait for that to happen when you can make it happen by choosing which companies or publications you’d like to work with and contacting them directly?

Of course, the path is different for every freelancer. There’s no single right direction. You have to carve your own path. Fortunately, there’s a lot of guidance here on Lori’s blog and other sites that can offer suggestions on how to do that. Some suggestions will make sense to you, others won’t. It takes some trial and error. Most of us who’ve been doing this a long time will probably agree that we’re constantly trying new approaches to keep moving ahead.

Adding this — you sound lost in a mire of low-paying work. Stop applying. Instead, look through this blog and find posts that detail how to actively locate and market to clients. And don’t forget to set a competitive rate. Go higher than you’re charging now, and don’t be afraid to lose a client over it. I always say if the client says no to the price, that probably wasn’t your client to begin with.

I agree. The bidding wars and the notion that someone else should dictate what you make is maddening. So today, try working on getting magazine queries out. Type “editorial guidelines” or “writers guidelines” into Google, then look through what you find. Look for a decent rate (anything above 50 cents a word) and look at what they’re asking for. I have a magazine 101 primer here on the blog, so be sure to read through it. It will help you narrow down the search a bit.

Good luck, Shawn. Stay in touch. We’re here to help.

Hi Shawn. Thanks for commenting.

If you go back through the blog, you’ll see specific steps for how to get up and running.

What I can’t do — what no writer can do — is tell you everything to do in order to make a living freelancing. Part of it is reading enough to formulate what I call smart questions — what should a marketing plan look like, or how does a letter of introduction work? It’s more than just asking for someone to point the way, which many would love to do, but the question is too broad to answer.

I will give you one jumping-off point — start with writing down what kinds of projects you’d like to do. Don’t limit yourself to what you can do right now — include ones you want to learn. Then find free resources that will help you learn them (nearly anything can be had online for free).

Learn how to query. Then learn how to research magazines and send ideas where they best fit.

Learn how to set earnings goals and come up with your hourly rate.

Learn how to negotiate and how to leave the emotional BS out of your negotiations.

It’s a lot to learn, but you can do it. We all have. This blog and others have plenty of advice and links to resources (check out my 101 resources pages) where you can get additional answers and perspectives. (Note: If you go to the right and use the Category drop-down menu, you’ll find things somewhat neatly organized. Start with Finding Freelance Work or the Series.)

And remember to do what fits. Don’t try to take every morsel of advice at once. Try things out, and make sure to be consistent. In most cases, consistency is the best tool you can use.