Words on the Page

a freelance writing resource.

  • 6 Sh*tty Tricks Bad Freelance Clients Pull

    I love every one of my clients. I bet you love your clients, too. But before any of us found such great freelance writing clients, we had to wade through some fairly questionable people who tried a lot of different tactics to get more work for less cash. That’s just sh*tty behavior. Fortunately, such people…

  • 1 Habit Pro Freelancers Have

    It’s been an interesting, COVID-filled few weeks. You read that right. I have COVID. I contracted it from my mother, who’d fallen and broken some bones, ended up in a rehab facility, and contracted it from someone there. We’re both mending, but this post isn’t about that. It’s about the expectations you set with your…

  • Freelance Game Plan: April

    So you’re sitting there with a few gaps in your workweek. Nice, but how big is that gap? And how long do you think it will last? That long, huh? It’s the start of the second quarter of 2021. If you’ve been waiting for something to gel, it’s time to stop waiting. Seriously. It’s not…

  • The Six-figure Freelance Mindset Gap

    I had an email conversation with a writer friend last week when one of those “a-ha!” moments occurred. In conversation with someone on LinkedIn, she was delving into why places like Upwork, Fiverr and other bidding sites are not a great starting point for anyone looking to make a living freelance writing, how they don’t…

  • The Fallacy of the Easy Freelance Living

    Honey, stand back, for I’m about to launch. I had a video forwarded to me by someone who thought it was interesting. In the video, which is 10 minutes long, a freelancer flaunts their easy lifestyle while talking about how they make — are you sitting down? — nearly $400,000 a year on a freelance…

  • Your Freelance Identity Crisis

    Saw this on LinkedIn the other day (details altered to spare the guilty): Jane Doe, Expert in Business Consulting and Grant Writing – Speaker and Author Founder of Rapunzel Business Consulting LLC Client-focused business consulting and grant writing for nonprofits and small businesses. I free up your time so you can spend it with family….

  • 3 Freelancing Trouble Zones (and how to find better clients)

    Having been ’round this freelance writing block a few times (yesterday was the 15th anniversary of this very blog), I’ve come to spot things that, on the surface, may not seem obvious. But once you look under the surface, even just a little, you start to build a healthier level of skepticism. And believe me,…

  • Freelancer’s Intro to Inbound Marketing

    It’s always a good day when Jennifer Mattern shows up on the blog. Jenn, who runs All Freelance Writing and Freelance Writing Pros, is one of the most business-savvy freelancers I know.  She’s a no-BS blogger who tells you what you need to hear, but does so with the intent of helping you improve your…