Words on the Page

a freelance writing resource.

  • The Freelance Writer’s Survival Kit

    I think it was as I was lying down to sleep, still talking about work at 11 pm, that I realized I have a problem. I’m overworked to the point of not being able to shut it off at the end of the day. And for those of you who are new to freelancing or…

  • Meaty Monday: Is it Time to Switch Your Freelance Focus?

    You know that feeling when there’s a big old pandemic that’s ground everything from airlines to client work? What am I saying? Of course you know. You too are living through the train wreck that is 2020. While airlines being grounded is frustrating for a lot of us (I’m missing two trips to Scotland this…

  • The Rise of the Volunteer Freelance Gigs

    In case anyone missed this, we’re in a bit of a tight labor market. Too many workers, not enough work. Unfortunately, that means there is also an equally disturbing increase in job listings aimed at freelance writers that are abominable at best. But there’s an uptick in yet another disturbing facet of the “get writing…

  • The #1 Client-generating Freelance Marketing Boost

    Because I was on vacation last week (and far too busy the week before to get another post up before I left town), I missed all the great comments you’d left on my last post about the notion of a “going rate” in freelancing. So I took the time yesterday to reply to each of…

  • Friday Frank Talk: The Myth of the Freelance “Going Rate”

    Sharon Hurley Hall, who is one of the smartest freelancers I know, said something the other day that made me nod my head in agreement so much I thought I’d sprain my neck. It’s about this notion of a “going rate” in freelancing. This came up in a discussion on a private forum about yet…

  • 4 Untruths About Your Freelance Writing Business

    Did you ever see something online that made you scream out loud? Same here. Could be something someone claimed, or one more of those “turn your side hustle into a freelance career!” posts. Could even be something ridiculous you saw that spouted something really inaccurate about freelancing. For me, it’s usually bad advice or guidance. Or…

  • Friday Frank Talk: Your “Freelance” to “Business” Attitude Shift

    On a discussion list I belong to, I was reading through a debate over rates. Yea, that one again. One more time (does it ever change?), freelancers were debating why a writer working in a rural area should charge differently than a writer in an urban area. The debate was pretty lively, just slightly heated….

  • Dear Freelancer: It’s Not All About You

    Dear Freelancer, You may not know me, but I know you. You were the one who showed up on social media with one goal in mind: to get some clients. It’s a good goal. It’s why most of us head to social media. But what happened next, well, that wasn’t so good. I saw you…

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