Look at you — you’ve made it to December. You worked a long, hard year and you’ve come to the end of it hopefully in a better place than where you started. And now it’s winding down. Just for a moment, look over your shoulder. Look back through each month and see not where you…
Author: lwidmer
4 Ways to Reinforce Your Freelance Boundaries
It’s the holiday season. One down, several to go before January. Now is the time when client budgets are either spent or being spent rapidly. It’s also a time when clients make unusual requests. Some of those requests are boundary breakers. And it’s up to us writers to know when to say no. One example:…
5 Random Freelance Tips to Boost Your Biz
When I interview people, I emulate Bryant Gumbel. In my head, I’m sitting in front of the person, and I’ve got my glasses in my hand, sort of dangling to one side as I balance a notepad on my lap, just like Bryant Gumbel. I’m asking the tough questions, and I’m ending the interview with…
5 Freelance Mistakes I Made (& what to do instead)
I turned down a steady gig recently. Two actually. And I don’t regret it. The first one was a no-brainer. The pay was there, but the workload was a bit much for what was expected. I would have lost money — and time — if I’d kept that client. So I politely declined further assignments….
Freelance Writers Behaving Badly
It happened again. Who am I kidding? It happens continuously. In forums, in email, in groups. People everywhere are committing the same sins that label them all. They act like lazy little shits. I was researching markets for a client pitch. A website I located had a list of markets for that particular niche industry….
Freelance Game Plan: Planning Your Next Year
It’s November 2021. Do you know where your plan for 2022 is? I’m a big believer in every day being your best chance to plan your future. You could start today and plan for what next week, next month, next year, or the next decade will look like. And I contend that you should. Right…
A Zen Writer’s Guide to Reducing Stress
It’s funny how sometimes you go along, mired in stress, thinking about work after hours, losing sleep (literally), and then it hits you: You don’t have to write like this. Since early April 2020, I’ve been swimming in projects. That’s 19 months of working nearly nonstop on what amounted to (and still amounts to) roughly…
Rocking a Freelance Niche (while staying a generalist)
Even though I missed it last week, there was a good conversation going on Michelle Garrett’s Twitter #FreelanceChat. The topic turned to niche writing. It’s a common discussion point among writers because it’s a common problem. Should I niche or should I generalize? And like most discussions on the topic, the Twitter conversation split pretty…
The Freelancer’s Stress-reducer Guide
It took three days for my shoulders and neck to relax. But they did. Vacations these days are tough to come by. Either you’re too busy to go anywhere or you’re out of work and can’t afford to go anywhere. Then there’s that pandemic thing… Yet it’s amazing what a week away, without electronic connection,…
Freelance Artist or Just Freelance?
I was talking with a writer chum yesterday about some reno work she’s having done. The contractor doing the job suggested a trim board that he said would cover a problem area and look great. Then she saw the piece of trim. Let’s just say the guy is better at repairing than planning. It’s also…