I’m about to say something that may shock you. I think specializing in one kind of writing is a bit of a trap. That’s coming from me, a specialist. If you were taking part in yesterday’s #FreelanceChat on Twitter, you might have seen the topic of a diverse portfolio of clients come up. Someone asked…
Author: lwidmer
Interview: Sharon Hurley Hall Talks to Writers About Racism
I’ve seen it and heard it myself. George Floyd must have been on drugs. So what are they to do? Breonna Taylor was “running” with a boyfriend who had a gun. So what are they to do? He took a knee. “That’s disrespectful and he needed to find another way to protest.” They took to…
Freelance Technique: Getting to the Meat of the Project
A number of years ago, I was hired by an association to rework their website. Turned out, the job was a bit bigger than just the website content. A bit more about that in a minute. The client wanted a rewrite of their existing content, so I went to the site. I read through four…
Writer Beware: Employee Syndrome
I got another marketing email the other day from a one-time prospect that will never be a client. That’s by my choice. The emails were what first made me reach out to this particular company, which is in my specialty area. They were signed up for the same conference I was hoping to attend. So…
Guest Post: The Freelance Complacency Trap
There’s this feeling you get when you come across a freelancer who just gets it. Someone whose approach to freelancing is proactive, smart, and collaborative. Someone who treats freelancing as the small business enterprise it is. Someone who inspires you to do better. That’s the feeling I get with each interaction I have with Randy…
3 Moves to Power Your Writing Career Forward
Where are you in your writing career right now? Are you earning what you want? Coming close enough to what you want to be satisfied? Feeling stuck? Wanting the work to match the pay? Wanting work that interests you? We’ve all been there. Every writer who’s ever started a freelance writing business has had to…
The Freelance Client Balancing Act
You may have heard me whine talk about how busy my workdays have been lately. Because I’ve recently added two new clients to the stable, it’s been interesting trying to please them and keep up with the work that was there before they reached out. I was just able to keep up with all the…
Another Writers Worth: This Job, Not That Job
You know that feeling you get when you see a freelance writing job listing that just takes your breath away — but not in a good way? Writerly chum Mary Schneider sent this one over last week. Honestly, it took me a day to digest it, mainly because something this rotten can cause lots of…
4 Ways to Get More Freelancing Done
Fifteen projects. That was my to-do list by Wednesday of last week. I would say it’s an usual month, which it is, but lately, I’ve been having a string of months just like this one. While that’s phenomenal for the bank account, it’s lousy for the emotional wellbeing. But I sit here typing, ignoring most…
Free Advice Friday: Your Freelancing Questions, Answered
It’s Friday, we’re all stressed, so let’s just keep it light today, shall we? Over the 17 years I’ve been freelancing full time (plenty of part-time freelancing before that), I’ve received questions. I’ve asked them, too. Some are always the same: “How do I get started?” (Which, quite frankly, takes volumes to answer, so please,…