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Author: lwidmer

The Lost Art of Competence

Posted on December 15, 2009 by lwidmer

Maybe it’s my karma to end up with payment issues and all things monetary driving me up the wall at Christmas. Yesterday’s installment was a credit card company telling me that yes, I did mail my payment in time, but I got a late fee anyway. Pour quoi? Apparently, I needed to pay the bill…

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Taking the High Road

Posted on December 14, 2009 by lwidmer

With a raging debate being rehashed over on dear friend Anne Wayman’s site, I added my thoughts once more on the side of writers valuing their skills enough to demand more than $10-20 an article. The resistance by one poster in particular was so caustic I’ve decided no more. No more will I add my…

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Worthy Tip: Give Yourself 15 Minutes

Posted on December 11, 2009 by lwidmer

Oh, did I raise an eyebrow or two when I mentioned this week that I spend 15 minutes a day marketing! You don’t believe it, do you? But it’s true. I don’t spend a ton of time marketing. My marketing is virtual and quick – therefore, it shouldn’t take much time. Oh, not every marketing…

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Being the Project Gatekeeper

Posted on December 10, 2009 by lwidmer

I’m about to advocate a little bit of hand-holding. All writers should own their own process in every project, but sometimes we have to perform beyond our own processes so our clients’ business can thrive. Let me explain. In the past, I’ve had clients who are hopelessly unorganized, terminally late, or too overworked to take…

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Spinning Wheels Require a Slip Differential

Posted on December 9, 2009 by lwidmer

Monday was exactly as busy as I expected it to be. I had a call to Belgium in the morning. Lovely person on the other end of the phone and hopefully the project I’m doing for him will net him the results he hopes for. Two other calls. The first one missed the scheduled appointment…

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The Marketing Myth

Posted on December 8, 2009 by lwidmer

If I hear one more person say that it takes tons more time to market a higher-priced article than it does to funnel something through a content mill, this last nerve of mine will snap. Three times this week and once last week, people have actually told me that selling an article that pays, say,…

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Sprinting Through the Week

Posted on December 7, 2009 by lwidmer

It’s tough to relax over the weekend when you know your day is going to start early and end late Monday, isn’t it? That’s my day today with three client calls and one project due. I’m exhausted thinking about it. Worse, last week ended with rather rudely. Incompetence threatened to ruin my day. Not my…

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The Raw Deals Just Keep on Coming….

Posted on December 4, 2009 by lwidmer

There are days when it’s all I can do to keep from lunging at someone… I love when you guys send me links that either enlighten me or get my Irish up. This week, it’s the Irish. Blog regular and chum Hugh McBride sent this link to an article that details a company’s offer to…

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Healthcare for Freelancers

Posted on December 3, 2009 by lwidmer

I’ll admit I balked at the suggestion by Anne Wayman that I investigate Demand Studio’s new healthcare plan offering. I’ve all but closed the door on worrying about DS and those who choose to work there. But the idea of a healthcare package intrigued me. So I went digging. First, it’s not a typical insurance…

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Worthy Tip – Look Elsewhere

Posted on December 2, 2009 by lwidmer

I let the worthy-tip-giving exercise go lax while the vacation/holiday interrupted, but now that December’s here and many of us are facing a slim month, it’s time. Idle time is only idle if you do nothing. So let’s do something, okay? Here’s this week’s prompt to get your business growing: look somewhere else. Some of…

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  1. Devon Ellington Avatar
    Devon Ellington
    December 2, 2009

    I pretty much write about anything that interests me. I see something interesting and say, "Hey, you can't live without me writing for you and here' why."

    One of the areas I'm expanding into that's out of my comfort zone this year into next is environmental issues, and next year, I want to write more about aeronautics and space.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous
    December 2, 2009

    You're channeling me today, Lori. I'm a classic example someone who criss-crosses her way through queries.

    After writing a few local color pieces and human interest stories for a local paper, I started writing business articles for a national trade. I didn't have any business experience, but that didn't stop me. A story for them was loosely tied to a popular PBS series. The show's publicist mentioned that repeats of that series had been repackaged for off-net syndication, making it the first PBS show to do so. I pitched that idea to a TV trade and 13 years later I spend roughly 80-percent of my time covering the TV industry for some of the top entertainment trades.

    It doesn't stop there. I spun a press release on how sniffer dogs are being trained to locate large shipments of CDs and DVDs in order to combat movie piracy into a feature about for a dog magazine. So what if the trainer was in Northern Ireland? That's what e-mail is for.

    Early on, I combined business articles with my love of dogs – and TV. I learned that the production office of one of my favorite shows was dog-friendly. Even the casting director brought her big, intimidating dog "Baby" to auditions. I wrote at least two articles about the pros and cons of dogs in the workplace.

    I also spun my love of knitting into an article for the TV trade after hearing that a lot of actresses spend downtime on the set knitting. (I also got some great knitting tips!)

    Quite often combining unusual topics is the best way to get the job.

    Reply
  3. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    December 2, 2009

    Wait! I put my name it and it called me "anonymous" – that's not fair! I'm Paula.

    Reply
  4. Lori Avatar
    Lori
    December 2, 2009

    Paula, are you being mysterious again? :))

    LOVE your ideas! I'm going to see how they apply to some of my current projects.

    Devon, you should write a book on the ins and outs of expanding the client base. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Wendy Avatar
    Wendy
    December 4, 2009

    I did my "homework" on this one. I was thinking about contacting a company about proposing some work, but for some reason had it in my head that they wouldn't go for it. The post got me thinking about it again and I decided why not try? What's the worst they can do? Say No?

    So, I concocted a proposal, called them up and pitched it today. Now is the waiting game to see whether they go for it or not at the price I quoted. If they don't, oh well. I felt good that I tried it anyway.

    Thanks for the little cyber kick in the butt to give it a shot.

    Reply
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