Once upon a time (2003), I was thrust into the world of freelance writing when I lost my job. Through connections I’d made on the job, I was able to start working independently the very next day. This freelance stuff was going to be easy. Yes, I was that naive, my freelance friends. What followed…
Finding freelance work
4 Fairly Surefire Ways to Increase Freelance Income
Let’s face it: We’re in the era of AI, which means some people will be looking to take shortcuts while writers who target these potential clients will be bemoaning how “dead” freelancing is. It’s already started. A few friends have already been asked to edit AI-generated content or worse, train AI to basically take their…
Removing Freelance Roadblocks
In a conversation with a fellow creative not long ago, I realized just how often we creatives put roadblocks up. I greeted this creative, whom I’d met previously, and asked how things were going. Ten minutes later, I now knew more about how things weren’t going. And I was done. The conversation went something like…
Losing the “I Sell Words” Mentality
Know those times when you look at someone’s profile on LinkedIn and immediately, that person is in your email asking if you want to hire them? That happened to a writer chum of mine recently. She happened upon someone who claimed to be a writer, so she looked. The response came shortly after. “Hi (person’s…
Start Freelancing Now (and build a better career)
It happens to a lot of us. Whether we’re living the journalistic dream or looking for a career in writing while slogging it out at a generic 9-to-5, we suddenly find ourselves staring down the barrel of unemployment. Particularly for journalists these last few decades, sudden job loss translates to, “Oh, I can just freelance.”…
5 Freelance Writing Truths to Boost Earnings
I should stay off the internet. Really. My problem is that I read too many forums and social media sites where plenty of writers are either lamenting the death of freelancing (which is alive and well) or bragging about their ability to write about anything (which is going to burn them at some point). Lost…
The “I can write about anything” Fallacy
Recently I saw a post online in which the author was stating unequivocally that they could write about anything. That’s right — anything. It went something like this: Writers can write about anything! We learn your product, competition, message, and we provide solutions. With few exceptions, we don’t need all that experience in your niche…
Freelance Marketing 101: Research
Not long ago, I saw a writer lament that she was never told any “actionable” advice on freelance writing blogs. I understand the frustration. In many cases, it’s true. Not here, because I’ve made it my thing to show you how to do what I’m suggesting. Part of her frustration came from a weird place,…
Are You Guilty of This Freelance No-no?
I was talking with a fellow freelance writer a few days ago and the subject of Freelancers Getting It Wrong came up, like it tends to do. You can’t really blame anyone for discussing how writers can get it so wrong, so often. It’s prolific. This particular case was another of those “How dare they”…
Freelance Writer for Hire: Really?
Here we go again. If you’re a freelance writer, you’ll recognize this. A while back, these emails were circulating within the freelance writing community. Antonio Michael (brwdev@gmail.com) Hello, I am Antonio Michael, an academic consultant., I have a speech distorting condition called Apraxia. I got your contact details online and I need your service. Can…