Freelance writing advice | Words on the Page

4 Ways to be Your Own Freelance Coach

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m going to share a secret with you: Business coaches are helping you discover some pretty common-sense stuff. Okay, not a big secret after all. But a coach — a good coach — can help you uncover the simple shit you’re overlooking. They can give you some pretty good advice on what to try to…

Freelance Shorts: Random Advice to Improve Your Writing Biz

Posted on by lwidmer

With summer bearing down, it’s a great time to reassess your freelance writing business. Anytime is a good time, but if things are slowing down or you’re needing to step away, use the time to find better footing within your business. Since it’s also a time when my life goes into vacation mode and utter…

Tuesday Freelance Take: Taking Time Off

Posted on by lwidmer

It’s the unofficial start to summer. A time when vacation schedules are blown up by deadlines, laptops are packed along with beachwear, and conference calls happen from the car. Such is the life of a freelancer. Or not. How about not? My summer is already mapped out. I have three months of traveling, with some…

How to Lose –and Win– at Freelancing

Posted on by lwidmer

I call this post A Tale of Two Writers. A friend of mine knows of a writer who, on the surface, should have made a serious killing the last two years. The writer in question –let’s call her Writer #1 — has a background in healthcare, senior care, aging, wellness, and medicine, among other things….

3 Shifts to Put the ‘Free’ Back in Freelance

Posted on by lwidmer

Sometimes you come to your breaking point. Sometimes when that happens, you break. Or sometimes you find a way through the stress and you vow to make changes so that you don’t reach that breaking point again. Oh, those best laid plans, eh? We freelancers suck at taking care of ourselves. It’s true. We put…

My Freelance Pros (and Cons) in 2021

Posted on by lwidmer

I’m out of the office all month. Did your throat just tighten up? The idea of taking time off at all usually gives me hives or agita or stresses me to the point it takes days to relax on vacation. But this time, I walked away easily. Very easily. Since April 2020, I’ve been working like…

Freelance Writers Behaving Badly

Posted on by lwidmer

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….

A Zen Writer’s Guide to Reducing Stress

Posted on by lwidmer

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…

The Freelancer’s Stress-reducer Guide

Posted on by lwidmer

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,…

Saying No to Freelance Writing Prospects

Posted on by lwidmer

A conversation I started on a LinkedIn forum went something like this: This has been on my mind a while. And with so many writers struggling (some of them for longer than imaginable), I thought this topic might be appropriate. Writers, it’s time you become picky. Ask yourself these questions: 1: When was the last…

Devon Ellington

I just re-posted a link on walking away from a client in March who only wanted to pay for words written and accepted, not the research time involved, or the paywalls I had to pay for to overcome. It would have cost me money to work for them, so I said no. No regrets.

I should have left the part-time onsite client on Cape after six months, but I was too exhausted. But I learned from that mistake.

1. lwidmer
  
  That’s insanity, Devon! Only words written, not research? Without the research, there is no balance. There is opinion only. I’d bet it was something that wasn’t even considered thought leadership, was it?
Paula Hendrickson

Three recent potential clients reached discussions about money. All fell through—and I’m relieved.

Technically, two even sent contracts covering everything they might assign throughout the year, saying they’d be in touch when they found the “right fit” for me. I followed up periodically, but never got an assignment from either one. Why? My minimum rate exceeded their maximum rates. What I don’t understand is why they bothered to send me contracts to fill out and sign when they knew they weren’t going to accept my rates.

Another didn’t balk at the per-post rate I quoted; I explained it was negotiable, because I was basing it on the posts I do for a similar client, but their needs may differ. She said she needed to run it by her partner who handles financial details. Crickets. It’s only been a couple of weeks, but I’m pretty sure they went in another direction since she mentioned they found their previous writer on Upwork (they liked his work, but he was based overseas and wasn’t always available when they needed him, so they wanted someone local).

Earlier today I decided to peek at a few of the more reputable job sites, and saw pay rates from freelance writers and editors at $15-32 per hour. You guessed it. These “clients” determine how long each assignment “should” take, and pay only for that amount of time regardless of how long it takes you to complete the job. One said 1,000-word articles typically take three hours. Sure, I can crank out 1,000 words in three hours, but the interviews, research, and final polish probably take another three hours. Too many would-be clients seem to think writers can spin articles out of thin air.

Please don’t even consider applying to jobs that so grossly undervalue your skills and time.

1. lwidmer
  
  I was afraid that first one would fall through, Paula. I agree — why make you go through the paperwork if they weren’t going to give you assignments? Strange.
  
  I think your best shot will be the second one, though the Upwork connection is concerning. If they’re used to bargain-basement rates, they may not be ready to pay what real writers charge.
2. Paula Hendrickson
  
  Yeah. It’s a family-owned business. Originally it was a vendor for events, but the pandemic forced them to totally revised their business plan. It’s really impressive how they did that. One of them likes to write and understands SEO better than most business owners, so it’s something they might opt to try themselves, too.