Freelance writing blogs are chock full of “here’s how you’re screwing up” posts. I know because I’ve posted plenty of those myself. Just look at this, this, and this from the last month. Okay, they all had a positive, actionable message in the end, but the point is there are plenty of things around on…
Freelance writing advice
Free Advice Friday: Tough Love, Freelance Style
You learn a lot about people by what they say and do. You learn even more by what they don’t do. But I’ll get to that in a minute. A friend of mine moderates a writing group. One of the posts in the moderation queue was asking a basic question: Does anyone else know if…
How Pro Freelancers Score Big (& how you can, too)
Last week was a mishmash of short project deadlines, new projects to prioritize, and social media marketing. From Twitter to LinkedIn, there were a lot of writing mishaps going on. One guy misspelled the name of his own book, another writer was pushing how to improve your Fiverr client quality, yet another was singing the…
Freelance Guide to Building a Client List
I don’t know what your writing focus is. I don’t have to. When it comes to finding freelance writing clients, there are quite a few similarities in how most writers market. No matter what marketing mix you use. But first, you have to know who you’ll market to, don’t you? I can’t help you too…
8 Ways to Create a Productive Freelance Work Day (especially now)
It’s really easy right now to kick back and do nothing. It’s even easier for the ennui and the depression to sink in when you do kick back and do nothing, particularly when it’s a work day and you’re not getting any new work. What’s a freelance writer to do? I get it. Jobs may…
8 Downtime Strategies for Freelance Writers
You know that thing you’ve been putting off? That personal freelance writing project? That marketing? That ___ ? Now is the time. Seriously, when is it going to be a better time? A few caveats first. If you don’t capitalize on this time that’s been gifted to you by one of the most life-altering, ongoing,…
What My Fitness Tracker Has Taught Me About Running a Freelance Writing Business
I did something seriously wrong last week. Something that had me overthinking, overdoing, and generally stretching myself beyond my capacity and abilities. That’s right: I accepted and participated in a FitBit Workweek Challenge. I thought it would be a nice way to see how friends and their friends were progressing. I thought it would motivate…
Where Your Freelance Writing Guru is Wrong
It’s been a while since we’ve talked about one of the largest elephants in the freelance writing room. That’s right — I’m talking about the self-professed writing guru. Look, I have no problem with writers teaching others what they know. I have no problem with them charging for it, either. Really. Why shouldn’t they? They…
One Writer’s Superpower That Could Land You More Clients
I was talking with a writer friend a few days ago. She was relating an interaction with a potential client when it dawned on me: This writer has a superpower. Moreover, her superpower is so stealth, it’s taken me numerous conversations before I realized she had it. This is a writer who has an impressive…
How Far You’ve Come, Freelancer
Unlike the rest of humanity, who is busy trying to piece together some resolutions they’ll forget in a week, today isn’t about looking forward. It’s about looking back at your own freelance writing journey. A number of years ago, I was talking with a cousin, who happened to be hoeing her garden. I mentioned how…