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Ten Years Later, Still Taking No Prisoners

Posted on March 17, 2016July 16, 2016 by lwidmer

Today is an auspicious day for two reasons. First, it’s my own personal holiday, and all work stops so I can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Also, today marks the 10th anniversary of this blog. It’s funny how far this blog has come and, in some ways, how much it’s remained the same. From the first…

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8 Habits of Bad Writing Clients

Posted on March 15, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Whiskey in the Jar by Metallica Wow. It’s mid-March already? I don’t know how you’re doing but my March has been filled with project deadlines and new-client talks. Just as the pile of work starts to dwindle, more work comes in.  While it was frenetic at first, now I’m seeing a…

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6 Ways You Might Be Sabotaging Your Freelance Writing Career

Posted on March 11, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Fast As You by Dwight Yoakam What a gorgeous couple of days! Yesterday was near 80 degrees, so all the windows were open. It’s tough to work under those conditions, so I took full advantage of my freelance writing status — I played hooky. Okay, not entirely. I had a great…

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The Freelance Writer’s Fact Book

Posted on March 8, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Right in Time by Lucinda Williams I don’t know how it’s been for you, but March came roaring in like a lion for me. I dug out from under seven of the nine projects piled on my desk, and I’m happy to say organization, once again, saved my hide. Plus the…

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6 Leap Day Activities for Freelance Writers

Posted on February 29, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: Satin Island by Tom McCarthy What I’m listening to: Love Test by The Growlers What a weekend! The sun was out, the weather warmed up, and I was in the garden. We had a ton of rain this past week, some freezing weather, but the ground was soft enough to get the…

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The Multilingual Writer

Posted on February 8, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro What I’m listening to: Talking to the Moon by Bruno Mars You know, I had planned to leave more posts for you while I was on vacation. Really I did. But there was a rush of work right before we left– so much so that we…

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Freelance Writing Biz Fix: Creating a Virtual Workspace

Posted on January 21, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Lola by The Kinks What a week. I started with two projects and a new client call. So far, I’m up to two more projects and two more new client calls — none of which are happening until after I return from vacation. I did get a bit of work done,…

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3 Freelance Writing Trends to Avoid in 2016

Posted on January 18, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Sweet Jane by Lou Reed Maybe it’s the new calendar that brings out the crazy freelance writing advice I’ve seen lately. I’m not talking about the usual weird advice, such as how you must do this or you never should do that, or my all-time biggest pet peeve: “Freelance writing is…

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Freelance Marketing in 2016: Short-term and Long-term Goal Setting

Posted on January 11, 2016June 30, 2016 by lwidmer

What I’m listening to: Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey Here we are — the second full week of January. By now, plenty of New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten, and you’re looking at more of the same kind of business-as-usual as you had last year. As you wait for that one client who will make…

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Freelance Marketing in 2016: Know Your Market

Posted on January 7, 2016March 6, 2018 by lwidmer

What I’m reading: The Harvest Gypsies by John Steinbeck What I’m listening to: Rigoletto: Questa O Quella by Luciano Pavarotti It’s been a good first week back. I’m working on three projects from two clients, and I delivered a first draft yesterday. Today, more of the same. Plus it’s time for me to pick up…

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  1. Anne Wayman Avatar
    Anne Wayman
    January 7, 2016

    Yep… and if, as part of mine is, individuals you do roughly the same thing… describe your ideal market.

    Reply
  2. Paula Hendrickson Avatar
    Paula Hendrickson
    January 7, 2016

    As I read this I was thinking of last night's episode of The Middle. Mike (the dad) and his brother started a company and too their product to a tradeshow. Mike's on his own when a woman comes up saying the product would do great in her store. She asks to connect on LinkedIn. Mike thinks it's Tinder or something, saying, "I'm flattered, but I'm married." So she asks about Facebook, Twitter, etc…and he finally says he can send their printed brochure – complete with a self-addressed stamped envelope. She shook her head and walked away.

    (Later hilarity ensued as Mike asked his college aged son to help him apply for a Twitter account. Kid grabbed the phone and had the account set up before Mike was done asking how long it would take to get it up and running.)

    Companies like that seriously need our help!

    Reply
  3. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer
    January 8, 2016

    Anne, when you were starting out, did you struggle with this? I know a lot of freelancers at the beginning of their careers do. Just wondered how you got beyond it.

    Paula, that's hilarious. 🙂 And you're right — companies like that do need our help!

    Same question to you that I posed to Anne. Just wondering where and how other freelancers found their stride.

    Reply
  4. Cathy Miller Avatar
    Cathy Miller
    January 8, 2016

    Sorry I'm late to the game. Busy day yesterday. My client has changed or maybe expanded would be more accurate. I can thank health care reform's Affordable Care Act for much of that. Now there's a phrase you don't see often. 😉

    It's not only my client who has changed but the services I offer. Originally, my clients were brokerage firms (and they remain in the mix). It was a hold-over from my corporate days and I continued to do almost any kind of work they wanted done. As I got more time and experience under my belt, I dropped the work I didn't like to do and much of what I call the "one and done" projects.

    I stumbled into ghostwriting and really saw my market expand. There is a real need for writers with both industry technical knowledge and the writing skills to go with it. I now have health care organizations as clients (e.g., specialty practice management companies), vendors that service both the healthcare and insurance industry, as well as my original broker market.

    My good relationship with my clients has also taken me outside that niche as contacts moved to new companies. They called me because they liked working with me and liked my work. For example, I learned about the logistics management industry (supply chain), which was fun.

    It's been quite the ride and I love how it continuously evolves.

    Reply
  5. Lori Widmer Avatar
    Lori Widmer
    January 8, 2016

    Cathy, isn't it a great position to be in? We know what we're good at, what we excel at, and we know what work just doesn't appeal. It's nothing against clients and their projects, but we've learned how to balance our workloads so that we can be challenged (but not overwhelmed), stimulated (but not overly so), and satisfied (but not saturated).

    Reply
  6. Cathy Miller Avatar
    Cathy Miller
    January 8, 2016

    Succinct and right on, Lori. 😉

    Reply
  7. Paula Avatar
    Paula
    January 9, 2016

    After the past couple of days I'm afraid my stride has been hobbled.

    Things with my existing clients have been great, but a new-to-me client morphed into a PITA almost overnight. Everyone over at Anne's forum have had an earful – or is that eyeful? – about this mess, with names deleted to protect the guilty since she might just turn out to be an overly-stressed editor.

    Short version: I started the week working on five articles for Favorite Editor and a revision for the new client due on January 13. Around 3PM yesterday the new client changed my January 13 deadline to TODAY. This morning she softened and said Monday morning was okay. I said I'd do my utmost to get it in today, but since I had to push three other projects to the back burner I'll need my weekend to catch up on those. She sent me an email that seemed to question my professionalism (because a couple sources I've been pursuing all week hadn't gotten back to me, but she had no problem reaching people…huh?). After I calmed down I reassured her I am a seasoned pro and I leave no rock unturned.

    I now have everything other than one tiny bit of info. The editor said it's okay if I run long (I was 700 words over my word count at one point, but got it down to 600 and was dreading cutting things only to have the editor ask why I hadn't included them). She even wished me a nice weekend.

    I'm glad we ended the day on a positive note, but this roller coaster of confusion ALMOST had be doubting my abilities. Then I remembered I've been writing for Favorite Editor longer than the new client's publication has even been around.

    Yep. I gotz mad skillz.

    Reply
  8. Translation favorites (Jan 22-28)
    March 6, 2018

    […] in 2016: Short-term and Long-term Goal Setting 13 Online Tools Used by Successful Entrepreneurs Freelance Marketing in 2016: Know Your Market Freelance Marketing in 2016: Following Up 10 Reasons Why a Mentor Is a Must Elevator […]

    Reply
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