You know that feeling you get when you see a freelance writing job listing that just takes your breath away — but not in a good way? Writerly chum Mary Schneider sent this one over last week. Honestly, it took me a day to digest it, mainly because something this rotten can cause lots of…
4 Ways to Get More Freelancing Done
Fifteen projects. That was my to-do list by Wednesday of last week. I would say it’s an usual month, which it is, but lately, I’ve been having a string of months just like this one. While that’s phenomenal for the bank account, it’s lousy for the emotional wellbeing. But I sit here typing, ignoring most…
Free Advice Friday: Your Freelancing Questions, Answered
It’s Friday, we’re all stressed, so let’s just keep it light today, shall we? Over the 17 years I’ve been freelancing full time (plenty of part-time freelancing before that), I’ve received questions. I’ve asked them, too. Some are always the same: “How do I get started?” (Which, quite frankly, takes volumes to answer, so please,…
The Freelance Writer’s Survival Kit
I think it was as I was lying down to sleep, still talking about work at 11 pm, that I realized I have a problem. I’m overworked to the point of not being able to shut it off at the end of the day. And for those of you who are new to freelancing or…
Meaty Monday: Is it Time to Switch Your Freelance Focus?
You know that feeling when there’s a big old pandemic that’s ground everything from airlines to client work? What am I saying? Of course you know. You too are living through the train wreck that is 2020. While airlines being grounded is frustrating for a lot of us (I’m missing two trips to Scotland this…
The Rise of the Volunteer Freelance Gigs
In case anyone missed this, we’re in a bit of a tight labor market. Too many workers, not enough work. Unfortunately, that means there is also an equally disturbing increase in job listings aimed at freelance writers that are abominable at best. But there’s an uptick in yet another disturbing facet of the “get writing…
The #1 Client-generating Freelance Marketing Boost
Because I was on vacation last week (and far too busy the week before to get another post up before I left town), I missed all the great comments you’d left on my last post about the notion of a “going rate” in freelancing. So I took the time yesterday to reply to each of…
Friday Frank Talk: The Myth of the Freelance “Going Rate”
Sharon Hurley Hall, who is one of the smartest freelancers I know, said something the other day that made me nod my head in agreement so much I thought I’d sprain my neck. It’s about this notion of a “going rate” in freelancing. This came up in a discussion on a private forum about yet…
4 Untruths About Your Freelance Writing Business
Did you ever see something online that made you scream out loud? Same here. Could be something someone claimed, or one more of those “turn your side hustle into a freelance career!” posts. Could even be something ridiculous you saw that spouted something really inaccurate about freelancing. For me, it’s usually bad advice or guidance. Or…
Friday Frank Talk: Your “Freelance” to “Business” Attitude Shift
On a discussion list I belong to, I was reading through a debate over rates. Yea, that one again. One more time (does it ever change?), freelancers were debating why a writer working in a rural area should charge differently than a writer in an urban area. The debate was pretty lively, just slightly heated….