I had a great phone conversation yesterday with another writer, Sally. (Hi Sally!) In the course of the conversation, she and I covered everything from crazy former bosses to the current state of freelancing. One of the biggest topics we talked about was the proliferation of awful job postings on the Internet. As we lamented…
Bringing Down the Velvet Hammer
I had to approach an uncomfortable topic with a client recently – I was ruminating about it with a writer friend, basically revving myself up enough to just get it over with. So when I wrote to the client to assert certain working terms we’d agree on, I copied the writer friend. He wrote back…
Here’s To You
I strongly encourage you to head over to Maria Schneider’s blog and nominate your favorite for her Top 25 blogging contest. And thank you to Georganna Hancock and Devon Ellington for nominating me. I appreciate the honor! The trouble with blog contests is they have to exclude someone. Seriously, how can you include all your…
Looking Like a Friggin’ Genius in Front of Your Clients
It was a small thing, but I passed it on to my client who now thinks I’m a genius. Why, she may even have an altar up with my Facebook photo on it…. Okay, I exaggerate just a bit, but I did impress the socks off my client and in return got a thank-you note…
Bidding Sites – How They Lure Us
I’m so glad to see so many of you who have turned away from bidding sites. I’m especially thrilled that Cheryl made the decision after the last Writers Worth Day. Cheryl, you’ll never regret it! We’re all intelligent people. We know it’s unwise to pay to access job listings. But we’ve done it. Why? Because…
Bid No More
I like the idea of Maria Schneider (formerly of Writer’s Digest fame) holding her own top blog awards. Maria’s blog, Editor Unleashed, is a true writer’s hangout. She dishes out a little bit of industry news, a little bit of Q&A, a dash of how-to, and a lot of personality. It’s fitting that Maria is…
Who Loves You?
It’s that time once again for Michael Stelzner’s Top 10 Blogs for Writers contest. His is one of the most popular contests on the Internet, and probably a windfall for him, for what better way to get your link circulating than to offer people the chance to win something? Kudos to him for a smart…
Don’t Distract Me!
I pulled off the impossible yesterday – I finished not one, but three projects and took a large chunk out of two others. I was able even to squeeze in one of the SOS requests. It’s amazing the amount of work you can accomplish when you avoid distractions. I’ve been thinking about the distractions that…
Pace Yourself
I’m back! Anyone miss me? The trip was wonderful. It was also long enough for me to forget all stresses, worries, projects, and bills owed. How’s that for a great vacation? But I would like to thank the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue for welcoming me home with an underpayment of taxes notice. I appreciate the…
Guest Post: Create Your Own Writing Retreat
When I saw Devon Ellington mention a personal writing retreat on her blog, I went a little ga-ga. I begged her to expand on that thought, because who among us can really afford to take time away from clients let alone afford a writing retreat? Devon delivered: here is her advice for carving away time…