Calling in SickIt happens – you get sick right about the time your big deadline hits. And unless you’re sporting super-human powers, you just can’t work with a fever/flu/cold/etc. Yet there’s that work, waiting for you. More often than not, the deadline is something you’ve carefully budgeted time for – given a healthy constitution. There…
Not Raining, but PouringNDAs and TestsI don’t know what let loose this past week, but I’m now sporting four new clients (and possibly a fifth), and most of it is ongoing work. That’s a good thing, for the two ongoing gigs I had already have waned and become stuck in approval/budget cycles. Thank God for…
The Price is RightWrapping Up the Beginner’s SeriesIt all comes down to money – whether we write because we love it or we write because we can, we also expect to be paid for it. In the coming years of your freelance career, you will continuously face the question of price. For you as a…
Job Postings – July 31, 2007 Just a short break from the Beginner’s Series in order to get some of my work done. I hope to be back at it this afternoon. Freelance WriterLine Editor/NY TimesFreelance ReportersBlogging GigProposal WriterEntertainment WritersNovel CollaboratorLocal Minneapolis StringerTrainee Editor/FinanceEnvironmental WritersFreelance Copywriter
Query Writing: The Follow Up
The Follow Up Thanks again to Nikki for providing today’s topic in our Beginner’s Series – how to follow up on those queries you’re now crafting with ease. Once you’ve waited your requisite amount of time (I admit – this is an arbitrary decision – despite what I said earlier, sometimes you just know when…
The Sound of SilenceBack among the working again. The vacation was great! Perfect weather, too. Daughter and I had a blast. I’m taking a small breather from the Beginner’s Series to answer a terrific question posed by Nikki. She asked what we should do when queries go unanswered or worse, ask for your rates. Here’s…
Roman Holiday Hardly Rome, but I’ll be beachside this coming week. I hope to return here by Friday to catch up with our series. See you soon!
Query Writing Series: The Query Letter, Part Two
The Query Letter, Part Two The Meat of the Matter Once you’ve hooked your editor/client (who, by the way, is also your first reader), you need to deliver the goods. It’s not enough to hit them with a great first paragraph and then say “What do you think?” You need to convey two more things…
Query Writing Series: The Query Letter, Part One
The Query Letter, Part One Get Creative! It amazes me how many creative writers churn out boring, unimaginative query letters. I once received a query letter from a writer who wrote – “I saw your ad. Here’s my resume. Call me.” Did I call? Hell no! If that writer couldn’t be bothered to sell himself…
Get a Job!Tips for Beginners Each day I wake up one step away from what my husband said was the worst poison ivy case he’s seen in a long time. Today, things are much less weepy (both physically and emotionally), and I’m able to type without stopping to blot my arms. Disgusting thought, but try…