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The Return to Balance: A Freelance Writer’s Quest
Last week we had an important and lively discussion over the Fight for Truth and what the freelance writer’s role was. One point in particular drove a ton of discussion — presenting all sides of a topic. My stance was/is that presenting dissenting views shouldn’t be avoided, but embraced. It’s common practice in journalism to…
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Tuesday Idea File: Finding Freelance Pitches in Releases
Here’s a novel idea: let’s have a day just for ideas. Sort of makes sense, doesn’t it? And since it’s Tuesday, I think Tuesday is a good day to discuss another freelance writing idea. So welcome to this semi-regular blog feature. Today, I’d like to talk about how to make a press release your friend….
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What Freelance Writing Isn’t
Today is the day after my favorite day: St. Patrick’s Day (and the anniversary of this ol’ blog). If I’m here, I’m probably sporting a rather-not-do attitude. So this post is scheduled in advance. Last week when I was looking through LI forums and Twitter, I noticed a lot of the same old, same old….
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No-nonsense Guide to Freelance Client Project Success
Yes, Virginia (and Virgil). There is a wrong way to approach that client project. Imagine this scenario: you reach out to Company A with your letter of introduction. You invite them to connect. They do. Now what? Well, if you’re like our first writer, Carl, you’d get on the phone and go down the list…
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The Fight for Truth: A Freelancer’s Role
Not long ago, I had an assignment from a client that involved a little bit of research. They wanted some statistics to go along with the article and support their point. I came across a fantastic bit of data. In one sentence, I could have proven their case and made them look like authorities. For…
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How to Remove Freelance Payment Problems
F*ck You. Pay Me. It was, and remains, one of my favorite videos talking about freelance payment problems. Mike Monteiro, design director and co-founder of Mule Design Studio, took the internet by storm back in 2011 when his talk from Creative Mornings Creative Guild went viral. As well it should have. Monteiro started his nearly…
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A Double Dose of This Job, Not That Job
It’s not rare when a writer friend sends me a lousy offer to post here on the blog. We writers stick up for each other, and part of that includes alerting newer, less experienced writers on bad offers framed as good ones. What is rare is when two writer friends send me two separate lousy…
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The Pitch-Every-Day Freelance Writing Business Boost
Boost? Did I hear the word “boost”? Okay, so the word “boost” is becoming almost as hackneyed as the word “slams” in headlines. But there’s only so much space up there in the title bar. Forgive me. I was browsing Twitter and the blogs, as I’m known to do, and I noticed the usual advice…
