What I’m reading: The Illustrated Mahabharata What I’m listening to: You’re the Best Thing About Me by U2 At this writing, I’m back at my desk and trying to get client work finished. I intend to head back to my parents’ house next week. My father has stabilized (remarkably), so I felt it safe to…
Free Advice Friday: Converting the Nonbelievers
A late post is better than no post, I say. I’m back home for a short spell, fully expecting to head back to my parents’ house in a week or less. But for now, I’m checking in. You should’ve seen the look. My mom introduced me to someone recently and announced proudly “She’s a…
Monday Marketing Move: One More Time
What I’m listening to: Every Part of Me by Steve Earle Home — I’m beginning to forget what it looks like. I’ve been at my parents’ house since Deceber 23rd. My dad’s illness has progressed dramatically, and I won’t leave now. I hear I have a Christmas tree still up. Decorations await, too. As do…
3 Steps to Freelance Opportunity Success
Time to get serious. Isn’t that what we think as we toss aside that final calendar page? That shiny new calendar holds 12 pages of promise. This will be the year. This will be the start. This time, it will all be different. This year, for me, has started exactly how the old year ended….
Top Marketing Posts of 2017
What I’m listening to: One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx ‘Tis the season for work to dwindle and this writer to finally give herself permission to walk away. I’m doing that with this post. I’m taking a break from posting new things until possibly the new year. My dad is in rapid decline….
Why Freelance Pricing Guides Aren’t Helping You
What I’m listening to: Wrong by The Airborne Toxic Event We’ve all done it. We’ve asked the question: “How much should I charge for …?” While there’s nothing inherently wrong with asking other writers “How much do you charge for…?”, by asking how much we should be charging, we are, once again, putting control of our businesses…
This Job, Not That Job
What I’m listening to: One Time Thing by The Airborne Toxic Event Sometimes these posts write themselves. That’s how I felt when writer Mika Doyle shared the news with me that LA Weekly terminated their editors (all but one staff writer) and turned to unpaid contributors to provide the publication’s content. Thankfully, they didn’t escape…
Free Advice Friday: Setting Freelance Rates Sensibly
Has it really been a week since I’ve been here? This is what happens when your life has a hiccup. I had a good excuse — the day before Thanksgiving in the early hours (1 am), my daughter gave birth to a gorgeous little creature named Jaxon. We were so excited and in love that…
Your January Freelance Writing Income Boost
What I’m listening to: Runaways by The Killers It’s nearly Thanksgiving — time to think about January? What? January? Already? If you want income to be rolling in at the start of the new year, then yes. Already. In fact, you should have thought about it even earlier. It’s not too late, however, to find…
Easy Freelance Money-making Shift
What I’m listening to: You Can’t Save ‘Em All by Big Harp Funny how your career tells you what you should be doing. At a recent Meetup function, I was asked what kind of writing I do. “Risk management and insurance writing” I replied. It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized only…