What I’m listening to: Trip Switch by Nothing But Thieves Sometimes you come across something that’s stated simply, and it’s so brilliant that you have to share it. That was the case yesterday when I read this blog post by Jason McDowell. He said this: Never let a client treat you like anything but an equal. Take…
5 Things You Lose When You Raise Freelance Rates (and One Thing You Gain)
What I’m listening to: Feel It Still by Portugal. The Man Writers, it’s time you get serious. No more bitching about being underpaid. No more trolling job boards and announcing on forums that freelancing is dead. No more expecting clients to respect you when you’re giving them a price break that hurts your own…
Using a Mini-Niche to Rock Your Freelance Writing Success
What I’m listening to: Changed the Locks by Lucinda Williams Writers, it’s time to stop moaning about not having a niche. Okay, so you don’t want one, you say. You don’t need one, you insist. And you know what? You could be right. So why a post about niches then? Because at some point, you’re…
4 Game-changing Freelance Writing Moves
What I’m listening to: Robot Rock by Daft Punk I’m settling back in to what might turn out to be a normal workweek. After the upheaval of last week (and the fact that I was able to finish just one assignment), I’m working long hours to get things sorted. Because my dad’s situation isn’t great,…
Observations on a Freelancer’s Life
Caledonia by Dougie McLean There went those plans. Last week, I had to go home. My dad was sick, and there’s nothing that’s going to get in my way when he needs me. That includes work. So I finished what I could, packed up the Surface and the cell phone, and headed west. It was a…
6 Sanity-saving Freelance Writing Moves
This week is busy. Aside from actual work, I’m fielding updates on my dad’s condition and updating my kids and my aunt. You don’t think that’s going to take up much time until you’re actually handling it. Then there’s the workload. For every project I finish, I seem to be getting two more in. I…
3 Tools for Mobile Freelance Writers
I can’t write today. Maybe not all week. Maybe not again. Who knows? That’s what happens to me when something upsets my balance. I get now what Obi Wan was talking about when he reacted to a disturbance in the Force– it’s undetectable by so many, but you feel it, and it’s almost crippling. Yesterday’s…
4 (New) Myths That Kill Your Freelance Mojo
What I’m listening to: Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers (what a fun video!) For July, this is one busy month. I’m working with six clients. That’s usually manageable, but I did have a week off in the middle of it. Fortunately, I was organized and I’ve been able to keep up. I’ve even had…
What Mosquitoes and Rain Teach Freelance Writers
What I’m listening to: All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down by The Mavericks What I’m reading: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman I did something last week that turned out to be the most refreshing, relaxing experience I’ve had in ages. I spent a week in a riverside cottage. In the rain….
The BS Litmus Test for Freelance “Expert” Vetting
I like to cruise Twitter to see what freelancers are talking about. A few days ago, I was doing my usual cruising. Maybe I’m just ultra-cynical these days, but it seemed to me the thing people were talking about was themselves. Specifically, they were bragging about how they had the secret to boosting their freelance writing…