‘Business of Freelance Writing’ Archives
Does Age Matter?
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I wonder, for example, if there is such a thing as age discrimination in writing. Does one get less respect the younger he or she is? I also think about whether your age or your perceived age makes you more or less marketable in the freelance writing biz. Why do I ponder these things at 9:51 in [...]
Setting Yourself Apart from the Competition: Give it All You Got, Give it All You Got…
{photo credit} Remember that old 90's rap song by the Old School Players? I don't know what they were rapping out back then, but it's a good reminder of what we need to do today as better business men/women and in general freelancers. I saw the King and Queen of comedy Tina Fey and Steve Carell on the Oprah Winfrey show months ago. They were [...]
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Well actually I don't. And I don't know what you're doing this summer either. But I know what I'm doing. While lots of writers are taking off to go on vacation (and rightly they should for working their butts off all year!), I'm working harder than ever. Why? Because some businesses are still in business and need writers to fill in. Because [...]
How to Make Money by Writing for a Living: It doesn’t have to be an either or thing.
I've become enamored with Martha Beck's book, "The Joy Diet: 10 Daily Practices for a Happier Life." Knee deep in chapter 4 (Creativity), I've been filled with mind blowing concepts that has thrilled me to no end. One of the titillating tidbits made me question my own freelance writing business skills and I thought I'd share the wealth with [...]
How to Transform Something from Nothing in Freelancing
I'm not a magician, but over time I've learned the magic of transforming nothing into everything. Here's what I mean. When you have a dream to work at home as a freelance writer, you basically start from nothing. You may have a handful of clients to begin with (and if you do kudos to you!), but in general you're starting from scratch. When you [...]
5 Ways to Burn Bridges in Business
This post will cover the five things you shouldn't do (not including the basics like failing to do any work for a client or refusing to pay a freelancer) if you want a healthy, happy long-term and profitable business relationship. Whether you're a freelancer or a start-up looking to hire a freelancer, there are a few things you should know [...]
Excelling at the Elevator Speech
photo by: Express Monorail Have you ever been stunned like a deer-caught-in-the headlights when someone asks you, "What you do for a living?" Well I have and I can't plea ignorance on this one! All over the web, articles on creating an elevator speech have been popping up. I've seen them, read them, but failed to do anything about it. [...]
What Being a P.I. Showed Me & Being a Writer Re-taught Me
Remember Gavin de Becker's 1997 book, "The Gift of Fear?" A potential employer gave it to me during one of their intensive interviews. Strange gift for most jobs, but this one fit the bill. I was interviewing for work as a private investigator. Surprisingly, I got the job. My one year stint as a PI was more than I bargained for. But one [...]
Tricks of the Trade from National Magazine Day
This past weekend I attended the first ever National Magazine Day at a local San Francisco bookstore called, "BookSmith." Although I missed the first 5 hours of food, drink, and fun of skimming through hundreds of magazines, I did get there in time for what may have been the best part. Hearing what's hot in the magazine industry from a group of [...]
“Ask and You Shall Receive”
The belief that we should ask for what we need is a difficult concept for me. I am a woman for one and a minority for another. I've been brought up to believe statements like, "You can't really do anything about it. Don't bother/make trouble. Just let it go." This is the reason why I used to wonder if I was born in the right family. If I didn't [...]
