Tweet I love hearing about the journey that prompted other writers to write. Some writers believe they were born with it-a passion for writing that began as soon as they learned how to write. For others, writing came later in life. Something spurred them to get words down on paper and their career took off from then. My guest blogger this week is author Jessica McCann. She’s another writer that I’ve admired from afar and it brings me great pleasure to share where her writing story began. It’s a good one! by: guest blogger One Saturday morning, not long ago,…
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Tweet {photo by: biblioteekje} What’s the key to success? Well I’ve shared my secret to successful freelance writing in the past. But this post is less of a secret and more of an observation. Here’s a hint: What’s Julia and Julia, Steven Rowland and Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson have in common? They all did something most of us wouldn’t dare do. They took a huge risk and gained not only notoriety and dough, but revelation-a key piece to their success. Let’s look a little closer. The Players: {photo from squidoo} Julie & Julia. Julie Powell’s now become a household…
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Tweet 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 you. I’m sure you already know that your thoughts control your actions. Saying to yourself hundred times of day, “I’m not good enough to make it as a freelancer,” for example, will inevitably help your thoughts become reality. But I…
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Tweet I’ve always been uber shy. When I was a child, my mom bought me books where the protagonists are always shrinking violets. In elementary school, I took a failing grade because the thought of speaking up in public was more mortifying than seeing an F on my report card. It’s one of the reasons why I took so well to writing. I could create words on paper and express myself while keeping any verbal discourse to myself. Yet, somewhere along the line I realized that writing wasn’t just about sitting quietly and typing. I could write all I wanted,…
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Tweet Photo by: Wit Freelance writing is kind of like fishing. There’s a lot of waiting involved. You throw out the bait, wait for a bite and then get ready for the fight. However, instead of thumb twiddling or going to the opposite extreme and getting unnecessarily busy (online shopping or applying for jobs like crazy, for example), this may be a good time to get yourself organized and prepared for the next bite. Here are a few productive things to do while you’re waiting for your next big project:
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Tweet Martha Stewart’s recent rant about FoodNetwork star and talk show host Raechel Ray got me thinking, “Is it better to be honest or keep your mouth shut?” As a freelance writer, sometimes you work with people who are unprofessional or difficult. Is it ever a good idea to state honestly how you feel about the working relationship or is it better to cut ties cleanly and quietly? What do you think? Better to be honest and state what’s not working (e.g. low pay, unreliable client) or end things without saying a word?
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Tweet photo by Lisa Norwood Here’s what I’ve learned. Tell me if you think I’m wrong or right. It seems like in the digital world particularly in the area of freelance writing, there is a wave of what I like to call “lit cliques.” It’s kind of like being in high school, you know which group you belong-the geeks, the oddballs and you know which group you’d like to belong-the jocks, the popular crowd. Well social networking on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter is kind of like a big popularity contest where top freelancers are in one corner and…
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Tweet 1. That you need be thick-skinned to handle a mind-blowing number of rejections but be thin-skinned enough to be an observant, sensitive, intuitive and honest writer. 2. Publishers can get away with a lot like promising to pay you and then suddenly disappearing into thin air. 3. That you need to have an insane amount of faith (comparable to the number of rejections you receive). 4. That this would be the best and yet the hardest job of my life. I’m talking 10 hrs a night and weekends. 5. That you need to be good at everything (marketing, accounting,…