Ever wonder what it would be like to take that next step in your career, to jump into unknown waters or dip your toes into the freelancing world? If you’re thinking of taking the leap from 9 to 5 to the freedom of freelancing, you’ll love reading this full-time associate editor true story of how freelancing went from “some day” to right now. by guest blogger: Melissa Breau A lot of people think I’m crazy. Just a few weeks ago I was working a full time job as an associate editor at a business-to-business magazine in New York City. I liked my…
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I’ve adopted a new old hobby. What I had once did begrudgingly, I now do with a little more skip in my step and a little more patience and faith. Hiking is the new man in my life. And it has just booted out biking temporarily. Although I’ve been hiking since I was a kid sometimes for 6 hour stretches at a time, I never really adored it like I did the feeling of the wind whipping my hair on a bike ride or the fun of dancing like no one was watching in zumba. But recently, hiking has grown…
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I have to confess. The #1 place I’ve found writing jobs has been from online job boards including Craigslist. Surprised? This could explain why I’ve gotten myself into a few tumbles in the past. But for the most part, it’s been a successful journey. Maybe because I’ve learned job-ese (language of the job ads). You know like when they say “charming and quaint” in describing a home, they mean “small.” Same thing. Things to Watch For I used to read and apply for any job with the word “writer” in it. But now I’m a lot more picky. As you…
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By: Guest Blogger Danielle McGaw Freelance writers often ask if Twitter is worth their time. It is – if you use it consistently. If you stop by Twitter a couple times a week, read a few tweets, maybe send out a tweet about your latest blog post and then leave, not to be seen again for many days or maybe even weeks…I’m sorry but you’re just wasting time. But that’s not to say that you need to dedicate hours of your day to using Twitter. You can manage your Twitter account very easily in 15 minutes a day or less.…
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It could be a fad or maybe I’m just more aware of it now. But does it seem like everybody and their brother are trying to sell you something? Here’s my guilty confession. Every morning when I open my email, there is usually about 90 spammy emails staring back at me. Except Google can’t catch the spammers I actually subscribe to. I understand that everyone has to make money. And I bet a lot of those people are selling really good things. In fact, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t invested in a few. But when I…
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Ever notice the more you do, the less you get done? Sounds antithetical to what you want right? Actually read it again, it almost doesn’t make any sense. How can the more things you do, the less you actually get done? There are a few reasons… 1 +1 = 0? One thing is that doing more doesn’t automatically equal being more productive. You could be doing more marketing, but that makes you have less time for writing, for example. Or you could be spending loads of time solely on writing and then realize you haven’t had any new business in…
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{flickr} What did you do today? And the day before? How much of your time was spent working? How much time did you spend on simply enjoying your life? These questions are not merely questions of curiosity, but self-preservation. In The Right to Write by Julia Cameron talks about the “well.” A fitting word to describe what we expect to be an unlimited reservoir of inspiration. But we often fail to fill ourselves up. I describe the effect as a dried out sponge. Just weeks ago I complained to my life coach that I felt like a sad orange. I…
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The number one thing preventing you from completing that manuscript? FEAR. Getting your words on paper is one thing, but dealing with all of the scary feelings you have about doing so is another. No matter how many online or in-person classes you take, you will never accomplish your writing goals unless you first deal with that dreaded four letter F-word. Creativity coach Robert Ressler, Ph.D. says, “Fear is behind all the things that we sometimes describe as our problem.” These are problems you might label as writer’s block, procrastination, the inability to complete a project, being undisciplined. Ressler says that…
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Finding the perfect writing or creative coach can feel as effortless as looking for a needle in a haystack. Type “writing coach” and you will suddenly feel inundated with too much information. If Google could only use its keyword magic to help you find “the one” that will help you get your writing on track, get that manuscript completed, out the door and give you the oomph you need to start on that project you’ve been meaning to get working on. Instead, I’ve done the next best thing and wrangled together two coaches, a writing and a creative coach to…
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{photo} When you’re working with someone else, there will come a time when you’ll wonder why the heck you ever decided to work for yourself in the first place. I’ve heard it from fellow entrepreneurs who’s ego got beaten by constant criticisms and demands placed on them by unsatisfied customers. I’ve went through it myself. Time. And time again. The thing is… You can’t buy perfect. You can’t bottle it up and serve it on a fancy shiny silver platter. It just doesn’t exist. But sometimes you’re placed in a situation where a client believes that in exchange for his…