Tweet When I first started telling people I was going to quit my full-time job and go freelance, I think they heard “rogue” instead. It’s as if I just announced I was going to make a living making balloon animals or shooting to outer space. It’s hard to explain their expression-a mix of disbelief, pity and maybe even undertones of resentment. I initially chalked it up to my own insecurities. Maybe they thought I wasn’t good enough or that I was just being Brandi-you know irresponsible, only child syndrome. What they said was things like: You can’t be a writer.…
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Tweet 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…
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Tweet 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…
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Tweet 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…
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Tweet {flickr photo by wstera2} I’ve been hiding out on different blogs reading the latest thoughts and trends. Some I agreed with. Others made me want to bury my head in a hole and cry. I thought I’d grab a few so we can discuss them here. I’ll call it our own little writers “View.” Let’s begin shall we? Practical or Perfectionism? On Copyblogger, Jon Morrow posted 5 Crippling Beliefs that Keep Writers Penniless and Mired in Mediocrity. The article itself was compelling with lots of points about how our thinking can sabotage success. But interestingly enough, the more than 100 comments…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: Kat Cole} How Easy it is to Misunderstand Each Other Online I’ve gotten into a few misunderstandings lately and that’s just with my online friends. Words are powerful stuff. And when you take away external cues like smiles, nods and voice inflections, it is not just powerful, but potent. When you are online, all a person can see is your words. So when you say, “It was good.” They may be interpreting it as: “It WAS good! Or, “It was GOOD!” Or they may think you were being sarcastic or not very enthusiastic. There is only so…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: CosmoPolitician} A Boot Camp Success Story This weekend drained me. Instead of biking or catching up on my reading, I did something insanely crazy. I signed for a weekend boot camp. And no this one did not consist of me dropping down and giving anyone 20. I signed for a writer’s boot camp. What I Learned from a Freelance Writing Boot Camp On top of the fact that 5 hours a day learning about making money from freelance writing is tiring, but not as boring as you’d think, I learned something life changing. The thing that I…
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Tweet {flickr photo by: danmachold} I used to exercise 5-6 days a week. When I was in my early twenties and really into it, I would sometimes work out for twice a day 6-7 days a week. I was not an athlete. I did not aspire to be a fitness model. And surprisingly I was slim, but not at all muscular or athletic looking. Maybe I was a bit of addict and had too much time on my hands. But recently, my exercise has tapered down a notch or two. Muscle aches and pains make overdoing it less attractive and…
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Tweet What’s so hard about putting words on paper? Well it’s a lot harder than you think when you bring psychology to the picture. Take your thoughts for example. All those doubts, criticisms, and insecurities from years long gone have piled up. And sometimes when you’re not careful, they’ll peek out at you, disguising themselves as your own thoughts. And the results? Well, it’s not a pretty picture. What Holds You Back from Your Writing flickr photo courtesy of: Lady/Bird In Callings: Finding and Following an Authentic Life, author Gregg Levoy says, “If we don’t confront them, if we don’t even…
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Tweet If you’re an intimidated writing newbie, don’t sweat it. There are a lot of things you can do to get your start while you’re waiting for your experience to catch up with you. {photo by: kandyjaxx} Here are a few things that helped me early on flex my writing muscles and get comfortable before I started full-time freelancing: 1. I sent in mini practice articles. You might know them as the letter to the editor. I’ve been sending letters to the editor since I was in high school. Why? I find it’s a fast and easy way to get…