Tweet {photo credit} Now that sounds bad, doesn’t it? Kind of like I’m suggesting you let others abuse you or treat you with disregard. But actually, I’m saying quite the opposite. It really depends how you look at it. Today, I listened in on a webinar done by The Savvy Freelancer’s Lexi Rodrigo with senior editor of Freelancer Folder Laura Spencer. It was an awesome combo. And I learned a lot about, “Setting Your Freelance Fees.” But I’m not here to talk about something they already covered so well there. I am excited about sharing something she said, however. Remember…
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Tweet I can only think of one thing right now. My strong desire to match what I feel on the inside to my outer writing life. Have you ever watched a makeover show? The kind where men and women say, “Finally, I feel like how I look matches how I feel on the inside!” That’s exactly what I’m going through with my writing these days. I feel like I have an outpouring of inner wisdom, insight, compassion, emotion, struggles, hardships, inspiration to share. But they are wrapped up in my own neurosis, wading through fears of revealing too much and…
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Tweet {photo credit} There are two main reasons why you’re sitting in front of your computer and can’t type right now. You’re either physically or psychologically exhausted. 1. Physical Exhaustion. You needn’t run a marathon to be too tired to write. You could have been up all night with the baby or that darn hour gained from Daylight Saving Time ending surprisingly zapped your energy. Sometimes returning from a trip tires me out also. (Something that I often forget when intending on working right away after vacation.) Whatever the case, being tired and low energy makes it extremely hard to…
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Tweet {photo credit} If you already know writing and getting published is tough, skip this post! As for me, I think I’ve only recently discovered the depth, cruel intensity and psychological battle that can only be described as real writing in the trenches of hard work. After more than a decade of writing (maybe even two), you would think I’d get this by now. But the realization only hit me after I started my own writer’s group. It’s been an experience that I wished I had done sooner. Although there are several reasons why I believe the members of my…
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Tweet A writer friend confided something in recently. He said he grappled with the ability to step outside him self when writing. As a result, his creations at times were a bit foggy. Although they were clear to him, they were confusing to others. I completely understand what he means. Sometimes I’m up late at night after a day of writing and my writing brain is exhausted. But I push on. As the words flow through me, I get lost in a cloud of my own creation. I’m immersed in a jungle of ideas and steeped in the visualization of…
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Tweet Freelance writer Laura Spencer wrote another brilliant post on Freelance Folder entitled 30 Spooky Freelancing Practices. Her list included everything from bad mouthing clients to internet surfing instead of working. Anyone guilty of that? I’ll admit to the latter in the past. Oops. But while I have looked fear in its face (sometimes in the eyes of a scary scary client), none of the 30 items (though good) can match the scariest of them all. It’s this: The fear that I’m not good enough that I’ll never make it as a professional writer. If you have never felt this…
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Tweet {Photo credit} Some days I feel oh so lucky! That’s what I felt with author Dina Santorelli asked me to guest blog for her and then sent me this jewel of a post here. If you’ve ever wanted to be an author, then you’re in luck too. Read her inspiring story about how she completed half her first novel in about 6 weeks! All you NANAWRIMOs out there will appreciate this one. On August 9, 2010, I completed my first novel, Baby Grand.It was one of those wonderful, fulfilling moments when you not only finally achieve a career milestone,…
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Tweet {photo credit} Okay I’ll admit. I’ve been kind of lackadaisical lately about LinkedIn. Frankly, I just didn’t know what the excitement was all about. That is, until a few days ago when I tried asking a question on there about freelance writing. I realized, if you’re wondering what your clients want, isn’t it best to go straight to the source and ask them? Surprisingly, I got quick, informative answers that gave me a greater understanding of what entrepreneurs and companies want. Things I wish I knew earlier in my career and what you newbie writers can learn now to provide…
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Tweet Carson Brackney’s back and better than ever. Lucky for me he’s written a new guest post that will blow you away. It’s all about freelancing and time scheduling. Thanks Carson! So, you have the schedule thing all figured out. Everyone talks about how tough it is to maintain any semblance of a reasonable life as a freelancer, but you aren’t worried. You have the calendar. You have the time slots all lined up, filled up, organized, planned and your work life for the week will be so smoother than Yul Brynner’s scalp after a Crisco application. Yeah, right. The…
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Tweet {photo source} As a newbie writer, you’re kind of going in all green and vulnerable. You desperately want to write. But you need the clips and the experience to take you far. This sometimes results in a bad equation. In my case, it meant lots of learning lessons in the school of hard knocks. Lessons that taught me not only how to be a better business person, but also gave me insider tips businesses could learn when working with freelance writers. So here’s a post for both of you-hopefully a happy marriage between writer and client that will lead…