Happy Easter! Sorta. I guess I missed the boat on that one. For those of you out there who celebrate it, how was your holiday? I ended up drinking roughly five quarts of champagne and paid for it all day yesterday. I trust that you were more responsible. Now that the hangover has worn off, let’s get to the freelance writing jobs. But please, don’t talk too loudly. Ow.

The Freelance Writing Jobs

1. International Affairs Writer – are you obsessed with politics? How about international politics? Okay, so for those of you who are left, this is a great job. The Washington Diplomat is a monthly newspaper, and they’re looking for new writers. Send in your resume and your strongest clips to land this gig. This freelance writing job pays between $175 to $250 per 1,000 – 2,000 word article.
2. Copy Writer – how fast can you work? If you have a quick turnaround, this might be an ideal gig for you. You’ll be expected to pump out content for three sites that are about to be launched. The ad’s not specific, but I’d guess that you’re gonna need to write on everything from aardvarks to zapf dingbat. This freelance writing job pays $26 – $50 for 150 – 450 words.
3. Technical Writer – if you’re a diva/o of technical writing, then this is an ideal assignment for you. You’d be doing white papers although you’ll need firsthand knowledge. This is not for the breezy writer so you need to have some white paper experience. Send over some great examples for this awesome job. This freelance writing job pays $1,000 – $3,500 per 5-7 page document, depending on the assignment.
4. Comedy Script Writer - do you like Entourage? How about racial humor? If you’re comfy with both, this seems like it’d be right up your alley. You’d need to slam out about 15 – 20 minutes of dialogue for a pilot. If you’d be interested, hit up Elance with a strong portfolio. They need you to make jokes about how different people are. This freelance writing job pays a minimum of $1,000 depending on your Elance bid.

Freelance Writing Job Tip of the Week

Inspired by some dialogue going on this week, I thought I’d offer this little tidbit up: you are a product. Or at least your writing is. Think of yourself this way and never take business personally. It can be rough out there, and the market can seem savage. It’s tough when you pour your heart into your writing and have someone turn it down. I don’t handle rejection well myself. But you know what? It is just business. They don’t see you, only your work. So do your best damn work and if they don’t like it, smile politely and move on.

The reason for this lead up is because for this very reason, you should not lower your rates. You’re the product. When you sell yourself short, you are actually saying that this is how much your work, your time, and your labor is worth. If you are willing to give up your time for that, well, that’s up to you. But that’s exactly why you set a good rate. Because you are the product. And I sure as hell hope you don’t think you’re second-rate.

Worst Freelance Market of the Week

I don’t like to name names on the blog, because I generally feel like most job posters are just ignorant, not evil. But this market seems evil.

Mamazina Magazine

You can write about mommy stuff all you like, ladies, but you’re going to have to pay to submit your stories! You have to pay $10. And then, if you actually want to get your supposedly complimentary copy if you’re published, you have to pay a shipping fee. You should never, ever, ever, ever pay to get published. You drive their business, not the other way around. It’s called a market for a reason. You’re better off starting your own mommy blog and trashing this market instead.

If you’d like to look through longer aggregated lists of freelance writing jobs to help you save time in your job search, All Freelance Writing recommends Anne Wayman’s freelance writing jobs at AboutFreelanceWriting.com.