All Freelance Writing - Forum: Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/ Simple:Press Version 5.2.6 Jennifer Mattern on Hello to all the members! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1163 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1163 I'm glad you found the posts helpful Joe.

And welcome to the forum. :)

Jenn

]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:15:56 +0000 joemalik on Hello to all the members! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1162 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-to-all-the-members/#p1162 I've read a bunch of articles on this site and have already put my newfound knowledge to use. I will have my wordpress-based freelance writing site/blog set up by the end of the week. Thanks in advance to all of you! And thank you Jennifer for all the valuable insights and kick-in-the-butt blog posts. :)

]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 18:58:40 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-4/#p1139 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-4/#p1139 Welcome to the forum Kristen. :)

]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:03:26 +0000 Kristen on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-4/#p1138 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-4/#p1138 Hi there,

My name is Kristen, and this is my first post! I have been running my own freelance writing/editing business (Kristen Corrects) for several months now, and am choosing to join this forum for support in any questions I may have. I'm excited to collaborate with other freelancers like me and see what I can learn here.

Kristen

]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:26:11 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hi all! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hi-all-1/#p1134 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hi-all-1/#p1134 Hi Johanna! Welcome to the forum.

]]> Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:54:25 +0000 Johanna on Hi all! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hi-all-1/#p1133 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hi-all-1/#p1133 Hi, my name is Johanna, and I'm a freelance writer. Just wanted to introduce myself before delving into this further. I look forward to reading everybody's writing!

]]> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:59:13 +0000 LoriWidmer on Hello! Financial writer looking to be a better freelancer http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-financial-writer-looking-to-be-a-better-freelancer/#p1079 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-financial-writer-looking-to-be-a-better-freelancer/#p1079 Hi Francesca,

Sounds like you've figured out exactly where you need to go in order to grow the business. Getting there isn't going to be too different from how you started.

Good questions. To your first:

You're doing it right here. Good place to learn from the best! Jenn is someone I'd follow through fire. She has the background to back up her online presence, and she's prone to giving only the best advice. When you have a singular question, you go to your group of writer friends either places like this one or in email. I get a lot of questions a week (and I ask a number, too) from people whom I consider friends. The first thing you need is trust -- trust that the person has the experience and isn't prone to bullshitting or embellishing in order to gain your business. There are a few out there who shout from the rooftops to get your attention, i.e. your money. Use your instincts, I say. For the most part, freelancers are giving people who share willingly. 

Scoring that first trade article is much like scoring that first gig for a newspaper. Hit them with a killer idea that fits their needs. That means studying the publication enough to know who their advertisers are, who their main audience is, what kinds of articles they publish most, what kinds of articles they never publish (and don't think you'll change their minds, either). Look at the tone, the focus, the delivery, etc. Mind you, that doesn't mean if all articles are dry and bland that you have to be, too. No way. In fact, I "tested" for a senior editor job at a trade and won it by saying "What the hell" and applying my voice to their focus. So keep your personal style, but modify it to fit within what they're used to printing (for example, don't give them first-person chatty tone if they're printing only third-person authoritative).

That's how you start. Keep at it. You won't necessarily score right out of the gate, but the trades are usually looking for fresh voices.

]]> Mon, 21 Jan 2013 09:39:34 +0000 FrancescaM on Hello! Financial writer looking to be a better freelancer http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-financial-writer-looking-to-be-a-better-freelancer/#p1059 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-financial-writer-looking-to-be-a-better-freelancer/#p1059 Howdy all - 

 

I've been freelancing full-time for three years now in the financial services niche and it's been great so far. Like many of you, I started out on the job bidding sites and content mills, but I've worked up to having a comfortable group of clients who send referrals my way.

However, I've hit a plateau in terms of the work I do (mostly marketing copy, whitepapers, ghostwritten articles) and I'd like to break through it. I'd like to work on getting pieces published under my own name and develop larger projects like annual reports or full-length books. I also need to stop being lazy and put a decent website up.

One of my issues is that I'm rather isolated and have no mentor or group of writers to turn to for advice/criticism. I hope to remedy that here and other places.

What I can offer:

  • Advice on developing a niche;
  • managing client relationships;
  • Getting referrals;
  • How to sell yourself to clients.

Questions I have:

  • How does one meet other writers for collaboration, advice, emergencies, etc?
  • How does one score a first article in the trades or a column in a small periodical?
]]> Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:56:42 +0000 ewilson1776 on my "muse"ment http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/my-musement/#p1045 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/my-musement/#p1045

new to the forum. Generally write more of a "blog" type posts but pushing my creativity and expanding my horizons. Just lanuched http://www.brushfireforum.com (to set brush fires in other's minds and make people start thinking on thier own) and would like to use this writing forum to improve my persoanl wrinting skills and meet others in this community...

 

ps I love that writting forums have math questions as the qualifier to post....

]]> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:34:43 +0000 J. S. Hubbard on Hola! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hola/#p1043 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hola/#p1043 I'm an English teacher at CETYS Universidad located in beautiful Enesenada, Baja California, Mexico. I have written some articles that have appeared in some of the gringo newspapers around northern Baja, but otherwise have no experience in freelance writing stateside. I hope to learn more about the business, particularly marketing to stateside clients.

]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:00:50 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1032 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1032 If that still doesn't work, you can email me your photo -- jenn@allfreelancewriting.com -- and I'll upload it for you on the admin side. Then at least we'll know if it's a bug on the user end or a problem with our settings not pulling the avatar options in the proper order. 

I could swear someone else here had that issue in the past and that worked, and that it was fixed after an upgrade. I can't recall if there was another upgrade after that time, but it's likely. I have another to run. I was going to wait until January when I'm back from break, but if I finish work early enough today, I'll try to squeeze it in. Hopefully that will address the issue on a wider scale.

]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 06:39:05 +0000 WriterWendy on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1031 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1031 Thank you. I'll upload my pic next. Thanks!Laugh

]]> Wed, 19 Dec 2012 11:18:49 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1030 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1030 I just went in and made some changes to the avatar priorities. It still pulls from Gravatar first, but uploaded avatars come up second. I don't see one attached to your account on the admin side. Try to upload it again (50x50 px) and let me know if you get any different results after the change. If not, I'll check again in the morning and see if some other setting might be causing issues. Other than that, I'll be running some upgrades to the forum when I come back from the holiday break in early January (after some bugs are addressed in the new version). So if it's a bug w/ the current version, hopefully that will sort it out.

]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:06:49 +0000 Jennifer Mattern on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1029 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1029 Welcome to the forum Wendy. I'm so glad to hear you've already landed a gig through your listing here. Smile

Where did you upload your picture? In the forum profile screen? If so I can check and see if it's showing on the admin side. Otherwise I think the system is set to pull gravatars automatically -- you just associate your photo with the email address you registered with here at http://www.gravatar.com. 

]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:51:45 +0000 WriterWendy on Hello! http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1028 Introduce Yourself http://allfreelancewriting.com/writing-forum/introductions/hello-3/#p1028 I'm a new member--I joined last week. I found out about All Freelancing through a topic conversation on Linked In. Lori Widmer embedded a link or something to the discussion that I was following. Thanks, Lori! :)

Anyhow, I've been a freelancer for the past 12 years or so. I just started branching out into more client-based writing, and I've already had a potential client contact me from my listing on this site. Yay! :)

I do have a question: I uploaded my picture last week and it's still not on my profile. What should I do? Thank you!

 

PS-I love talking shop and helping newbies start their freelancing careers.

]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 15:33:26 +0000