If there’s one thing I hate about blogging, it’s blog comment trolls. The topic recently came up in my post on SocialImplications.com — “Gurus” and Other Social Media Monsters. Someone asked about tracking trolls. I gave them some tips. It’s something I’ve been wanting to cover in detail here, given that this blog has been the target of trolls in the past, and I’m sure
As you know by now, marketing is a big part of achieving success as a freelance writer. But along with this, it can also take up a big chunk of your day if you are not careful. While you want to spend time marketing your services, you still need to complete your client work on time. By creating standard templates that can be easily customized,
Ah, the idiom. If you’re not up to date on your English class vocabulary, the idiom is the phrase that makes no literal sense but we use all the time anyway. So let’s catch up! No – that doesn’t mean we should run like the wind to join the rest of the group – it means we should talk. See? No sense at all. Oh,
One of the very first gigs I got over a year ago when I started full time freelancing was to work on the Twitter account of a life insurance company. The company actually found me through my own Twitter ramblings and still decided to hire me to do the same for them. Since that time I’ve had many different social networking clients and I’ve answered
Today I want to take a look at some criticisms of Demand Studios other than the low rate argument. And I’m going to give you facts — lots of them — so you can make your own decisions about some of these issues and whether or not writing for Demand Studios is a smart move in your situation. So today I want to follow up on
I’ve decided to open a third checking account. Right now, I have two accounts – one business account that holds my income until I’m ready to “pay” myself and another that receives my monthly paychecks. The second is a personal account that I use for paying bills and other various spending. While most of my bills are paid by the 5th of the month, I
I hope everyone’s having a great weekend! But it’s time for our weekly freelance fitness tip with a new idea for staying healthier during the next work week, and beyond. Last week we talked about working at a standing desk. This week it’s time for a food and nutrition tip. Let’s talk about breakfast. You’ve surely heard that breakfast is the most important meal of
Yesterday, Michelle Rafter Tweeted a little gem about the Yahoo-Associated Content deal and AC writers attempting to unionize to have more say post-acquisition. Say what? Associated Content writers are trying to unionize? Yes. According to the pro-union article (which, ironically, is published on AC), AC writers feel as though they have rights that are being ignored. They also think that they should be at the
You may have noticed a new face in our contributor list here on the blog. I’m happy to announce that comedy writer Matt Willard is joining All Freelance Writing. Yes, I know we already have an awesome comedy writer (Clint rocks). But Matt’s series will help us lighten up the week even more, and his posts will have a different slant. Matt’s written for the
For some it’s a dream, for others a necessity, but it can be tricky to find an ideal situation for work-at-home moms and they don’t usually mind. There isn’t much about parenting that’s ideal, after all. For the record, Carol Brady had the ideal set-up. I keep waiting for my Alice to come to cook, clean and offer sage bits of wisdom while I do
This post is in response to Yaro Starak’s recent post: Is Outsourcing Exploitation? I started to comment, but the rambling was enough to warrant a post instead. Here are some of my thoughts as both a freelance service provider and someone who outsources work regularly. I’m all for outsourcing, both in one’s own country and elsewhere. I’ve worked with contractors in the US, UK, Canada,
I know that some freelance writers do not enjoy cold calling. Although this is something I have had success with, many just don’t want to try it out. For this reason, I thought it would be a good idea to talk a bit about cold emailing and whether it can lead to new clients. To give you a better idea of how things have worked
This week’s Freelance Fitness post isn’t really about an exercise tip for freelancers, but it is about finding a way to burn more calories while you work. As freelance writers, we probably spend far too much time sitting on our arses in front of a computer, whether that be in our home office, in our favorite cafe, or even under a tree at the park.
April 17th marked my 1-year anniversary as a full time freelancer. This month marks my 2-year anniversary as any kind of freelancer. During this time I’ve learned a lot of stuff that may or may not be useful to you. 1. The easy way is usually not the best way. Chances are good that if nothing in your career ever excites you, scares you, intimidates
Ultimately, the question of whether you’re ready to make freelance writing your full-time job comes down to whether you consistently make enough money to pay all your bills each month. But just how much money do you need to make to quit your job and freelance full-time? I don’t know the exact number, but I can tell you how to figure it out. You need
I feel it necessary to let you know that I actually wrote this post on 5/2, well before Matt Willard published his post on query-free writing. Now, I’m not saying that he broke into my home, slipped into my desk chair, turned on my computer and went into my Work folder to see what I had written so he could steal ideas. No, I’m not
When you begin trying to turn an idea into an article, part of the process involves determining what publication you will pitch. With all of the magazines out there, how can you choose the right one? Actually, early in my career I heard a great piece of advice that I would like to pass along to you…start with magazines that you already read. If you have a
You might have seen me mention this before, but I’m about to start on my first screenplay. If you’ve followed my blog(s) for a while, you might also remember that I let you follow along in my process to outline two novels (as a part of a process to compare different novel outlining / drafting methods). I’m planning to do the same with the screenplay
It’s secret time! It’s been my experience that we all have a few dirty little secrets stashed away, and working from behind a computer screen lets us get away with a few harmless fibs every now and then – not that I would lie. I really do still look like that picture I posted from ten years ago…before two c-section deliveries…really, I’m still that hot!
Before you can think about marketing your freelance writing business, you need to know where you currently stand among your competition. Are you dealing with over-saturation in your specialty area? Are you lacking skills other freelance writers have, that clients want? Do you have something going for you that justifies charging higher rates than others? A SWOT analysis can help you figure those things out, and
As a freelance writer, you always want to keep a steady flow of work coming in. The best way of doing this is to market your services on a regular basis. It does not matter how you do this, as long as you are comfortable and happy with the results. With this in mind, many freelancers ask the same question: is there any way to
Every office needs a coffee table. Whether it’s to hold meetings with clients around, spread out potential magazines for querying on or to simply have somewhere to rest your feet during your mid-morning break, a coffee table has a variety of uses. Unlike my previous two posts (how to build a desk and a bookcase), I haven’t actually made this coffee table myself. I drew