How to Make Your WordPress Blog Category Archives Show Only the Post Titles

Yesterday I talked about how to increase blog traffic — specifically how we increased All Freelance Writing’s traffic by 80% in less than a year. One of the things that had a big impact for us was reformatting our category archive pages. Rather than making people browse through page after page of posts (they never do get to the really old gems that way it

How We Increased Blog Traffic by 80% in Less Than a Year (and How You Can Too!)

Let’s turn back the clock to the fall of 2009. I was the sole blogger here at All Freelance Writing. Traffic was already fairly significant. But my posting was sporadic at best. I’m a busy person. I had multiple sites to manage (the ones that earn more and help support AFW so we don’t have to completely whore out to advertisers here), client projects to

How to Break Into New (and Higher Paying) Freelance Writing Markets

Yesterday I asked on Twitter what All Freelance Writing’s readers wanted to learn about here. Courtney Ramirez responded saying that she wanted to learn more about breaking into newer and better freelance writing markets. It’s something I talk about a lot on this blog — setting higher freelance writing rates and how that often involves re-targeting your market. Now let’s talk about how to make

Myth: Web Content Writers Can’t Earn as Much as Business Writers

Recently I busted the myth that Web writers don’t get paid as much as print writers. Today let’s tackle another one — the issue of freelance writing rates between Web content writers and business writers (like me) who happen to focus on writing for the Web. Often when I or other business writers talk about earning more money as a freelance writer, people comment with

Web Writing Doesn’t Pay as Well as Print Writing (NOT!)

Let’s tackle a very common myth about Web writing. I see it all the time on freelance writing blogs and forums. There are people out there telling new or aspiring Web writers that the Web simply doesn’t pay as much as print work does, and they need to get used to it. I’ve even seen the term “old school” tossed around referring to writers who

All's Well With the Server Move

The server move is complete. I removed the AFW files from the old host and the site’s functioning, so it appears everything worked out finally with the database issues. May I throw a little party now? While this isn’t my first server move, it is my first WordPress server move, and my first multi-site move (talking between one and two dozen sites getting split between

Server Change Update: No Comments After Noon

Just a quick update about the server change going on here. It looks like I finally have the last issue worked out (tested on my smaller sites), and will be moving All Freelance Writing to its new server this afternoon. That means I’ll download the final database backup around noon today. If you comment between that database backup and the site moved, your comment will

All Freelance Writing: Possible Downtime

Due to continued problems with our current hosting company, I’ve decided to switch. Any time from this afternoon through the end of the week you might see a short period of downtime here. I’ll be moving some small sites over first to make sure everything is set up fine with the new host, so I can’t guarantee a certain time frame. I’ll let you know

My Most Unproductive Work Day Ever (And Why I’m Not Letting it Get Me Down)

In my last post I talked about tech-related problems leading to distraction at work, especially when you freelance and you get to deal with most of those issues yourself. Today was unfortunately an even worse day for me productivity-wise. I’d say it might just be my most unproductive work day ever. And it too began with technology-related non-goodness. Morning Upgrades Things kicked off this morning

Technology-Induced Procrastination

Thursday is the last work day of my week. I therefore like for it to be a productive day. Well, that or I’ll work late Wednesday to take extra time off on Thursday. This Thursday was anything but. And technology was (mostly) to blame. I tend to get some early tweeting in while I have my first cup of coffee. I do this because it

Reader Question: Using Pseudonyms as a Freelance Writer

Yesterday I received a reader question about freelance writers using pseudonyms. Given the nature of the topic, I agreed to only refer to the reader as CP. Here’s the email I received: I am in the process of transitioning into the freelance writing world, and getting my sea legs. I intend to use a pseudonym (as I have a separate, unrelated career), but am unclear

Freelance Writers: 4 Tips for Better Understanding Your Target Market

If there’s one thing that can help you earn more through your freelance writing business, it’s understanding your target market. You can’t jump into business blindly and expect to succeed — or at least not excel. Are there cases of dumb luck? Sure. But don’t expect to be one of them. Instead you need to focus on two things: what you’re selling, and who you’re

Money and the Freelance Life (or Why I Drive a Really Old Car)

I don’t talk about finances much here other than issues revolving around rates and making money. That’s an area where I know my stuff, but I leave the rest to our resident financial experts. Today though I want to talk about money — my money — with a personal look at how freelance success has, and hasn’t, changed how I spend. Some Background One thing

Some Blog Schedule Changes You Should Know About

We have a few changes happening at All Freelance Writing, and I wanted to make you aware of them. Here’s the rundown: Matt Willard was doing a trends-focused humor series here. He’s now switching gears. He’ll be writing a fictional serial comedy each week. His posts will still be published every Thursday. Clint will no longer be publishing freelance writing jobs. Today was the final

Why I Won't Pursue a Publisher for The Query-Free Freelancer

Yesterday on Twitter I noted that I finally made a decision regarding the book I’m working on — The Query-Free Freelancer — and whether I would pursue a traditional publisher or opt to self-publish the book. I’ve chosen the latter. I put a lot of thought into this over the last few months, and was already leaning towards the self-publishing route. But recent events in

All Freelance Writing Ad Testing – Kontera

I’ve been having an exchange with a Kontera rep about implementing their ads on this and other sites I own. As you might already know I’m not a huge fan of Google’s Adsense network, although we still use them here minimally. While I plan to keep advertisements to a minimum on this site, other than promoting my own products and affiliate products I test and

Should You Take a Quirky Spouse to a Professional Conference?

I recently received an interesting reader question from Jazmin of Capital Web Writing. Her question was about whether or not it would be appropriate for her hubby to accompany her to a conference, especially given his unique quirks. She gave me permission to share the email and my thoughts here. I’d like to hear your thoughts on the topic as well. Here’s the email: I

Seedy Late Night Phone Calls and Fiction Inspiration

It was a little after midnight. The phone rang. I yawned, wiped my eyes, and looked to my night stand in disbelief. I had to be dreaming, right? No one in their right mind would call me at this hour. But no. The phone really was ringing. It might have been a family emergency or something. So I reached across my bed and picked up

2010 Goals and Resolutions – How Far Have We Come?

Can you believe we’re already half-way through 2010? Wow! And you know what that means, right? It’s time to look back on the goals and resolutions we set for our freelance writing businesses, blogs, etc. and see how we’re coming along. Maybe we’ve met some of our goals already. Perhaps it’s time to let some go because we’ve made other goals along the way. And

Freelance Fitness: Perk Up Your Playlist

Even though I’ve been doing most of my workouts indoors lately because of the heat and humidity Mother Nature’s been throwing our way here, one of my favorite workouts has always been walking (or hiking depending on where I am). When I don’t have someone with me to talk to while working out, I pop in some headphones before heading out the door. Oftentimes I

June 2010 Book Club Discussion — The Well-Fed Writer

A few weeks ago you voted on our very first All Freelance Writing Virtual Book club pick-of-the-month — Peter Bowerman’s award-winning book, The Well-Fed Writer. Today we kick off that book club discussion. The comments will remain open on this post for a week, and extended for one additional week if they’re still fairly active at that point. Below are ten questions (some from me, and

How to Hunt and Kill a Blog Troll

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

Demand Studios: Beyond the Rate Debate

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

Freelance Fitness: Simple No-Cook Breakfasts for Freelance Writers

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

Matt Willard – The New Face in Town

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

The Thin Line Between Outsourcing and Exploitation

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,

Freelance Fitness: Use a Standing Desk

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.

Writing a Screenplay (and Interview with Xandy Sussan) – Screenplay Ideas

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

SWOT Analysis Guide for Freelance Writers

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

Another Freelance Marketplace Bites the Dust — Elance Work View

You know that here at All Freelance Writing we’re incredibly picky about what we will and won’t promote. For example, we won’t sell out to content mills that exploit writers, and we won’t send you to job leads at marketplaces we consider shady. Speaking of freelance marketplaces, there was actually only one we were willing to openly support — Elance. I’m sad to say that’s