Funny, but Irrelevant Picture

Dear Wanna-be Client,

Okay, I get it. You are hiring a writer because you can’t write yourself. Or maybe you can’t find the time to achieve all of your writing goals on your own, and you need help. Maybe grammar isn’t you’re thing, or you don’t really know how to go about finding the right freelancer for your project.

However, please take the time to spell check your ad, and give it a quick once over. Does it make sense? Does it give me enough information? No? Fix it.

When you can’t be bothered to look up a reasonable rate for a project, and instead offer me something that is beyond insulting, I’m not going to apply. You get what you pay for. Also, when you are describing how easy the job will be, and the research I will be doing, do not use the term “Wikipedia”.  Please show me that you respect your site enough to want facts, not whatever mangled information Wikipedia has on it at this particular moment in time.

Do not write me back after I have contacted you, make it sound like I have the job, and then fool around with “I’m still choosing.. How should I get the most publicity for my site?” I am more than happy to answer questions like that for clients I actually work for. I would have even answered it for free. I’m just that nice. I’m not going to tell you though. I don’t work for free. Or for idiots. Don’t waste my time.

I will also not work for you if you have no idea what you actually want. Okay, let me clarify..  If you aren’t sure if you need exactly what content you want in your blog, I can help you. If you’re thinking about social media, and you don’t quite know how you want to approach it, I can help you. I will gladly help you. Just remember that it is your business we are helping. You know it best. I am an outsider. Sure, I can ask questions and do some research, but I don’t have years of my life invested in this. I want you to succeed, but you need to do a little research, and try to get an idea of what you’re looking for. I need something to go on, even if all you can give me is a website or other business that is doing something similar to what you want to be doing.

I will not edit for dirt cheap. Yes, I am fixing mistakes. If all you want is someone to read through for misspelled or misused words, I can charge you less. If you want someone to go in and really work over your document, getting rid of all the questionable phrases (please don’t call readers, or anyone else, idiots. It sounds bad.), and leaving you with a polished document you can be proud of? That takes time and effort. And a certain finesse. It’s art, baby. Not everyone can do what I do.

Look, I really would love to work for you. Truly. But you need to do your part, too. I can find work with a lot of different companies. Prove to me in your ad that I want to spend my time working for you.

Thanks.

Frustrated Freelancer

A Little Daily Inspiration

I love making lists. I love making goals. And I don’t believe that resolutions should only be made once a year. I make them every day.

New Day Resolutions are ways to improve your writing and business skills, one small step at a time. It’s a way to get back to all of the tasks that maybe you sweep aside, putting them off for one reason or another until you forget about them entirely. Maybe you want to spend more time on your own sites, or you want to get back into using Twitter or Facebook. Perhaps it’s even something as simple as spending 10-15 minutes a day doing creative writing. Whatever you want to be doing, now is the time to start.

Pull out a clean sheet of paper, and write across the top, “Today, I resolve to….”  Don’t make a long list; you want short, attainable goals. Be sure to include a couple fun, non-work related tasks on your list. Give your self a great reason to get away from the computer for a while, and recharge.Once your list is done, tape it up on the wall near your work area, right where you can easily see it. I have mine hanging in my inspiration area, along with some favorite quotes and my long-term goals.

Write your list every morning when you first sit down to your desk, or every night before you log off for the night. Start each day with your resolutions in mind, and you might just find it easier to stay on task.

My Resolutions for the Day:

Three articles (One done so far)

New Examiner article (Done!)

Two blog posts (one here-done, and one elsewhere-not done)

Art project with my daughter (after her nap)

Go play in the snow (also after her nap)

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What are your New Day Resolutions?

Getting back to blogging feels fantastic. I’m enjoying being able to reconnect with the rest of the writing world, and offer a little bit of advice here or there.

The problem is– I have no idea what to write about. So, this post is going to be a mesh of mini-posts, about inspiration, things I thought about blogging about, and anything else that comes to mind.

—-

One of my favorite places to browse for new gigs is Online Writing Jobs. They always have great opportunities listed, and they update several times a day.

Yesterday, however, they posted this little nugget:

Erotic Stories (Southern, NH)

Looking for a female aged 18 years and over who is willing to write about some of her real life sexual experiences. Looking for someone
who can write it from your vantage point and what you were thinking. Looking for first time sexual experiences, and also things
about kinkier first times.

I stress from females only, no real names needed, pay pal will be the payment method.

• Location: Southern NH
• it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
• Compensation: $35

Wow. Scary, right? And evidently, this isn’t the only weirdo out there looking for a writer to **cough, cough** inspire the client with their writing. Check out A Freelance Fairy Tale, off one of my new favorite blogs. Check out the rest of your blog while you’re there.

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Finding Inspiration

When I get really stuck for ideas, I go to Amazon.com and browse book titles, looking for marketing, writing and other books that might strike upon a great idea. All this really does is make my wish list longer, but sometimes I come across a great idea for a post.

Also, when you find a great idea, write it down. I had a fantastic idea for today’s post, and I lost it.

———

What I’m Doing Now:

This will eventually be a longer post, but here are the basics:

I left Wisegeek, and I never followed through with Suite101. Maybe I’ll try again someday.

I am still specializing in real estate. I do blogging for a couple people, and I tend to lean towards those articles with Demand Studios. I also apply for more real estate jobs than other type.

I just became the Syracuse, NY Real Estate Examiner. Nothing is up yet, but once I am fully a member of the community, I’ll be posting an affiliate link in the sidebar. There are a lot of openings, and the work is easy, but I don’t know how great the pay is. It’s all residual. I’ll let you know how it goes…

I’m also a writer and contributing editor for Bright Hub. They pay upfront, with residuals after the work has been published. It’s a perfect combination. There are a lot of changes going on over there right now, so it might be a long and stressful month for anyone working there, but the changes are all (in theory) for the better. It’s just going to take some time.

I’ve also been customizing WordPress Themes and setting up new sites for some clients, providing social media consultation, and writing marketing copy. Which is fun. I really enjoy the challenge of letting customers know about a product, service or company in a way that comes off as professional and high-quality, not cheesy.

——

I finally remembered what today’s post was supposed to be about. Come back tomorrow, and you’ll see what you were supposed to be reading about today.

I am a member of a couple different freelancing communities. Being involved gives me a chance to stay current, and it also provides a lot of food for thought.

Maybe it’s just because of the holidays, but it seems like there are a lot of freelancers living paycheck to paycheck. And it’s not just freelancers, of course; a lot of people do it. As freelancers, however, we don’t need to. A little extra planning, and a little extra work, and we can beat the cycle and get ahead of our finances.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am just as bad about not planning ahead with my expenses as anyone out there. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve pulled last-minute working sprees, just for the sake of paying a bill on time. It’s stressful, and I’m trying to leave this habit behind this year. This is how I’m doing it.

1. Figure out my monthly expenses. I want to be at least one month ahead, so I need to have that amount extra in the bank. My expenses are around $1500 each month.
2. Set a goal, and divide it up. I would like to be entirely ahead in 6 months. That means that I need to set aside $250 a month, or about $63 a week.
3. Create a plan for making the extra money. I know that I can hit this goal with 4-5 extra articles at Demand Studios. If I write an extra 5 articles a week, I can have the full $1500 in 20 weeks, or about 5 months.
4. Stay motivated. Determine a reward for when you hit your goal. I plan on making this a family project, with my husband and I both working towards making sure the money is set aside. We’ll come up with a reward for once we complete the goal, maybe a night out or picking up a couple movies and ordering Chinese. We’re easily pleased, but your reward can be as big as you’d like (as long as it doesn’t cut into your new savings).

Once we hit the $1500 mark, I want to keep going. If I put aside that same $75 a week all year, I’ll have $3900 set aside by the end of the year. That’s enough for a car repair, new laptop, and a month of expenses.

I’m done living paycheck to paycheck; this year, I’m breaking free. Not having to worry about money when I need to take a few days off here or there will be more than worth the extra effort.

So, who’s with me?

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all had a safe and happy night.

I’ve spent some time over the past week or so coming up with a list of goals for the new year. One of the big ones is to get back to blogging. I started this blog with great intentions, only to have them fall by the wayside as I actually started doing better with my career. When I started blogging, I was bringing in a couple hundred a month. I’m now bringing in five times that, but I have less free time.

I’m also going to try to get the rest of my sites up and running, and even write a couple ebooks. The big thing this year, however, is going to be breaking into print. I’ve teamed up with a friend, and we’re going to work together on this project, with the goal to get us both into the prestigious world of queries, waiting, and (eventually) bigger paychecks.

I’m also working really hard right now on finding a better balance between work and personal life. I always feel like I’m neglecting my daughter and husband to get work done. Not in a “call CPS” sort of way, but I would like more time to play with and enjoy the people I’m working so hard for. This year, that also means making sure that there is money for us to really enjoy Mark’s two weeks of vacation, and a few weekend trips here or there.

I’m trying to get most of my work done during the week while Mark is home and available to play with Becca, and then again at night, after she is sleeping. That leaves us some time in the mornings and all evening to spend together. During the weekends, I’m trying to limit it to half a day of work each day, and then (again) working nights. I’m trying to find a line between the work I need to get done and spending too much time on the computer. This is going to mean finding better ways of staying on task. Which is a big challenge for me.

I will be blogging with a lot more regularity this year. For those of you still out there, reading the random post as it goes up, THANK YOU!! I’m hoping to grow our community as the year goes by, and having you along for the ride will be an honor.

When I decide that I want something, I go for it. I don’t like to wait. I’m not always patient. And I can get easily frustrated if something is taking too long.

Delayed gratification is not something I am very good at.

It’s not just me. We live in an “instant” world. Instant mashed potatoes, instant coffee… Our cars are faster, we work more, and we get the things we want, preferably without waiting for them. Credit cards mean we don’t even have to be able to afford something before we buy it; we just need to have a big enough spending limit.

The thing is, instant mashed potatoes will never be as good as the kind made the old fashioned way. To get the best mashed potatoes, you need to peel (or at least carefully scrub) the potatoes, cut them up, boil them, and then drain, mash, and mix. You need to know what seasonings taste best. It takes time, and it can take a little practice. It takes work. But, in the end, you end up with a superior product. Right?

As writers, we need to remember that, while instant has it’s place, we also need to put time (and work) into our careers. Instant work, where you don’t have to try too hard to be accepted and the work (and pay) is minimal, is nice. Sites like Demand Studios or other content sites, usually pay every week, and the work is steady. You know that there will be work every day. It’s a nice feeling. Especially if you have bills that need to be paid right now.

But writing for content sites has few real long-term rewards. You probably won’t get any great referrals, you don’t set your own rates, and you won’t see any real recognition. And if you spend most of your time writing for $15 an article, you begin to think that is what your writing is worth. Want to know a little secret? Your writing is worth twice that, easily.

Take the time to develop your skills as a writer. Find a niche to specialize in. Maybe you want to write resumes, or you really want to be a food writer. Learn as much as you can about your chosen specialty, put up a website or two, and then start looking for clients. Although clients don’t always pay weekly, you can more or less set the terms of payment and the cost of your services yourself.

Don’t do all of your work for clients, however. Put a couple hours a week into building your own site. A niche site, blog, or whatever else you may decide on can not only lead new clients to you but also create a stream of passive income. Also spend some time on social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, and so on), building a community. This is a great way to meet new clients, and get to know other writers.

Like any good thing, building a career that goes beyond instant gratification takes a lot of effort. You need to be patient, and believe that your work will eventually pay off. And it will. Investing in yourself, and your future, always has huge returns.

One of the women over at writer forums on WAHM.com had the idea to start up an accountability program. The idea is that each interested writer would team up with a one or two other writers to keep each other on track during the day. I teamed up with two women, one whom I talk to 2-3 times a day, and another whom I email back and forth with once or twice a week. I am also a part of the freelance writers accountability group through Google Groups, started by the same woman who had the idea for the accountability program.

It has been a month since I started the accountability problem. Am I getting more work done? Yes. Once you tell someone you’re going to get the work done, you’d better have a good reason for not getting anything done at all.

The biggest benefit of being a member of the program, however, is just having someone to bounce ideas off from, and having someone who understands the life of a freelance writer. Every time I get a great new client or a project for an existing client comes my way, it’s wonderful to know that there is someone there to cheer me on. Not that my husband and family aren’t excited about my success (they are), but other writers get it.

And those days when your just fed up with work? Your clients aren’t paying, Demand(ing) Studios is down (or the editors are driving you nuts), and you just need to vent? Yeah, my accountability buddies get that, too. And I gladly listen to all of their successes and stresses, too.

Having another freelancer (or two, or three) to talk to regularly is almost like having coworkers again. Although we all work for different sites (although we also work for a couple of the same content companies), the work is mostly the same. We all have to market ourselves, find clients, and we all have similar goals. It’s nice to not be working entirely alone anymore.

Interested in finding your own accountability partner? Join up with the WAHM Freelance Accountability Group. Get to know us, and then find a few accountability partners of your own!

Happy Friday!

I cannot even begin to describe how hectic the past two weeks have been. I got my first private client just over a week ago, writing blog posts for a nearby real estate agent. I found the ad through Freelance Writing Gigs. Seeing that the guy was local, I gave it a shot. I told him that I lived nearby, and understood the local market and what matters to local homeowners (all true). I got the job.

A few days later, I found another real estate agent looking for a blogger and content writer. This position was listed over at __. I emailed the poster, mentioned that I was already blogging for the other guy. He emailed me back a few hours later.Within a day, I had that position too. Since then, I have gotten one other client, and I made a contact with another man (a friend of client #2) who may know of some people who could use my services.

In two weeks, I went from no private clients to having a full workload. (I also write for WiseGeek and Demand Studios). I didn’t use any special formulas. But here is what I did do:

• Check for new jobs often. Some sites, like Online Writing Jobs, add new postings several times a day. The sooner you apply, the better your chances are of getting the position. Very few clients want to wait a few days to see who the best applicant is. If you are early, and you look promising, you’ll probably get the job.
• Apply to at least 3 jobs a day. This is a numbers game. You will only get so many “nos” or “maybes” before you get you a “yes.” Try to find jobs that you are qualified for, but don’t be afraid to try for positions that look fun, even if you don’t know much about the topic.
• Get up a website. And use it. Post information about what you offer, how much you charge, and convince readers about why they should hire you. Be sure to put up your portfolio- with a wide variety of work samples.
• Write a winning resume. Or, at least one that showcases your previous experience and your skills. It should be well written, but it doesn’t have to be fancy.
• Learn to craft a great query/cover letter. The email you send in response to a job ad is going to be the first impression that the potential client will have of you. Highlight any relevant experience you have, any special skills you have that will help you do the job, and any other unique reason that you should be hired. I used my nearby location to help me win the first client.

Persistence is key.  I have been applying to private positions on and off for months. It wasn’t until I got serious, and started applying to a lot of openings (sometimes up to 10 a day) that I had any luck.

What methods have you used to find private clients?

I'm Ready to Jump Back In.

I have been writing as a freelancer for just about 8 months now. I have worked for Quality Gal, Wisegeek, eHow, Associated Content, InfoBarrel, and a couple other similar sites.

After the first six months, mostly spent writing 500 word articles on various topics for $10-$12 a piece, I hit burnout. Badly. Which is why this blog has been so badly ignored. It’s not that I didn’t care, I just couldn’t find the interest to write posts. I had no idea what to write about.

I stopped applying for private clients, and I was writing the bare minimum for the sites I kept up with. It was not a pleasant situation. While I was writing, I was thinking about everything else that I would rather be doing. While I was doing other stuff, I felt bad for not writing, not earning any money.

It was a bad situation. I was stressed, and the more stressed I am, the harder it is for me to work. Which just stresses me out more.

I’d like to tell you that I just snapped myself out of it, and am now all gung-ho about writing. Not quite. It took the help of a great book (which I will be reviewing soon) and a lot of “just do it” attitude. But now, I am (mostly) back. I am working with my first couple of private clients, one of them a professional blogging position. I have decided to start working towards better paid projects, allowing me to earn more with less work.

I am also no longer writing just for work purposes. After years of planning and dreaming, I have finally started my first romance novel. I am at just under 24,000 words, a quarter of the way through. My goal is to have it completed by the end of summer, and ready for queries by the first week of 2010. Writing is fun again. It is no longer something that I have to do. I’m having more fun with the articles and blog posts I write for work as a result.

Avoiding burnout was probably something I could have avoided. Unfortunately, freelance work has a tendency to become all-consuming. The first thing I was doing in the morning, the last thing I was doing at night. Very little time off. And I needed to take a step back to really see that.

I am spending more time with my daughter now. I am seeing my family and friends more often. And I am learning to not feel guilty about the times that I say “hey, that’s enough for today.” I am going to bed a little earlier (usually as soon as my daughter is asleep), and I am spending more time reading “just for fun” books.

And I am feeling more productive lately than I have in the past couple months. Which, even if I am not up to my original levels of production, is at least a huge step in the right direction.

I am at the point in my career when I am ready to take the next big step. I have written for several websites, through QualityGal, WiseGeek, and multiple residual income sites. Most writers start out the same way. Build up your confidence, figure out what you want to do, and then go for it.

I have two goals. One, I want to build a residual income. Something to sustain the money flow if I am not working for a while, or so that I can take time off without worrying about not being able to meet expenses. Two, I want to find some private clients.

That’s a really big step for new writers. All of the sudden, you lose that safety net. There is no editor to gently (or not so gently) point out mistakes, and if you screw up, it might mean more than just a returned article. You might lose the whole account.

Scared yet? I sure am. But I know I don’t want to spend the next 30 years doing what I’m doing now.

There are a lot of ways to find clients. I’m going to go over six of them.

1. Job Posting Boards. My favorite of these is Freelance Writing Gigs. Deb always has some good stuff posted. The best thing about these sites is that someone else has already done the work for you. Going around to a dozen different websites, trying to find listings, can take a lot of time– time that could be spent doing other things. Like writing.
2. Forums. Not forums for writers, although you can sometimes find work there, too. I’m talking about forums for website owners, business people, cat lovers, and any other forum that is well-run and fairly popular. Don’t be spammy, though. Make real contributions to the conversation. And if it is allowed, put something in your signature about what you do. You never know who will be reading, and might be interested in looking for website content services.
3. Think local. Join your local business association, take part in business showcases. Print off business card, and go meet people. Look at the websites of local businesses. See anything that could use some work? Maybe not many local places even have websites. That’s definitely true where I am. Call, email, or stop in person, and offer your services. Just do this in a tactful way. Many businesses don’t know that they need a website, much less why they would need quality content.
4. Bid for jobs. While I have never done this (how do you beat $1.00 for 500 words?), I know a lot of people take this route. And if you don’t mind working for cheap for a while, this can eventually turn into a way to get decent pay. If nothing else, you’ll walk away with some decent testimonials and maybe a referral or two.
5. Direct contact. This is similar to the idea of going local. Love to blog professionally, and think one of your favorite sites could use a blog? Email them your bio and information supporting your belief that a blog (or better content) could help their website. You have to be really careful here, though. Come of as sounding like a know-it-all, or accidentally insult the site that they already have, and your email will be deleted before the owner can even consider hiring you. Mention any past experience you have, and why you already enjoy the website.
6. Get social. Go onto Twitter, and make some contacts. Be friendly and outgoing. Leave thoughtful comments on blogs. Really get involved, and build up a group of people who recognize your name, trust you, and know what you do. This is a great way to get some referral business, as well. Most business owners will hire someone they are familiar with, or someone a friend recommends, first, before the job ever makes it to the job boards. Sometimes, it all comes down to who you know, and who they know.

Do you already have private clients? How did you find them? Any advice?