3 Things I Don’t Want To Hear When Hiring Writers

If you read my previous blog post, you’ll know that over the past few years I’ve gone from being a part time freelance writer, regularly pitching for projects, to working in a full time role, hiring freelance writers for content production on an array of different topics. When I was freelance writing myself full time, I thought I had a good idea of just what

Being A Freelance Writer: Views From Both Sides Of The Fence

Last time I wrote a blog post here on AllFreelanceWriting.com was way back in June 2010.  Working with Jenn on a variety of other projects since, things have changed a lot over the past few years. When I used to write for AFW, I was writing part time. I had a full time job in a completely irrelevant field, working a standard 40 hour week

How To Stay Motivated As A Freelance Writer

I had a really strange few days this past week. I’ve taken on some new work, streamlined my current projects so I can take most weekends off and started to jot down ideas for the book I’ve been trying to write for a while. I should have been ecstatic, but instead I found it particularly difficult to get – and stay – motivated. I don’t

How To Turn Down A Freelance Writing Project Professionally And Respectably

When starting as a freelance writer, it’s difficult to turn down work.  You’re a rookie in the industry who’s trying to make a living writing and the simplest way to do that seems to be to take on as much work as you possibly can. There comes a point, though, when you physically can’t take on anymore work and you need to start turning projects

How To Expand Your Freelance Writing Business By Networking With Other Writers

I’m naturally a bit of a reclusive person.  I enjoy working with others and socialising with groups of friends, but I tend to find that if I can do something by myself rather than with others, I generally will. Since being a freelance writer, however, one of the most important points I’ve learnt  is that networking with other writers is key to developing your writing

How To Take A Break From Your Freelance Writing Business

I’ve been a freelance writer for a few years now, but it wasn’t until January this year when I actually started to make a real go of making my hobby-come-part-time-job into a full time career. Before 2010, to all intents and purposes I’d been playing at freelance writing.  I had a few regular clients, kept in with the right crowds and applied for a few

How To Prepare For A Drop In Your Freelance Writing Business

No matter if you’ve been writing 12 weeks or 12 years, there’ll be a time when when your freelance writing work dries up a little. For some writers, it’s a seasonal hazard.  For others, it’s because of something they’ve done (having changed their prices or being out of the ‘loop’ for a while are two examples that come to mind).  However, it’s likely that at

How To Find Free Stock Photos For Your Freelance Writing Blog

Since early 2010, I’ve been hired to create a lot of photo blog posts.  I don’t know whether it’s something that other people are experiencing or that for some reason it’s just my workload that’s consisting of this type of work, but I really enjoy creating them. One of the most time consuming parts, however, is actually finding photos that can be used.  I occasionally

How To Promote Your Freelance Writing Blog Using Social Media

Last week I mentioned that I was moving away from more traditional construction DIY projects and focusing on those that could have an actual impact upon your freelance writing business. Starting with how to install a WordPress theme on your freelance writing blog last week, this week we’re going to take an introductory look into how to promote your freelance writing blog using 5 different

How To Build A Home Office – The Coffee Table

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

How To Build A Home Office – The Bookcase

In last month’s post, I explained how to build an L-shaped desk based on a project I carried out several years ago. The reason I built my own desk, apart from the fact that I needed a separate writing space was that I was in the same boat as a lot of new freelancers and money wasn’t as flush as it could have been. Not

How To Build A Home Office – The Desk

When I first started freelancing, I realised that my productivity decreased if I were working from my laptop in a room where there were distractions of some sort. Whether it was the TV, radio, girlfriend or cats, I found that I was producing more work on a quicker basis when I was alone. So, mixing my passion for DIY with my need for a separate