Freelance Writing Blog

Freelance Writing When You Just Don’t Give a Damn

I’ve made it no secret that 2017 has been a crappy year for me. Some of that’s work-related, though work has been more affected by problems I’m dealing with rather than causing them. Focus has been hard to come by, and motivation even more so. But that doesn’t mean I get to sit on my hands and do nothing, waiting for things to pass. If

Review of Peter Bowerman’s Well-Fed Craft

You may be familiar with Peter Bowerman from his Well-Fed Writer book or blog. For years his book has been my top recommended reading material for new freelance writers. So I was thrilled to hear he was launching a new course on freelance commercial writing called Well-Fed Craft. When Peter asked me to review Well-Fed Craft, of course I said “yes.” Is Well-Fed Craft your ticket to a profitable

Why Don’t Some Writers Take Time Off? (And Why You Should)

In all the years I’ve worked with fellow writers, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard colleagues just like you say you struggle with the lack of paid sick time and paid vacations you’d get from an employer. We’ve talked about this here before, but I want to remind you once more that, yes, we do get those things too. Our vacation time,

Feeling Stuck in a Freelance Writing Rut? Stop Making Stupid Choices.

“Everything is a choice.” That’s what I told a fellow writer yesterday when he said he’d been feeling a bit stuck. More specifically, he said he felt like he had an “inability” to write recently. I pointed out it wasn’t an inability so much as an unwillingness to do what had to be done. Those stagnant moments weren’t a result of him being incapable of doing the work. He’s one

Are You Working the Wrong Freelance Writing Schedule?

Do you ever look at your fellow freelance writers and wonder how they seem to fit so much into their days? Do you struggle to get through your daily to-do lists? Have you felt forced to work more than 40 hours per week to take care of projects you’ve gotten behind on? If you answered “yes” to any of those questions, you might be working the

Spring Cleaning for Freelance Writers

I spent time yesterday afternoon meandering around my gardens, taking in the scent of hyacinths while I looked in on some of my favorite flower beds. It was warm, after a rather chilly morning up here on the hill. And it hit me… It’s spring. Yes. I know it’s been spring for a while now. But with unseasonably late snowstorms flip-flopping with 70+ degree days,

Modeling Your Freelance Writing Career for Ongoing Motivation

Sitting in front of you is a large block of clay. You’re taking a sculpting course at a local studio. You’ve already learned the basics. You have the skills you need to create something all your own. And that’s what your instructor wants you to do. What do you do? Do you wait for someone to tell you what to create? No. Do you look

Reader Question: Freelance Writing Niches and No Experience

For new freelance writers, choosing a niche can seem like a daunting task. You want to try a bit of everything and see what sticks. Or perhaps you don’t feel like you have enough experience to specialize at all right away. Yet you’ve heard there’s more money in freelance writing when you hone in on a niche. What’s a new freelancer to do? That’s what

Writing Goals & Progress Check-In: April 2017

Can you believe we’re already in the second quarter of the year? A colleague mentioned it yesterday, and I hadn’t realized how much time had gotten away from me. What that means is it’s time for a check-in on writing and business goals for the year. See what’s working. Figure out what’s not. And see where tweaking your original plans might help you get ahead.

Math as Motivation for Writers (No, Really!)

I don’t believe in perfection. Just two things in this world come close: Music and math. They’re the only two truly universal languages. One can solve almost any problem. The other can touch any soul. And a world without either is one I can’t bear to imagine. Today I’d like to talk about math. I can already sense some of you cringing. But bear with

Body Shaming, Confidence, and Writing Careers

This will be a long one, and we’re going to get personal today. Consider yourself warned. Recently, fellow writer Sudesna Ghosh shared an article on Twitter. That article centered around body shaming of young women, a pet topic of hers and something she’s written extensively about. I could relate to the story Sue shared. And knowing how important this topic has been to both of our

Paralyzing Fear and Creative Professions

Creative work is unlike any other job you could take on. When you create, you leave a piece of yourself behind for the world to see. There’s a certain amount of vulnerability involved. That vulnerability can make it difficult to separate you, the artist, from your art. And that can lead to paralyzing fear of sharing your work. If you’ve ever dreaded sharing a creative project for

Writing Goals & Resolutions: Take Two

If you set yearly writing goals or new year’s resolutions last month, how’s that working out for you? Whether you’ve made a lot of progress or you’ve already forgotten about them, now is a great time to give your plans a second look. So go dig up your list. I’ll wait… Got it? Good. Why Evaluate Writing Goals in February? Normally I’d tell you to focus

What do You Want in 2017? (An Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions)

Goals. Resolutions. Planning. Organization. To-do lists. Every time a new year rolls in, the focus is on change — often drastic. And these are some of the tools we use in seeking that change. Some (like me) love that. It can be fun. It can be exciting. We thrive on the challenge. But for other writers, New Year’s resolutions do little more than add stress and

How Writers Can Prepare Early for a Productive New Year

I don’t know about you, but I am so done with 2016. One more week of work for me, and then I’m off until January. When I come back from my holiday vacation, I like to hit the ground running with my work. Everything is planned, organized and ready to go before that clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. Because of that early planning and prep

Reader Question: Blogging to Promote Your Freelance Writing Services

Having a client-focused blog on your freelance writer website is a great idea. That’s especially true if you’re new to freelancing and need a boost in search engine and social media visibility. But what kind of blog should you run on your professional site? Should you share tutorials? Advice? News? Or should you take a more personal approach with storytelling? That’s what Meghan Coughlin wanted to know

Where Are They Now? – Yolander Prinzel

Earlier this month, we caught up with two writers who used to be regular contributors to this blog — LaToya Irby and Rebecca Garland. Today an old reader favorite makes her return. Yolander (Yo) Prinzel is a freelance finance and insurance writer who specializes in ghostwriting now. She’s also one of my “go-to gals,” meaning she puts up with more of my rants and ridiculousness

Writing Challenges as a Motivational Strategy

In our last Monday Motivation post I wrote about self-motivation and what a struggle it can sometimes be. In that post, I also mentioned we’d be talking more about gamification in the future as a way to keep yourself motivated to write. Today we’re going to start by looking at one example of gamification for writers: setting writing challenges for yourself. I don’t know about

Podcast: Freelance Blogging (with Sharon Hurley Hall)

Sharon Hurley Hall joins me for the latest episode of the All Freelance Writing Podcast. We chat about a wide range of issues related to freelance blogging. For example, you’ll learn: The difference between business blogging and niche / publication blogging (and benefits of each); The difference between blogging for small businesses and larger corporate clients; How much you can really earn as a freelance blogger (if

When Self-Motivation is a Struggle

Not even a month in, and I find myself wondering why I chose to start a motivational series of blog posts on Mondays. Perhaps I just liked the alliteration of a “Monday Motivation” series (probably). Today I find myself struggling to find the motivation to write, or do much of anything other than curl up with a good book. If the series’ posts came later

Podcast: Risks of False Authority and Becoming an Insta-Expert (with Philippa Willitts)

In the latest All Freelance Writing Podcast, I’m joined by UK freelance journalist, Philippa Willitts. Philippa and I discuss “insta-experts” and the dangers of building a false sense of authority instead of legitimate expertise in your writing niche or industry. This is a follow-up to my previous post and podcast episode, An Open Letter on Trust, “Experts,” and Blogging. (Be forewarned, the older post contains quite

Podcast: Writing Confidence & Dealing with Rejection (with Dann Alexander)

In the latest All Freelance Writing Podcast, I’m joined by fellow freelance writer and indie author, Dann Alexander. Dann and I pick up where Princess and I left off in Episode 19 on fear and confidence issues to discuss rejection and its impact on a writer’s confidence. Dann brings a unique perspective in that he has a very optimistic outlook on rejection as a writer, while being someone

Where Are They Now? – Rebecca Garland

It’s time to catch up with another former regular contributor (from this blog’s days as All Freelance Writing). This week’s guest is Rebecca Garland. Rebecca covered not only issues related to being a work at home parent, but also grammar and ESL topics thanks to her experience as a high school English teacher in her full-time job. Rebecca has been writing for clients for 11 years now. Even

Paula Hendrickson on Choosing Her Freelance Writing Specialty

Freelance writers would be wise to specialize. I’ve given this advice for years, and for good reason. Whether you choose to specialize in a niche or industry (or even type of writing or type of client base), you’ll generally earn more as a specialist. But there are other benefits too, as today’s guest points out. In my interview series talking to freelance writers about their

Year-end Planning & Goal-Setting: The “Screw 2016” Edition

I’m just going to come right out and say it: 2016 sucked. Yes. Past tense. I refuse to let it take, destroy, or corrupt anything else I hold dear. I declare 2016 officially over. I’ve decided to spend the next several weeks living in some limbo-like state free from the confines of time and space. You are welcome to join me. Because I’ve decided to leave

Freelancing Hits and Misses: Reflections from Sharon Hurley Hall

When I first decided to go freelance I had no idea it would turn into a permanent life choice. At the time, I already had almost 20 years of solid journalism writing experience under my belt, but going online felt like an unfamiliar and slightly scary world. So I did what I do best: experimented till I found what worked. Looking back on it after

Where Are They Now? – LaToya Irby

Before this site was re-branded in 2013 under the All Freelance Writing brand, it was known as All Freelance Writing. For a while, All Freelance Writing was a group blog with a handful of regular contributors. The site’s 10-year anniversary felt like a great time to reach out and reconnect with some of those writers. So, this month, four former contributors to the blog will

Fears & Doubts Writers Face: New Monday Motivation Series

This post is the first in a new “Monday Motivation” series designed to encourage you to take risks with your writing and keep pushing forward despite the fear, doubts, and confidence issues that often creep into a writer’s mind. You’ll find a mix of personal stories, tips, exercises, reality checks, and motivational quotes and resources every Monday moving forward.  Fear. Doubt. A lack of confidence

NaNoWriMo 2016: Plan & Resources

NaNoWriMo 2016 is well underway. Plotters have their stories outlined. Pantsers have hit the ground running. And aspiring and experienced novelists alike have that 50k word target in their sights. Today let’s talk about the NaNoWriMo writing process — what we’re working on, how we’ve scheduled our writing time during November, and what tools and resources we use to keep us on track. NaNoWriMo 2016: