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Freelancing

WordCount rerun: Think big

By Michelle V. Rafter on August 6, 2010 | 1 Response

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If big media can beat the recession by repackaging what they do to get more customers, freelance writers can too. Here’s how to copy what the big boys are doing.

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Posted in Freelancing | Tagged Freelancing, how freelancers can copy big companies, how freelancers can think big, innovation | 1 Response

Freelance link love, for Friday, May 30

By Michelle V. Rafter on May 29, 2009 | 2 Responses

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Here’s what I’ve been reading this week: The Editor Unleashed The Editor Unleashed Guide to Good Blogging – Good advice from the former editor of Writer’s Digest. The Huffington Post 13 tips for actually getting some writing done The Urban Muse I Said, He Said, We Said – Picking a point of view for your [...]

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Posted in Blogs, Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Blogging, freelance assignments, freelance writing, Freelancing, how to blog, productivity, Social Networks, Twitter, Twitter hashtags, using Twitter | 2 Responses

Is it time for freelancers to take a full-time job?

By Michelle V. Rafter on September 30, 2008 | 4 Responses

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On Monday the House voted down the Bush Administration’s $700 billion Wall Street bail out and stocks took their biggest dive in 20 years. People are freaking out over lost retirement savings and whether they’ll be able to make their mortgage payments. There’s a presidential election in five weeks, and who knows what change that [...]

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Posted in Careers, Freelancing, Media Business, Workplace Issues | Tagged Freelancing, should freelancers take a full time job, switching from freelance to full-time job | 4 Responses

Taking Time Off

Taking Time Off

By Michelle V. Rafter on March 26, 2008 | Leave a response

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Sometimes even the most hard-core freelancer has to step away from the keyboard and recharge the old writing batteries. I did last over the past week on a trip to central Oregon. Not far from Bend, I hiked the Deschutes River Trail, which passes waterfalls like this one, Dillon Falls. I also skied at Mt. [...]

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Posted in Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Freelancing, time off | Leave a response

A Few Words on Writing Short

A Few Words on Writing Short

By Michelle V. Rafter on March 14, 2008 | 11 Responses

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There are no short cuts to writing short. It’s hard. It takes practice. Even Mark Twain thought so, as he famously said: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” There are, however, a few good reasons to try: FOB – A magazine’s “front of the book” [...]

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Posted in Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Freelancing, word counts, Writing | 11 Responses

Taking My Own Advice on Beating Bad Times

By Michelle V. Rafter on February 27, 2008 | 2 Responses

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It happened. Earlier this week, the editor of a magazine I’ve been writing for told me she can’t buy more freelance pieces until summer because of budget cuts. It’s the first time in years that economic cutbacks have directly affected my business. It’s also bad news because I’d just pitched a story I thought was [...]

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Posted in Economy, Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Economy, Freelancing, marketing in bad times, Michelle Vranizan Rafter | 2 Responses

WordCount Q&A: Marketing your freelance business in bad times

WordCount Q&A: Marketing your freelance business in bad times

By Michelle V. Rafter on February 20, 2008 | 5 Responses

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The publishing industry is in tumult. Publications are trying to do more with less – less advertising revenue, editorial staff and readers. Throw worries about a recession into the mix, and it means trouble for freelance writers who depend on magazines, newspapers and customer publishers for their livelihoods. Or does it? Not necessarily. Hard times [...]

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Posted in Careers, Economy, Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Freelancing, how to market in bad times, marketing your freelance business, marketing yourself in a recession, The economy | 5 Responses

Best Blogs for Writers

By Michelle V. Rafter on February 13, 2008 | 21 Responses

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When writers aren’t writing, they’re reading about how to be a better writer, or be a better marketer of their writing, or about who else they could be writing for. That’s what I found when I asked freelance, newspaper and magazine writers and editors to name some of their favorite blogs for writers. It’s an [...]

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Posted in Blogs, Freelancing, Media Business, Newspapers, Writing | Tagged AboutFreelanceWriting, Anne Wayan, Blogs, Bob Bly's Blog, Copyblogger, Copyediting, Copywriter Underground, Copywriting, Dan Santow, Deborah Ng, Dianna Huff's B2B MarCom Writer Blog, Erik Sherman's WriterBiz, Freelance Switch, FreelanceWritingGigs.com, Freelancing, InkThinker, Irreverent Freelancer, John McIntyre, Jugglezine, Kathy Kehrli, Kristen King, Linda Formichelli, Magazines, Michael Stelzner's Writing White Papers, Newspapers, Publicity Hound, Publishing, Publishing 2.0, Romenesko, Susan Johnston Home, The Bad Pitch Blog, The Golden Pen, The Renegade Writer, TheUrbanMuse, Toddie Downs, Web Content Writer Tips, WordHappy, WordWise, Writing, You Don't Say | 21 Responses

The Myth of the Paperless Office

By Michelle V. Rafter on February 8, 2008 | 1 Response

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Computers were going to wipe out paper. That’s what we believed back at the dawn of the PC era. Twenty-six years later, people are still overwhelmed by the stuff. Face it, getting rid of paper completely won’t happen. It’s too big a part of our lives. The thing is, it doesn’t have to be as [...]

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Posted in Freelancing, Technology, Workplace Issues, Writing | Tagged Bruce Nordman, Freelancing, Home offices, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Paper, Paperless Office, Reducing paper, Workplace Issues, Writing | 1 Response

Asking the Hard Question – Top 10 Interview Tips

By Michelle V. Rafter on February 5, 2008 | 14 Responses

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Not long ago, a writer in a freelance group I belong to posted a question on the group message boards. She had an interview scheduled with a subject who had a reputation for being grouchy and wanted to know how to prepare. It’s a great question. Reporters are thought of as thick-skinned hacks who can [...]

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Posted in Freelancing, Writing | Tagged Asking Hard Questions, Difficult Interviews, Freelancing, Interview tricks, Reporting, Writing | 14 Responses

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Welcome to WordCount: Freelancing in the Digital Age. You'll see new material Monday through Friday on writing basics, blogging, freelancing, tech tools for writers andQ&As with media professionals. If you're looking for a place to start, check out the Greatest Hits page, with 101 of my most popular posts. Don't miss the weekly recommended reading for writers or my Twitter chat the last Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. Pacific time at #wclw. I also host the annual WordCount Blogathon, a community challenge to post every day in May. Use the Subscribe button to add WordCount to your blog reader or get it delivered directly in your email inbox. Got a question? Email wordcountfreelance@gmail.com.

Michelle V. Rafter

Reporter, editor, blogger, finance, business, workplace issues and media.

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