When you’re just starting out as a freelancer, it’s easy to fall into the habit of taking every assignment that comes your way. But if you stay in the business long enough, you realize that to be really happy in your work you’ve got to take control over what you do. Different writers will pursue […]
How freelancers can organize their writing time
It’s back to school time. In that spirit of higher education, over the next month or so, I’ll be running a series of posts on freelancing basics. Today’s lesson – organizing your writing time. It’s one thing to get assignments. It’s another to schedule your time to maximize your earnings potential. Here’s one way to […]
Poynter Online remodels, adds features
My favorite place for keeping tabs on what’s happening in the news industry just got a makeover. Poynter Online, the Web home of the Poynter Institute, the non-profit journalism education and policy institute, is previewing a new look that makes it easier to navigate through the wealth of material available there. The new front page […]
Freelancers should just say no to assignments, gigs that aren't a good fit
Can you tell when a freelance gig isn’t a good fit? Susan Johnston’s got some great tips for determining whether you should take a freelance job on her blog, The Urban Muse, in a post called 5 signs that this isn’t the gig for you. My favorite: when an editor sends your story back with […]
5 reasons why freelancers need to take vacations
Don’t underestimate the power of a good vacation. I just got back from one and the mental break was as beneficial as the extra physical activity I did while I was gone. It’s hard for freelancers to get away. When we don’t work, money doesn’t come in. It’s especially hard to turn down projects in […]
Best of WordCount recap
In case you missed it, while I was on vacation last week, I ran some of the most popular posts from WordCount’s back issues. Take a look: Online resources for writers – Help navigating the world of Web-based resources for writers, including top Web 2.0 tools, what writers should know about SEO and how to […]