Why is it that when I have the biggest deadlines, I have the strongest urge to take breaks and troll around the Web. It probably the brain’s way of relieving the mental strain. Someone has to come up with a name for this, like the Freelancer’s Law of Inversely Proportional Leisure Activity. When I need […]
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 […]
Keeping sources on the subject in short phone interviews
You’re on deadline and only have 15 minutes with a source before you need to hang up and move onto another previously scheduled phone interview. But your source wants to talk and talk and talk. And not necessarily about the matter at hand. Sound familiar? If you’ve written for any length of time, you’ve run […]
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 […]
Best of WordCount: Career development for freelancers
WordCount is taking a break this week while I’m on vacation, so I’m rerunning some of WordCount’s most popular posts ever on a variety of topics. Today: Career development for freelancers Freelancers’ strategies for prospering in bad times – Suggestions from established freelancers with a variety of backgrounds and business plans, including tips for maintaining […]