Published on July 12, 2006
writing career advice
Just over a year ago, I walked away from a well-paying marketing job to launch a freelance writing career, working primarily in the business to business sector. Within two months, my freelance income was paying the bills. In this first year of writing self-employment, I learned many things that improved my business savvy and monthly income. Here are 10 tips I wish someone had given me before I launched my freelance writing business.
Published on June 28, 2006
writing career advice
How do you use WritersWeekly.com’s paying markets section? Does the magazine’s title and your knowledge (or lack of) of a particular niche determine whether or not you read the guidelines? If you’ve never lived on a ranch and don’t know any cowboys, do you bypass the guidelines for RANGE magazine? Do you dissect and ruminate over every word in Purposeful Women? Sure you do; you’re human.
We all like to write about our areas of expertise, and some of us refuse to tackle anything beyond. What’s the payoff for never leaving our comfort zone? Less challenge, fewer writing assignments, and smaller income. I know what I’m talking about because I’ve been there, done that.
Published on June 1, 2005
writing career advice
There are a few steps you can take which will turn your great idea into a fantastic query letter, and, hopefully, a well-written, attention-grabbing article.
Published on January 7, 2004
writing career advice, writing scams
I have written for a national publication and was told by the senior editor that the pay per article was $50. I received that amount for my first article for them. I have two more deadlines to write for this magazine –two articles that I pitched.
This magazine had a listing on another website and I contacted that person, who is the deputy editor, to inquire on what they were looking for and what they paid. She emailed me back saying they pay a flat rate of $350 for the same amount of words I am supposed to write for the next two articles.
Published on January 7, 2004
writing career advice
On the WritersWeekly.com Freelance Job Listings, I found a link to the CBC Radio Freelancer Forum. As a print writer, radio was a BIG stretch, but a little desperate for paying markets, I registered for the CBC forum and newsletter. In one of the newsletters was a request for “consumer” pitches requiring freelancers to test several products and tell which gave consumers the best bang for their buck. The finished pieces were only 3 or 4 minutes long and I knew that this was something I could do.
Published on May 28, 2003
diversify your writing income, writing career advice
Before I had kids, I was a public school English teacher for about a decade. I spent my days teaching grammar, spelling, composition, and literature to students in grades ranging from middle school to high school. There were times that the decade felt more like a millennium, but it was who I was and what I did. When my first child was born, I hung up my pointer and whip, and became a full-time parent, only occasionally wondering about the outside world filled with other people’s children.
Published on March 5, 2003
writing career advice
The phone rang this morning and I realized for perhaps the first time that I Am A Writer. It was my friend, Jen. We used to work at the same TV station.
Published on December 18, 2002
writing career advice
DAY TWO – Your Master List What should writers do? With so many ideas floating around in their minds, it’s impossible to keep them all organized, right? Maybe not. Today we’ll take a major organizing leap, and create a cheat sheet of the types of information you use. The Master List, your organizing bible, drives […]
Published on June 5, 2002
writing career advice
When I quit my day job two years ago to jump into the perilous pool of freelance writing, my co-workers gave me retirement cards. Little did they know how many 50- and 60-hour weeks I would spend at the keyboard, searching for markets and taking on-spec assignments. I had no idea, either, which explains why I was so excited at the prospect of making a living as a writer.
