Freelance Writing Jobs for March 27, 2009
March 27, 2009 by Deb Ng
Filed under Writing Gigs
As I write this is dark outside, though I do see a hint of brightness as the sun will be rising soon. When I first began my freelance writing career, I woke every morning at 4 to get in a few quiet hours before my family woke. Though I don’t get up that early anymore, I still like to rise an hour or 90 minutes before my family for some quiet time, coffee and reflection. My favorite time to work is when the whole world is sleeping, and I can write undisturbed. When is your favorite time to write?
Leads…
- Freelance Nightlife Reporter – Manchester NH
- South Africa Correspondent
- Financial Analyst/Blog Economist
- Proofreaders - No.VA $20 – $25
- Freelance Copywriter – Santa Monica
- American English Editor
- General Transportation Enthusiast
- Writers with Sales or Business Background – $150 – $600/project
- Writer for Mortgage Website - 2 Week Project – Newton MA
- Author for Historic Pictorial of Harvard
- Freelance Writers for Online Content
- Copywriter for Website/Blog- Chicago
- Business Plan Writer - $200
- Blogger for Comic Book site
- Newspaper Looking for Writers
- Charismatic Blogger
- Technical Writer for Software Company – Jersey City – $5-$6K
- Grad Student Needs Editor
- Sports Writer Needed
- Creative Writer - $15/hour
- Looking for a Writer – Bay Area
Good luck and have a great day.
My favorite time to write is whenever the house is quiet! Kids are out for spring break this week and it’s just a little too cold/breezy for them to be outside for any length of time so it’s been hard. Just trying to catch up on “administrative tasks” while the concentration level is low. But for the most part, I often get up between 4 and 5 to at least check job postings and organize my thoughts/tasks. Then as soon as the kids are off to school, I try to get started. I find it helps if I open a document BEFORE they leave, so that when I go back to my computer, it’s staring at me and I can’t ignore it.
My best work time is in the morning, after I digest the news, troll freelancer sites, and read FWJ leads (and Jenn’s and Anne’s).
My best writing time is after I’ve really thought about what I’m going to say – sometimes first thing in the morning (before digesting the news etc.), sometimes after I work out, unfortunately sometimes at 4 p.m.
I’m interested to see what others say – maybe I’ll figure out how not to let it happen at 3 a.m.!
(BTW, I could swear I saw leads here yesterday but I can’t find them now – any thoughts about that?)
During the week, my husband has to be up at 5am, so I get up with him and then get lunches together, watch the morning news, drink my coffee, drive my son and his friend to the high school and then race back to get my daughter on the bus. Since they dropped high school bus this year and two moms recently opted to drop out of the carpool because their sons signed up for track, life’s become a lot more hectic. I used to do the afternoon pick-up, but now that the carpool is down to two of us, the other mom cannot do mornings at all, so I’ve shifted my schedule.
Now I return at 8, wait until the middle school run comes for my daughter and then turn on the computer and write until 1 or 2pm. I have to have music in the background but no other noise or I can’t concentrate. Today’s tough because my son’s high school is closed for the day and he has a video game on which is messing me up.
On weekends, I find writing much easier, especially on Saturdays. A radio station here does old 1980s Kasey Casem countdowns on Saturday morning. I get up before 6am so that I don’t miss any of the countdown. So I’ll write from 6am to 8am when others seem to drag themselves out of bed.
I feel most productivity in writing in the afternoon hours. So, on writing days (I only freelance write about 3 days a week, the rest of the time I have another job), in the morning I usually get up and get any cleaning or other around the house stuff done. Sometimes I do errands or work out in the mornings as well.
I usually start browsing leads around 11 or so and maybe do a little bit of writing, or at least get organized for the day. After lunch is when I get my real work done. Usually work pretty solid from 1-6 then think about dinner. Then get in another couple hours in the evening while my boyfriend hangs out on his computer reading the internet. These hours are typically less productive unless I have a deadline.
Again, this is only about three days a week. Two to three other days a week I work 8-5 in an office (booo). And the last day I week I do environmental ed in various arenas.
I’ve started getting up at 6:45-7 a.m. (this from a girl who used to sleep in till 9!) in order to get my (fiction) writing done before 10 a.m. Once I’ve hit my word count for the day, I shower and move on to the “regular” projects for my company.
This is a complete change of pace for me. When I was in college, I hit my second wind about 10-11 p.m., and I could easily write until 1 or 2 a.m. I’ve been on rolls that kept me up till 4 a.m. It’s really weird to be at the opposite end of the spectrum today!
But like a few others, I prefer to write when it’s relatively quiet in my apartment, and my roommates usually don’t wake up until 8 or 9. The earlier I get up, the more time I have to get stuff done before the rest of the world wakes up.
Thanks for the leads. I write whenever inspiration strikes.
I write when I can distract my son long enough to get things done, when daddy is home, or when he’s napping. Or when he’s not hanging on my leg. That’s just the way it is right now. He’s 16 months old, I don’t have daycare, so I have to work when I can.
Anyone familiar with Demand Studios? Worth writing for? ANY info would be much appreciated. Thanks!
I write at night, after the kids are in bed. My sons are 3 and 2 and get up at around 5 am every morning, so it`s pretty tough to be up before them. During the day, I work on research and job searches and my blogs, then at night, when they`re in bed, I put in my earbuds, turn on Kansas and get to work. Until my husband distracts me with a movie or tv show he`s downloaded!
Great resource. Here’s a list-within-a-list that I found on one of these above:
http://www2.freelanceswitch.com/finding/the-monster-list-of-freelancing-job-sites/
@Chris – I know there are others on this board that have had great luck with Demand Studios. I signed up and the electronic submission of my W-9 became a headache. Though it would tell me it was sent, they kept insisting they hadn’t received it. They finally fixed that issue and received it, but since then the site always tells me that there are no writing jobs available. So far, I haven’t had much luck.
@Chris — I’m an editor with Demand Studios. I absolutely love working for them. I highly recommend it for both writers and editors. Good luck!
Deb — thanks for everything you do for us. Freelancers unite!
I write in the early morning with my lemon juice and then Peets coffee. It’s my time and a good time that starts at 5AM.
I am forming a private school, so my days are busy! I get my daughter ready for school and she comes with me.
I get home in the evening after taking my daughter to swim lessons or ballet, after my workout or racquetball game. Then, I write some more.
If I am on a deadline for a book or some other project, I write whenever I get a moment. It’s not the best situation but I manage because of neccessity.
The key is to always write and keep at it like a steady stream of mineral water — silly description — hot springs.
I do my best work in the mornings, so I usually concentrate on creative projects first, from around 7 or 8 until I hit whatever goal I’ve set for myself for the day. After that, I read books, browse the newspaper, and have some lunch. I do some errands or exercise and then spend my afternoons and evenings working on freelance stuff. I live in South Africa (and there’s an ad aimed at me today! Hooray!) so I start hitting and responding to advertisements around 4 p.m. when the day is just beginning in the United States.
Melissa
@Ann G. and Lori — Thanks for taking the time to respond; I appreciate it! Sounds like it’s worth checking into.
Similarly to Melissa, I’m on the same time zone (GMT +2, or whatever it’s called, I always forget), so my late afternoons are early mornings for U.S. people. I generally do my second round of job lead searching in the late afternoon, because it allows me early pickings generally.
I work whenever. My schedule varies a bit from day to day, but generally I have a 3-4 hour stretch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. After that I usually take a break to watch a show or read something, then I work on personal work until my wife gets home. Sometimes I’ll continue the freelance work for an hour or two in the evenings but it all depends on if I have a deadline or not.
I don’t like writing in the morning. I wake up, spend an hour checking things, then I work out, take a shower, have some breakfast, browse some more, make a few posts, and when I’m fully awake (3-4 hours later) I focus on my work projects.
Early mornings when things are quiet, are best for me also. I write in a journal and organize, hopefully, my thoughts and projects for the day. I usually need background music or something to help me stay focused..I’ve also found afternoons to be very productive and sometimes later evenings work well too as long as I don’t have to get up early the next morning.
I try to tailor specific tasks to certain parts of the day, which seems to help alot. Unfortunately there isn’t a magic formula. I work out and try to make sure I stay in a creative realm when I really need to be there. Its challenging but getting easier.