Archives for April 2009

Are you finished with that article or just finished?

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picture-11Deb had a great post this week: Freelance Writing: You’re Only Competing Against Yourself. It got me thinking about how often we can sabotage our success. One area writers can set themselves up for failure is ‘just finishing’ an article.

Just finishing is getting an article in just under deadline, under duress and under your standards. Procrastination is usually the right hand man to just finishing. The root causes of procrastination are as varied as the writer – poor time management, fear of tackling the piece, cockiness that you will get it in on time and it’ll be fab because you’re just that good, etc.

The consequences of just finishing show up in a variety of ways. When you have set the standard that you will likely be the last writer to get their piece in, an editor knows you are the worst person to call with a rush piece. This cuts down not only on your ability to get more of the juicy last minute gigs and the rush fees that may accompany them, it will make your services less valuable to the editor. There’s no competition between a writer that will work hard, get things in before deadline and deliver tight work, versus one that will squeak in under the deadline with an obviously rushed piece and a sheepish emoticon grin.

Another possible scenario – if you have set yourself up as a stellar writer who turns in great work before deadline and you start down the path of last minute, your editor is going to notice. Editors and teachers can tell when something has been written last minute. It, at times, reeks of desperation. The article will likely need more tightening/editing than any of your previous pieces and if seen repeatedly the editor/publication will begin to wonder if you are still passionate about working for them. That’s never a great conversation – trust me.

Now let’s be real, everyone has off days and even months. There are times when things don’t click, won’t click and can’t be persuaded to click. Editors understand, they are people too and are more likely to give their favorite writers the benefit of the doubt.  Don’t take advantage of their humanity and avoid being in that position if you have just started establishing a reputation and a career. Getting comfortable with ‘just finishing’ is like cozying up to mediocre – it will just hold you back.

Freelance Writing Jobs for April 30, 2009

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It’s the last dcoffee-cup3ay of the month. Rent and mortgage are due soon. Many freelancers love this day and the next because many of our clients cut checks and send paypals. I feel the same way about a new month the way I do about Mondays. It’s a clean slate, a new beginning. I do have a few beginning of the month rituals. I set up a new spreadsheet for the month and check past due invoices. Anything in arrears might get a little nudge unless prior arrangements have been made.

What are your end of the month/beginning of the month rituals?

Leads…

Have a great day!

Follow me on Twitter @debng and for FWJ updates @freelancewj
Click here to search for jobs in your area on SnagAJob.com

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Are Your Favorite ProBloggers Becoming Too Big for their Britches?

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At South by Southwest some of my friends and I joked about certain high profile bloggers who traveled with an entourage or couldn’t take time out of their busy schedules for meetups or to shake hands with the people who followed them all these years. As I’m watching blogging evolve, I’m wondering if some of the well known professional bloggers aren’t getting too big for their britches.

It used to be:

  • You could sit in a blogging lounge and chat with a room full of bloggers, some big, some small, and it was all good. The more famous bloggers were happy to share tips and ideas and genuinely wanted to know what you were working on yourself.
  • You could email a blogger and he or she would take some time to respond. Now many bloggers can’t be bothered to respond to email.
  • You could ask a blogger to do an interview and he or she would be happy to oblige, now they want to know how much is in it for them.
  • You would find your favorite bloggers on the social networks chit chatting with the commoners. Now? Not so much.

I hope this doesn’t come off as bitter, because it’s not. I’ll even go as far to admit that sometimes it takes a while to get to my email – though I do answer everyone who writes. I am disappointed that as many bloggers make a name for themselves they forget the people who helped make them what they are – their community.

I don’t think I’ll ever be as huge as some of the other bloggers out there,  but I’m going to make a promise to you right now:

I will always have friends, but never an entourage. I will never be too busy to say hello. I will continue to respond to all my email, though it may take a while. (Except if you’re spammy.) And finally, if you were always supportive of my efforts in the past, and even helped me with some of my endeavors, I will not blow you off if I ever become “famous.”

That is all.

Don't Abandon Your Job Search When the Weather Heats Up

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I’ve been following a discussion on a message board where freelancers are talking about their plans for the summer and cutting back on their work load. I do think it’s important to take some time so that you can rest and regroup, I don’t think that you should take the summer off as far as looking for freelance writing work is concerned.

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Freelance Writing Jobs for April 29, 2009

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The end of the month is traditionally a day for many web writers to finalize gigs to meet deadlines and get all their bookkeeping in order. If I have to pick my least favorite part about being a freelance writer it’s the business stuff. Accounting, paperwork, creating invoices for each client…I can think of other things I prefer to do. What is your least favorite part of freelancing?

Leads…

Good luck!

Freelance Writing Jobs for April 28, 2009

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I’m not sure how long this unseasonably warm weather will last, but I’m enjoying it while I can. I’ve been working from my back deck enjoying the fresh air after being cooped up for the last several months. Freelance writers are portable. We can take our laptops and travel anywhere we want. I’ve been known to get stuff done at piano lessons, the park and I’m a fixture at the local coffee shop. Where do you go to work when you don’t want to deal with the same old scenery?

Leads…

Good luck!

Follow me on Twitter @debng and for FWJ updates @freelancewj
Click here to search for jobs in your area on SnagAJob.com

Move Beyond Blogging!

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Posts You May Have Missed

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Freelance Writing Jobs is a network of seven blogs, including this job leads blog. Since most folks come for the leads only, I like to turn them on to what else is going on in our network since our other bloggers all have great tips and advice. Here are some posts you may have missed.

From the home page at Freelance Writing Jobs by Deborah Ng:

From Article Writing Tips by Terreece Clarke

From Job Hunting Tips by Jodee Redmond

From Business Tips for Writers by James Chartrand:

Enjoy!

You might also have noticed some tweaks to this particular blog. Notice more tweaks and better navigation for all our blogs in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully FWJ is becoming a more user friendly experience for all!

Follow me on Twitter @debng and for FWJ updates @freelancewj
Click here to search for jobs in your area on SnagAJob.com

Move Beyond Blogging!

Tweet this post!!

Are you thinking about Christmas yet? You should be…

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picture-61If  you are thinking about pitches for magazines you need to be several months ahead of the curve. I know the last thing anyone wants to think about right now is snow, cold weather and roasting chestnuts, but thinking ahead is a great way to get your pitch approved.

When everyone else is thinking about decking the halls, editors are looking to spring fashions and top summer vacation spots. Thinking and working on magazine editors’ schedules will help in getting your work to the top of the heap.

When thinking ahead, writers need to balance general with specific. Editors take risks looking to trends and future happenings and if you think you have a good beeline on a trend, go ahead and pitch it. Be prepared with great sources or a record of being an expert in the field to back up your pitch.

When pitching the general, look back at the last two years or more of seasonal information. This is a lot easier now with magazines putting much of their information online. A magazine isn’t going to put out the same topics every year at every holiday season. Even if summer articles always talk about sun safety, there’s something new offered each time, new products, latest research, etc. Think about a new angle, perspective or product debut you can add to your pitch.

Baby Talk magazine had a great article this month on sun safety for moms and talked to several moms who found out they had skin cancer. They talked to one mother about how she didn’t think she could get it because of her olive skin tone. The stories took a tried and true topic and made it interesting again.

There are many components to be a great freelance writer. Being able to anticipate is one of them. What trends are you recognizing in your niche or in an area you’re interested? What magazines would be receptive and why? How timely will the information be in six months? Answer these questions in your pitch and you may have yourself a winner!

Monday Markets for April 27, 2009

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For the last installment of Monday Markets for April, I have a variety of magazines. Notre Dame Magazine is distributed to alumni of that school. Texas Ride is a regional publication for motorcycle enthusiasts, and Firehouse Magazine is geared to firefighters, both volunteer and paid.

Notre Dame Magazine

From the web site:

Notre Dame Magazine is published quarterly by the University of Notre Dame for more than 150,000 readers, most of whom are graduates of the university. The magazine reports on alumni activities, covers institutional events, people and trends, and examines a broad spectrum of cultural issues reflecting the university’s wide-ranging discussion of science and the arts, society and its structures, the spiritual and the human. Because a large proportion of its readers are Catholic, the magazine often addresses topics of interest to a Catholic audience.

Most of the magazine’s editorial content is freelance-written. This is especially true of the CrossCurrents and Features sections. For FEATURES, the editors require a QUERY LETTER with clips of published articles. Less experienced writers may be asked to write on speculation. For CrossCurrents, it is appropriate to submit complete manuscripts. We buy first serial and electronic rights. Payment (comparable to fees paid by some national publications) is made upon acceptance. All copy is subjected to rigorous editing.

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