Month: September 2012

Categories
freelance writing Getting Things Done

Four Tactics Every Freelance Writer Should Use For Meeting Deadlines

This contributor post by Lanre Solarin was supposed to go live last week Friday, but it’s being published late due to WritersinCharge’s migration to Hostgator last week. Enjoy!

As I wrote a guest post for a new, high-paying client, a tear rolled down my cheek.

Then more followed….

I cried – and yet, I still kept writing.

I wasn’t writing a motivational article, neither was it a love story with the happily-ever-after ending.

I cried because I had no choice but to write. I was tired, sick and had a close deadline to meet. I had made a promise I wasn’t near keeping.

And I wanted to give up.

Don’t do that – ever!

On the basis of appearing professional, writers can sometimes make outrageous promises, especially to new clients.

What do you think this can lead to? More jobs? Repeat clients?

Not exactly.

This can either lead to compromised quality or extended deadlines. Nevertheless, accepting jobs with short deadlines is sometimes unavoidable. When this happens, what do you do?

Here are four strategies you can adopt to meet those short deadlines.

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Categories
Getting Things Done

Time Management for Freelance Writers…You Thought It’s Going to Be Easy?

Here at WritersinCharge you can find a vast array of advice on different aspects of being a freelance writer; turning your passion into a career; and earning a living (how to find clients, how to bill them, and so on). This post, however, is not about making a living, it’s about staying alive, more or less.

I know that the above sentence sounds a little vague, so bear with me as I explain what I mean.

Freelancing isn’t about spending most of your time staring at a blank screen and struggling with writer’s block, nor is it about going through a never-ending stream of emails, or running around at a loss about what to do next.

Even though I’m sure you can agree with the above, you also have to admit that some days are just not very productive. You struggle to put some decent words together, or maintain a good workflow throughout the day. I know because it happens to me as well.

So what follows is my approach at getting some things done, in other words – time management (habits, tools, systems, software, methodology) for freelance writers.

Continue reading “Time Management for Freelance Writers…You Thought It’s Going to Be Easy?”
Categories
freelance writing resources

20 Must Have Tools for Freelance Writers

Guest post by Gregory Ciotti of Bidsketch.

“Oh brother, another big resource + list post!”

Hold on just a second there: I actually agree with you! The mega-list post is a archetype that has been done to death, but utility still remains in this classic content style.

This comes in the form of highly specific lists for beginners – or people looking for some fresh inspiration (I recently created one on interesting psychology books).

A post on “50 cool web apps” doesn’t do anybody a whole lot of good. No one gets a lot of value from a giant list that only focuses on generating page views – not value.

These monster resource round-ups also won’t provide any value if they list totally obvious things that take up space rather than expose readers to something new (“Oh, Photoshop is a must-have tool for graphic designers? Stop the press!”)

That’s why today, I’m bringing the goods for freelance writers ONLY. This is a list filled with unique, useful and often overlooked tools that have helped me greatly in my freelance writing career. From working with startups to established small businesses, all of these tools have made the process smoother and helped in increasing my returns multiple times over.

Enough gabbing, let’s get started!

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Categories
freelance writing

Writers’ Fantasies #1: The BIG Secret

This is the first episode of the WritersinCharge cartoon series, Writers’ Fantasies. This episode talks about the BIG secret to getting clients as a freelance writer.

New cartoons will be released every week, on Wednesdays. You can be emailed automatically when a new cartoon is released by subscribing via this page. Below each cartoon, you’ll find a link to embed it as you wish.

If you like this cartoon, please share it on Facebook or Twitter!

Click to continue reading!

Categories
content marketing freelance writing

The Low-Budget Guide to Marketing Your Blog as a Freelance Writer

Due to recent problems with my former host, WritersinCharge moved to Hostgator last week. Unfortunately, to avoid losing blog posts and files during the transfer we decided not to publish any post. That explains why there was no post on WritersinCharge throughout last week and Yesterday.

We’re now back on track and this week will be loaded!

—-

Today is a Tuesday and I’ll be answering a question from Ioana:

“Lets say somebody took your advice on the importance of having their own blog and decided to start it up. How would they get people to reach their blog at first? They don’t know anybody, no referrals, just some articles written but nobody to provide feedback. Are there certain communities for bloggers where they could publicize their work? I know that a good way to promote yourself is to guest post, by when you are so new, you don’t have the credibility to offer your articles to other bloggers.”

Recent data from Hubspot has shown that blogging can be more effective than a $54,000 Superbowl ad.

You’re gradually killing your career if you’re a freelance writer without a blog.

Continue reading “The Low-Budget Guide to Marketing Your Blog as a Freelance Writer”