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Cognitive Connection, August 20: Growing Your Freelancing Biz, Driving Your Narrative & Reaching an Agent

August 20, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Several friends began new writing classes this week, kids in Denver started school and my niece got her first initiation into life as a high school freshman. All the signs—well, except for the ninety-degree weather—point to the end of summer. This month has been fantastic: busy with freelance copywriting and filled with outdoor adventures, especially with my nephews. But no writing. I’m hoping the time outdoors and doing new things will have secretly fueled my imagination when it’s time to get back to writing in the next few weeks.

Let’s get to the links and resources.

  • Freelance Folder What’s the Single Best Think You’ve Ever Done for Your Freelancing Biz? As back-to-school advertising peaks, I’m thinking about getting back to work. Not that it’s been a slow summer! But I know that clients usually kick off new projects in the fall and it’s time for me to invest extra energy in my copywriting business. This round-up is full of interesting and fresh ideas for doing just that.
  • Nathan Bransford How to Write a Query Letter Flag this post as a keeper. It is overflowing with links to fantastic resources from finding an agent to crafting a killer query. You’ll be glad you have this one when the time is right.
  • There Are No Rules How to Ensure 75% of Agents Will Request Your Material This post is a follow-up to an earlier piece Jane Friedman published while at the Midwest Writers Conference. This “how to” post is by Marcus Sakey, who made the statement that “query letters, if any good, would result in a 75% ‘send me something response.

Here are two from last week.

I didn’t get a chance to post them and, if you haven’t seen these already, I recommend adding these to your reading list.

  • She Writes What Do You Do All Day? Literary agent Erin Hosier shares a list of things she did (professionally) last week. Interesting insight into the types of things agents are juggling these days.

Your turn. Any opinions, blog posts or articles on writing and/or freelancing you’d like to share? Post away in the comments below. Thanks!

Guest Post: 5 Time Management Tips for Those Writers & Freelancers Who Can

August 18, 2010 — 9 Comments

Written By Steph Auteri

hour glass_fresco. original mage courtesy of stock.xchng® When my now-husband and I first began dating about six years ago, I was unemployed. But I was still keeping myself busy. I was writing restaurant and bar reviews for one of Shecky’s nightlife guides. I was handing out samples at Dunkin’ Donuts and Acme to supplement my unemployment checks. I was interning at the Feminist Press. I was singing in my church choir. It was a dark time in my life, but I never stopped hustling. In fact, being unproductive made me uncomfortable. I told Michael: We can see each other on the weekends, but only if we’re working. We’d bring our laptops to Barnes & Noble. He’d type up music reviews while I did write-ups on the China Club and the Lakeside Lounge.

Three years later, we were on our honeymoon, and I could not relax. I was reading Naked Ambition and brainstorming how I could parlay my sex writing into something bigger. I was obsessively checking my e-mail inbox for my full-time book publishing job. I was g-chatting with colleagues. My publisher compared me to Miranda on Sex and the City, whose high-powered workaholic lawyer behaved in much the same way when she was on her own honeymoon.

Now, as a full-time freelancer, it’s even tougher to set boundaries between my work life and my personal life. When you work out of your bedroom, the lines are easily blurred. But I’ve been doing this for three years now, and I’ve learned a few simple truths:

1. An inability to place limits on your working hours can adversely affect your health. As someone who suffers from both depression and chronic fatigue syndrome, I’ve had to be especially careful with this. Exhaustion can really hit me hard.

2. On a somewhat related note, burnout can suck the fun out of a career you were once passionate about. So if you want to sustain that career, you have to give it room to breathe.

3. Your career is not life-or-death and, when it comes down to it, family is far more important.

Jesaka has been doing a really excellent job of giving her career room to breathe. She’s carved out time to do the writing she cares most about. She’s gone on a writing retreat (lucky girl!). She’s even taken a step back from her blog.

I am terrible with time management, and my husband is even worse. But my desire to strengthen that relationship has made me work even harder at finding balance. I don’t do vacations. I don’t do morning walks or afternoon yoga. Sometimes, I don’t even do lunch. But I do find time for the things that matter the most to me: my husband, my hobbies, and sweet, sweet sleep. How?

1. I prioritize my to-do list. I recently blogged about a friend who took one look at my to-do list and said: You’re doing it wrong. She then asked me: Where do you want to be in a year? After answering without hesitation, she reorganized my to-do list for me, even taking some items off my list completely. You should all do the same. You may have a ton of different interests, ideas, and master plans. And that’s okay. But if certain items on your to-do list and keeping you from achieving your ultimate goals — or not moving you closer to those goals — it’s time to consider cutting them… or at least putting them at the bottom of your list.

2. I set my work hours. Some people in my life assume that, as a freelancer, I loll about all day, watching reality television marathons and doing up the occasional blog post. Okay. You caught me. This is totally what I did when I was first starting out. But once I began to bring in more work, there was no time for America’s Next Top Model. Or meals. Or my husband. In fact, most evenings, I never stopped working. These days, I try to limit the time I spend on my work to normal business hours, so that I can make myself available to my husband in the evenings and on weekends. And even if I do have spillover, I make sure my husband takes precedence. After all, it’s my own damn fault for not finishing my work more efficiently.

3. I (try to) schedule out my day in blocks of time. I’m not always good about this but, when I am, it does wonders for my productivity levels. When I only allow myself a certain amount of time to edit that e-book or write up that blog post or work on my marketing plan, I’m less likely to waste time catching up on my Google Reader or Twitter feed. I work more quickly and efficiently. Which leaves more time for friends or family or the latest Netflix DVD.

4. I evaluate each project carefully before saying yes. Once upon a time, I was desperate for work… any work at all. Now, I know that an inability to say no can actually work against me. I take care not to burden myself with projects that take up too much time, but don’t offer enough money. Such projects only hold me back, keeping me away from the work that matters most to me. Here are some questions to ask yourself before saying yes.

5. I make time for date night. When you’re a workaholic, it’s so easy to let your relationships fall by the wayside. Which is why it’s important to schedule in your friends and family in much the same way you’d schedule in a business meeting or a project deadline. When my husband and I were going through a particularly rough patch, we instituted Date Nights. We went out once a week, and took turns planning the dates. It made a huge difference. What do you need to schedule in? Time to cook? Time to work out? Time to kick back with your friends or visit your family? Figure out what’s missing from your life, and take care to schedule it in. Seriously. Add it to your calendar. Your life will become richer for it.

Steph Auteri is a writer, editor, and career coach who happens to be juggling way too many things. But she still has time for Netflix, wine tastings, and the occasional happy hour, so I suppose she’s in pretty good shape. If you’d like to learn how you can do it all, sign up for her e-course, 5 Weeks To Freelance Awesome.

Guest Post: Freelancers, It’s Time to Embrace Easy

June 25, 2010 — 1 Comment

Written by: Natalia M. Sylvester

Embrace Easy. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®We’re always hearing that freelancing is hard work. It’s hard to create a name for yourself when you’re just starting out. It takes a lot of work to keep a steady amount of assignments. It’s not always easy to find clients who will understand what a great writer is worth.

But there’s one very important part of it that shouldn’t be hard: knowing when a client is right for you.

When I think of my favorite clients, they all share one thing in common. Landing them was actually pretty easy. And I don’t mean that in an arrogant way, or even a lazy way. Yes, I marketed my butt off to catch their attention. Yes, I made sure to sell myself, as best I could, when they considered me for their project. But never, throughout the entire process, did they make me feel uneasy.

We need to give ourselves permission to embrace easy. It shouldn’t be difficult to know when you and a client are a good match. We shouldn’t be filled with doubt, or be unsure about whether we trust them. We need to think of it like dating: Mr. or Mrs. Right would never make you feel wrong.

The problem with embracing easy is that, well, it’s hard. It really comes down to trusting our instincts, and instincts—being the sneaky little inklings that they are—never let us know the reasoning behind what they’re suggesting.

The reasoning is only revealed to us later. Like when a client isn’t communicating enough, but still expects your copy to be spot-on. Or when, three months after invoicing, the check has yet to arrive.

Having been through this far too many times, I came up with a list of questions that I always have at the back of my mind when talking to prospective clients. Here’s a big surprise—they’re easy.

  • Are you comfortable with the work and the direction the client wants to go in? Are you confident that it’ll result in work you’ll be proud of?
  • Does the work excite you in some way or another? (Maybe the subject matter isn’t your favorite, but the format is something you’ve been meaning to break into, for example.)
  • Do you see the fact that your brand will be associated with this client as a good thing?
  • If they’re a new company, do they seem to have their business in order? (Or do they say things like, their target audience is everyone and that they’ll be making a billion dollars in profits by next year?)
  • When you discuss their needs, does the client respect your point of view?
  • When you quote them, do they try to talk down your prices?

And finally, the most important question of all, vague as it might be…

Do you and the client click?

What about you? In what other ways do you think the process could be made easier?

Natalia M. Sylvester is a copywriter and editor based in Austin, Texas. She blogs about words and writing at http://www.inkyclean.com/soapbox_blog and gets even nerdier on Twitter: @InkyClean.

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Cognitive Connection, May 28

May 28, 2010

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®Like many people in the U.S., I’m taking advantage of the three-day Memorial Day weekend to unplug. I’ll be spending time with my family, giving my laptop a chance to cool down for a few days.

In the mean time, here are a few reads for your (long) weekend:

  • Editor Devil Illegal Stacking Ahead I like Christine Fairchild’s breakdown of this particular writing issue so much, that I’ll forgive her the use of two exclamation points on one sentence. Seriously good advice here.
  • Lisa Romeo Writes Stuff My (Writing) Students Say, Part III Lisa’s recent series that answer student questions (and frustrations) regarding the writing process is interesting and helpful. This one offers tips on revising, yet feeling married to your words.

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too, it doesn’t have to be something online. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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Cognitive Connection, May 21

May 21, 2010 — 2 Comments

Cognitive Connection. Thinking. Image courtesy of stock.xchng®It’s going to be a gorgeous weekend in Denver and what am I going to be doing? Homework. Finishing critiques for a local workshop and diving into the pre-work required for the Aspen Summer Words Writers’ Retreat. At least maybe I can do it while soaking up some Vitamin D.

Here are a few reads for your weekend:

  • FreelanceFolder Would You Hire This Freelancer? It’s likely that you’ve already seen this, as it spread pretty quickly across Twitter. If you haven’t read it, this post is one client’s experience in hiring a freelancer. She shows you two responses (edited to protect the freelancer’s identity and rates) and tells you which one she hired. The shocking part for me was that she hired either one. Both responses had typos and grammatical errors; one was worse than the other. Would mistakes like that fly from a writer? Surely not.
  • Janice Erlbaum NoNaMeWriMo* (* Not National Memoir Writing Month) Although this post of Janice’s is from February, I just read it—and loved it. Any writer can appreciate the experience of writing and then trashing a full draft. It’s especially compelling for those of you working with memoir. And while you’re on her website, be sure to check out Janice’s book trailer for Have You Found Her. It’s one of the best I’ve seen.
  • The Atlantic Building a 21st Century Safety Net Writer Derek Thompson pens a powerful article on why “a 21st century workforce requires a different kind of safety net, with benefits that are more flexible, portable, personal.”

Your turn. Any great reads that you’d like to share with your fellow readers? Print counts, too, it doesn’t have to be something online. If you’re hooked on a new book or loved an article or essay in a magazine, include it here. Please share in the comments below. Thanks!

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50/50 Post: He’s in jeans. She’s in business drag. What’s behind the difference for freelancers?

May 3, 2010 — 18 Comments

mowhawk profiles. original image courtesy of stock.xchng® I’ve written about the attire of a writer before, so I won’t rehash that here. What’s on my mind this time is the difference between my clothing and that of the guys I’m seeing at my in-person client meetings lately. It’s the same in each time:

  • We’re both freelancers.
  • He’s the designer. I’m the copywriter.
  • Clients hired us to improve the look, feel and sound of their marketing communications.
  • I’m wearing dressy business casual.
  • He’s wearing jeans and t-shirt.

Am I missing the point of being a freelancer? When I’m getting dressed for an in-person client meeting, I try to dress appropriately for the business. If an ad agency is the client—and it’s a first-time meeting—I choose an outfit with the end client in mind. I know the agency will be thinking about the impression I might make on their client.

ponytail profiles. original image courtesy of stock.xchng®I’ve noticed this with other women freelancers. I’ll see them in a pants and a cardigan; no jeans or t-shirts at the clients’ offices. Yet, in the same meeting, I never see the client bat an eye at the guys’ attire. But I’m not convinced that I would get the same reaction.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not judging the guys. Nope. I’m asking this: is there a double standard for male and female freelancers? Or, could the difference be that he’s the designer and she’s the copywriter? Are designers considered more “creative” and potentially less conventional than a copywriting?

Maybe it’s just me. And I’m open to that. For someone who wanted to ditch the cubicle life and associated pressures, I certainly seem to care what others think of my “image,” when what I’m ostensibly being hired for is my way with words.

Now it’s your turn! Like my other 50/50 posts, this is where you share your opinions and experiences. Have you noticed a difference between what freelancers wear based on gender? Could I be placing too much emphasis on attire? What do you wear to client meetings? Please share in the comments.

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Lessons I Learned About Writing—Twice

April 29, 2010 — 3 Comments

Double Hour Glass. Black & White. Image courtesy of stock.xchng® Surrounded by boxes of pizza and eager interns, I felt a shock of recognition listening the communications manager who had agreed to speak to my charges. She said that finding and forging her career path was “simple.”

“I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I was in high school and editor of the school paper. I studied journalism in college and got a job.” She had worked in corporate communications for an international travel outfit, a well-known natural beauty brand and a global coffee company, which is where we met. She added that she’d always been focused on writing and editing, even in high school.

I was, too, in high school. Like my guest speaker, I’d written for the school paper, plus I’d edited the yearbook and competed in journalism contests. So, why was she the head of a communications division and I was wrangling interns?

We made different decisions. I chose a school that didn’t offer a journalism degree, but did provide an independent, unique approach to learning. However, I lost focus and tried a variety of subjects and post-grad jobs, including managing a small business and recruiting. Employers would rave about my writing and find ways to use it, but I didn’t (and they didn’t) see me as a writer.

Inspired by my guest speaker, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my writing as well as my goals. Several weeks later, approached her to be my mentor—and less than a year later, she hired me as a writer and editor for her team. Now she’s claimed the title of my “biggest fan.”

Between being the high school journalist, the corporate newsletter editor and the freelance writer I am today, these are the lessons I had to learn twice.

  • Dream big. In the late 1980s, I wanted to be the editor-in-chief of Sassy magazine. When I was the fiction editor of my college’s literary magazine, I wanted to be a playwright. And, when I hit the real world, I wanted to pay my rent, so I took temp jobs and lost sight of the big dreams. Once I started focusing on my goals again, I refueled my writing dreams—and started pursuing them.
  • Believe in yourself. I was so nervous the first time I turned in a writing assignment to my mentor—and I failed! She told me the style was unnatural, stiff and not at all what she expected from me. I’d used formal business language that I thought I should use. When I revised the assignment, using my gut instincts, my mentor loved it.Much later, when I was applying for my first writing job, my current manager said, “But you can’t write!” It shocked me to hear those words, but I was determined and still applied. When I got the job, I learned from someone else in my former department that my manager just didn’t want to lose me. Good thing I believed in myself and didn’t let her stop me.If you want to freelance, you have to believe in yourself. Your clients and prospective clients aren’t going to give you business if they suspect you’re unsure and timid.
  • Fight limitations. Growing up in a small Texas town, the writing-related career options presented to me were newspaper editor and journalism teacher. The local newspaper editor even told us to find a better-paying occupation. I was determined to find more options for myself.Once I worked in corporate communications, the prevailing mentality was that if you wrote for an internal audience, you couldn’t write for an external audience. Are you kidding me? I fought hard to earn assignments that included press releases and other marketing materials.
  • Invest in your word skills. My high school journalism teacher enrolled me in contests my very first year—and I continued those contests until I graduated. I didn’t take many writing classes in college, but I certainly relied on those skills to get me good grades. But I took them for granted. It wasn’t until about six years ago that I realized I should keep pushing myself, not just relying on mentors or talent. I took creative writing classes as well as copywriting-related courses and was amazed at the leap my writing took. My clients noticed, too.

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I’d followed a journalism or writing path from high school. Most likely, I’d be where I am today. But I’m glad I veered of course, picking up business skills, new subject matter expertise and a diversity of experience. It’s made me a better freelancer, a more well-rounded writer—and it’s definitely provided me with plenty of juicy tales to tell.

What about you? Are there “lessons” you wish you’d learned the first time? Did you have to go through the same experience or situation more than once to figure out how to achieve a different outcome? Share your experiences in the comments.

Conquering the Fear of Success: One Writer’s Attempt to Defy Gravity

April 27, 2010 — 1 Comment

Scuse me while I kiss the sky. Silhouette of person in a swing. Type in fear + freelancing in Google and you’ll get more than 10 pages of links. Taking the leap from a full-time job to self-employment does require courage—or, at the very least, confidence in yourself. A move halfway across the country helped me set up a do it now mentality and finally make the jump.

Even after accomplishing that initial leap, fear can remain a freelancer’s constant companion. When Susan Johnston asked freelancers to share their concerns, the number one anxiety-inducer was fear of going broke. And freelance web developer Amber Weinberg’s FreelanceFolder post The Fear of Freelancing: Why You Could Be Hurting Yourself garnered more than 50 comments from readers sharing their worries.

I thought I’d conquered my fears when I launched a.k.a writer and landed my first client. Although I realize I have control over going broke, I am much more careful about spending money and I’m more conscientious about having living expenses covered well in advance. So, aside from a very slow start to 2010, I thought I was in good shape.

But then…

While developing an estimate for a new client, I found myself hesitating. The number was one of the biggest I’d ever quoted. In double-checking my math, I felt very sure about the estimate. It was an accurate and fair assessment of the work I’d be delivering. Why the hesitation?

A quick review of invoices from the last year revealed an interesting trend. Every single invoice was for nearly the same amount—or for much less.  Somehow, I’d developed a mental cap. I had good projects and good clients, but I had seemed to reach a plateau. Why?

After giving this some thought—and talking with my favorite sounding board (a.k.a my honey)—I realized that I’d internalized a belief that writers get to do what they love, but that doesn’t mean they make money. I brought home nice paychecks as a full-time writer for a big corporation, so I somehow assumed that the trade-off for striking out on my own would be struggling to make ends meet.

But, you know what? It does not have to be that way! I was holding myself back. I had a solid case of Fear of Success. I really enjoy copywriting and I love it even more as a freelancer because of the variety. With hard work and happy clients, why shouldn’t I be successful?

Once I realized what was holding me back, I finalized the estimate for the client—and promptly landed the project. Then the craziest thing happened: several companies contacted me for copywriting and I landed those projects, too. My workload and project quality is soaring. For my fellow theatre geeks, I’d describe it as finally taking flight, much like Elphaba when she finally “defies gravity” to fly in Wicked.

Have you experienced overcoming a mental block or fear, and then noticed a significant change in your work? What was the fear and how did you conquer it? How did you figure out what was holding you back?

Photo attribution: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/ / CC BY 2.0

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