August 2007

As a freelance writer, I’ve always worked weekends. Because my day job was at a law firm, I usually went into the office to work one or both weekend days, and when I didn’t go to the office, I worked from home. Very rarely did I take a day off. So, I have always been in the habit of working seven days a week. However, I figured I was the exception.

Most freelance writers I know claim that they started freelancing in order to have a more flexible lifestyle (i.e., work when they want to). I always assumed most freelance writers took at least part of the weekend off. But, I recently found out I’m not the only one plugging away more than five days per week.

Jayne Seymour, editor of Telecommuting-Writing-Jobs.com (a website I write and blog for), recently ran a poll on her telecommuting writing jobs blog to determine how many of her visitors actively seek freelance writing jobs on weekends. She ran the poll to determine whether or not it was worth it to continue to pay those of us who blog for her to keep searching for jobs and posting them on weekends. I was surprised to learn that over 50 people voted in her poll that they regularly seek freelance writing jobs on both Saturdays and Sundays. She had an additional 100 or so people send her emails telling her how much they appreciate the leads for writing jobs on weekends, especially Sundays, since virtually no other job board currently provides leads all weekend long. Several people said they’d be willing to pay a fee for weekend job leads (the service is currently free, and according to Jayne, it will remain that way). A few freelance writers even offered to volunteer their services to search for job leads on weekends, should her bloggers not wish to continue the weekend search. I’d told Jayne I’d be happy to take over weekend blogging (currently, the job is divided up so that four of us each take a full week, including both weekend days for our week). But however she decides to work it, she has told me she will keep the blog going on weekends, because it seems to be important to so many people. 150 people might not seem like very many, but considering she’s only had her blog up for a few months, and she already has several hundred (maybe a thousand by now) subscribers, to me 150 people seems like a lot.

So, do you work weekends? And if so, do you think of it as part of the job, or do you regret not taking weekends off?

Personally, I’ve always used a resume, for freelance writing and otherwise. I don’t post mine online, but many other freelance writers do.

My opinion on freelance writing resumes is that deciding whether or not to use one depends on two basic factors:

1. the type of freelance writing jobs you’re looking for
2. the amount of freelance writing experience you have

There’s a great discussion going on about freelance writing resumes at Deb Ng’s Freelance Writing Jobs blog. If you’re wondering whether or not you should use a writing resume, you can get the opinions of many experienced freelance writers there.

As a freelance writer, I’m a firm believer of getting everything in writing. Maybe it’s partially because my career background is as a paralegal, but I think it’s also just good common sense. A freelance writing career is difficult enough without dealing with non-paying clients and clients who change their minds. Of course, there will always be clients who try to get out of paying, or who try go get away with changing their terms after a freelance writer has already done the work, but using a contract or letter of agreement can help cut down on those types of clients.

If you need a good template for developing your own letter of agreement, I like this one from the EFA (Editorial Freelancers Association): http://www.the-efa.org/res/sample_agreement.html

If you want a solid freelance writing contract that you can be sure is legal in your jurisdiction, consider joining a Writers Union (like the NWU - http://www.nwu.org/nwu) which offer such services to their members.

If you don’t use a formal freelance writer contract or letter of agreement, here are a few tips from my own experience (note: this isn’t legal advice):

1. Don’t make deals over the phone, or if you do, follow up with an email summarizing what was discussed and asking for a reply stating the terms you’ve stated in the email are correct.

2. Store such emails in a special folder or print them out. Don’t delete them, at least not until after your paycheck is cleared.

3. Always agree on terms (pay rate, method of payment, when you’ll be paid, as well as the client’s expectations and when you’ll deliver) BEFORE you begin an assignment.

Every day, more and more freelance writers are turning to blogging as a way of making money. Many freelance writers keep their own blogs. Lots of freelance writers blog about writing. Some freelance writers blog for networks, like b5media, because they can get paid a set rate per post or per month and/or share in advertising revenues. Now, it’s not uncommon for freelance writers to make a part-time, or even a full-time, income blogging for corporate clients. But how does a freelance writer break into freelance blogging? And how can a freelance writer find freelance blogging jobs that pay in real dollars?

Keep your own blog.
Most people hiring bloggers want to see more than samples of your writing. They want to see you have the commitment necessary to be a blogger. Bloggers have to come up with fresh ideas and new content regularly, so keeping a blog on a topic that interests you will also be a good way to gain some experience in what it truly takes to be a successful blogger. Worst case scenario will be that you find out blogging isn’t your thing.

Visit lots of other blogs.
Having your own writing style and unique voice is important, but it’s also important to learn how other bloggers are approaching your topic. Watching other bloggers come up with unique angles and gather fresh ideas will inspire ideas of your own. Networking with other bloggers and commenting on other peoples’ blogs is also a great way to get more traffic and better page rank to your own blog.

Seek only PAYING blogging work.
Don’t fall for those job ads for freelance writers that promise to make up for not paying you by offering you exposure and experience. I also find that most of the ads for freelance bloggers offering to pay in ad revenue only are usually propositions to avoid. Many new blogs offer to split revenue with freelance writers, but what many new writers don’t understand is that it takes most blogs quite some time to bring in a generous amount of revenue from ads. If a blog brings in $10 per day in ad revenue, then splits it among 50 writers, you aren’t really earning anything, except for a reputation of being an easily conned freelance writer. If you want to spend your time writing for free, why not invest your time in writing your own blog?

Check blogging job boards often.
A few of my favorite places to look for blogging jobs are:
http://www.freelancewritinggigs.com
http://jobs.problogger.net
http://performancing.com/blogger-jobs
http://www.bloggerjobs.biz

If you’re serious about finding freelance blogging work, I highly recommend reading the following articles and discussions about finding paying blogging jobs as a freelance writer:
How to Become a Freelance Blog Writer
How to Apply for a Blog Job
Blogging as a Full-time Career?
5 Minute How To: Find a Blogging Job
Can you earn a good living blogging?