October 2007

I used to get a ton of write-from-home email from new writers asking how they can start freelancing. Lately, the majority of my email is from freelance writers who want to know how they can start freelance blogging (getting paid to blog for other people).

Since most of my emailers want to know what considerations they should make when applying for or accepting blogging jobs, I’d like to point anyone interested over to an article I recently wrote at Performancing called Should You Take That Blogging Job?

The article tackles all the basic issues, like payment arrangements/rates, the commitment involved, and other benefits. Feel free to click here to read the article.

If you’re not familiar with Performancing.com, and you’re interested in learning about earning money by blogging, it’s a site I recommend in general.

Lately, I’ve been having trouble finding time to get everything done. While I used to work late nights to cram things in, my recent bouts of illness have but a stop to most of that. I’ve still been working a late night here and there, but I’ve been experimenting with some creative ways to save time. Maybe they’ll also be of help to the rest of you.

Save social networking until last.

I know social networking is good for freelance writers, but if you’re anything like me, you spend too much time doing it. I tend to get addicted to freelance writing forums and blogs, to the point where that’s the first thing I want to do when I log onto the net. The past few days, I’ve saved visiting my favorite blogs until last, rather than making the blog rounds first. I’ve found it saves time and also motivates me to get my work done faster. I haven’t made it to as many blogs as I’d like, but I also have only had one day this week where I had to stay up until 1am working.

Do the hardest thing first.

I tend to procrastinate on the hard stuff, particularly anything that involves doing a lot of research. This past week, I’ve experimented with getting the hardest thing out of the way first. Getting that one dreaded thing out of the way keeps me from agonizing about it and procrastinating more to avoid doing it.

Don’t fall into Google’s black hole.

It’s not rare for me to start out on a search for an article about the latest corporate bankruptcy filing and end up reading a blog about used books. Even a “trip” to Amazon to purchase a writing related book last week sent me on a cruise to find out whether Charles de Lint (my favorite fantasy author) has written anything new lately. I once read an article (unfortunately, I don’t remember where) that talked about setting a timer on internet research. This week, I’ve been doing that, and I haven’t fallen into the black hole quite so often.

Adjust your schedule to work when it’s quiet.

I’ve got train tracks in my back yard, and Metra has chosen this week to replace the train ties. Apparently, this process requires the use of very large machinery that sounds like 400 jackhammers. As I type, I’m getting a migraine. Yesterday, I tried to force myself to work through the racket, and it took me three hours to write a newsletter I usually write in one hour. Today, I decided to save any work that requires real thought until this evening and get the easy stuff like blogging out of the way during the day.

Don’t let outsiders suck you in.

I’m fairly people-deprived, so whenever I go outside to smoke (I don’t smoke in my home) I generally get shanghaied by a neighbor and end up chatting for 15 minutes. While working this weekend, I realized I wasted at least two hours gabbing and, as a result, I ended up not finishing a job Saturday and had to work extra hours on Sunday. This week, I’ve started smoking outside the less populated side of the building (where the noise is, unfortunately) and have saved a lot of time by not getting sucked into idle chit chat.

Have some tips on how to get more done during the day? I’d love to hear what you’ve got! Leave a comment.

One of my clients, the American Foundation for Children with AIDS, has teamed up with GoodSearch.com, a search engine donating profits to charities. Since we freelance writers do so much internet research, who better to spread the word?

GoodSearch works like any other search engine. When you do your online searches, enter in the name of the charity you’d like your search-dollars to go to. Not every charity is partnered with GoodSearch, but you can find out whether or not one is by entering the name of the charity into the “who do you GoodSearch for” box and clicking the “verify” button. Once you’ve selected and verified a charity, your selection will be saved for future searches, so you don’t have to go through this every time you perform a search.

Although I’ve always been partial to Google for my searches, I’ve transfered my search “business” over to GoodSearch and am finding I actually prefer the Yahoo-based search.

If you try it out, let me know! I’ll be curious to hear what you all think — AND, who you search for.

One of the problems with dealing with difficult clients as freelance writers is that we often don’t know who will be difficult until we’ve taken on the project and/or worked for them for a bit. Difficult clients tend to come off as kind, considerate people in the beginning. Then one day, the mask comes off. By then, we’re locked into a contract.

Here’s my advice for heading off problems with potentially difficult clients:

1. Set boundaries from the beginning.

This includes your working hours, number of revisions you’ll do before you charge extra, your policy about rush jobs, payment policy, etc.

2. Don’t bend your own rules.

Don’t agree to an extra edit just because you’re having a slow day. Don’t take on a rush job at your regular rate. Don’t accept late payments. If you do it once, they’ll expect it again.

3. Don’t get chummy.

If your clients become your buddies, they’ll be more apt to think they can receive special treatment. Friends are for favors. Employers are for pay checks.

4. Communicate in writing.

Email is an easy and widely accepted means of communicating with online clients. It’s good to have things in writing, especially with problem clients who might claim misunderstanding later.

5. Don’t give them your phone number.

Unless you want to field 3am phone calls from antsy-pants clients who don’t think their emergencies can wait till morning, don’t give needy/demanding clients your phone number. Emails sent at midnight can be ignored until morning.