Rebuilding from the ground up

I've been thinking a lot through the past months. I see new writers in the forum I frequent talking about how hard it is to find work. How excruciating it can be to get themselves out there. To find a niche and brand their style. I spoke with Bob Younce from FreelanceWritingGigs in an email concerning branding tactics.

Bob, if you stop by, while I may not have agreed- I get it. Really, I do.

A little over a year ago it became apparent that my writing career was moving far too fast to handle. This can be scary, especially for a freelancer that, while they have talent, their skills in organization fall short of the mark. Like many new to the business, I took on far too much work. In my defense, I had a houseful. Many of you that are close friends know that we had a house full: 3 children, my ill mother, and 4 extras-the Inlaws.

It was too much to deal with, then add in a freelance schedule that grew from a few blog posts a month to writing product descriptions, web site content, SEO, keyword articles, a few magazine articles...and then...(drumroll)...a positive pregnancy test.

Everything came crashing down. Gayla Baer from MomGadget (bless her heart) was my channel manager at b5 Media. I'd applied for and landed a cooking blog- Robust Cooking. Oh, did I have plans. Plans that I couldn't keep. If you're a writer and you've taken on too much, you know exactly what happens. You begin to hide. Each morning you grab your coffee and stare at the computer trying to force out anything, anything at all. If you're experiencing true burnout, nothing comes.

Gayla prodded gently in emails. "I'll get something..I promise" was my reply. Eventually we both came to a conclusion, I had to go. The same day I was sending out resignations all around, I received an email from her letting me know I'd lost the gig. That was the saddest week in my career. It all had grown so fast, but in an uncontrolled way.

You new guys are probably doing one of two things: nodding because you understand or shaking your head and wondering what the heck I'm getting at.

The point is, don't take on too much. Know your limits.

Second point, you can rebuild- if and only if you know what is happening and have the sense to step away and admit you're defeated for the moment.

Today my career has grown in a manageable way. I don't take on too much. I apply for a few jobs a day or week, depending on the workload I already have. Instead of sending out multiple pitches for articles, I send out one or two.

You may have heard that freelancing is feast or famine. This is all too true. The trick to avoiding the famine is having things on the side that can help get you through the lean times. Two years ago I applied to Demand Studios. While accepted, I never used the account until this past week. Today I received my first payment for articles I wrote that will appear on eHow. This is a valuable resource because even if I do not use the account often- it remains open.

I'm not big on revenue share sites, but my views are softening. I've always said, if you have something you can't sell- post it on a revenue share. eHow sends me a little present monthly- all from just a few articles I posted in 2007. It isn't much, but it comes in like clockwork. The same with Associated Content, though they bring in far less. HubPages is another place to post. You get to plug in your own Adsense publisher ID, Amazon code, and more. I personally know one person that brings in enough that I could live off of and remember I have a family of six!

I think I've rambled enough, but I did want to get out this story for new freelancers who might be worried about what happens if they don't make it the first time. There really isn't a first, second, or third time. Your career as a freelance writer is constantly evolving. You grow and your job grows with you. Even if you have to tear it all down and begin again.

comic: http://www.willwriteforchocolate.com/

7 Truths About Freelancing From Home

Deb Ng over at Freelance Writing Jobs has a cute post on freelance writers that made me grin. It's the Top 10 Ways to Tell You’re a Freelance Writer. While I was laughing, I started thinking about some of the things I hear when I tell people that I write for a living. What to tell them or what I have said, too.

“Oh, wow! I read a lot.”
This one is always good for a smile. You explain nothing, they're just impressed that you can string words together.




“It must be nice to stay home all day and not have to work.”
Uh. Excuse me? While I don't willingly wake up at 4 A.M. to get work done like some freelancers I know of, that doesn't mean I don't work. I spend quite a bit of my day-each and every day- working on something or another. From about 9 A.M. to 11 P.M., how many people that 'work' have those hours?



“Neat! What kind of book have you written?”
I'm working on two supernatural novels. One is Horror and the other is Horror Romance. I've also sent a manuscript to an agent for a toddler board book. Annnnd....there's a book on pregnancy in the works. Yep, my interests run the gambit. But, no nothing has been published yet.



“Oh. So you've been in magazines?”
Technically, yes. For a year I was a columnist, then contributing editor to an online magazine. There's been a few articles in a local parenting magazine here in New York and in Louisiana. No, I haven't been in O, Cosmopolitan, Woman's Day, or the Weekly World News.



“If you don't have any books written and you're not in those magazines, what DO you write?”
You can watch the people begin to float away mentally when you try to describe blogging, web content, SEO, and how to write for the web. I swear, if you ever really want to start the Zombie Apocalypse, broadcast a blogging SEO seminar across every radio station and every television channel.



“Why aren't you rich?”
Here's the part of trying to explain that it doesn't matter how good you are, if no one replies to your email, you're out of a job. Or article. Sometimes people don't pay up. It is hard for people outside of this career to understand that we work globally in many cases and it can be impossible to collect payment from skips.



“Why don't you get a real job?”
Because I love being with my kids. Hanging out and having coffee with my husband while I pore over job posting. I love the creativity, the glowing emails from clients, the long nights, and yes-even the rejections.


And guess what? I have a REAL job.

Oh, Please. Check Your Links.

Ok, here's my tip of the day, week, millennium.

If you are going to blog and have links for other bloggers to pick up jobs or that offer great opportunities for other writers, do us all a favor and CHECK YOUR LINKS.

Yeah, I yelled that.

Just stopped by a blog which will remain nameless (no it's not deb's, i don't want to be torched and killed) and nearly every link in one post to some sites that offer jobs went to broken sites, empty sites, or whatnot.

A good blog or website checks links occasionally and doesn't post without first checking the links. The ones I am referring to had been just placed to sites that have been dead for months, in some cases years. I know this because I visited the sites when they were still open.

So...take the time to check your sources before cutting and pasting links from an article you read. Can save you some grief and not waste your readers' time.

So I'm Behind/Writing Tips

I know I haven't posted in a few days. In an effort to absolve myself, I shall offer some real tips in this post for newbie writers. I mean the seriously brand spanking new, don't know where to find a thing, writers.

You're trying to get started and you have no clue. Don't worry, all of us have been there. If you're interested in the freelancing part, then I can help you. We'll move on to novels as I move on in my quest.

The very first thing you should do as a budding freelance writer is to buy "Make a Real Living As A Freelance Writer" By Jenna Glatzer. Normally, I don't go in for books on how to make a living, because most are just self promotions. "I did this, I did that, look at me" sort of thing.

Not this book. Jenna Glatzer gets right in your lap and talks to you. While reading this book, I almost felt like she was there, talking to me over a cup of coffee. I've not yet read a book on a subject with this type of friendly and down to earth HELP. Yes, it's full of honest to goodness help for the starting freelancer on up to intermediate. The advice in this book would be good even for the advanced writer.

Before reading "Make A Real Living As A Freelance Writer" most of my applications to jobs were pretty dry. I know now I came across as a total novice. The day after I finished the book, I wrote my very first query to a national magazine. A 'glossy' as it's called by most freelancers. I also wrote one for a local family magazine, with a response in a few hours.

Will I tell you if I was rejected? Sure, I will. But it was a request for the full article! I'll let you know how it goes from there.

So, take it from me, someone who has been trying to break into the freelance markets for a very long time, this book will give you the advice and help you build the confidence you need to start making a living from your writing. The site will give you links to places to find the book, but I purchased mine on ebay for a great price!


In my next post I will continue tips for the very new writer for freelance.

DISCLAIMER:
I have not been approached or compensated for this review in any way. This is my opinion only, your mileage may vary, but I doubt it.