Archives for June 2011

Freelancedom Book Club Discussion: The It Factor

June 30, 2011 by 2 Comments

When I chose The It Factor last month as our first book club book, I didn’t really expect to be so put off by it. The Amazon reviews were, for the most part, overwhelmingly positive, and its subject matter was one that — as an introvert with social anxiety — I couldn’t get enough of.

But the book  made me angry. Why? The author seemed to have little respect for the readers he was trying to help, blaming their inability to connect with other people on arrogance and laziness.

Is it just me? Is my resentment warranted? Am I just not the intended audience for this book?

Either way, I still felt as if the book contained a lot that was worth discussing. So without further adieu…

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Filed Under: book review, networking Tagged With: , , , ,

Spill It: What Does Networking Mean To You?

June 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Earlier this week, J. Maureen Henderson wrote a post for Forbes on what networking isn’t… and what it could be. I cheered as I read her post, because she got it. She got that networking wasn’t about desperation-fueled schmoozing. (Well. It shouldn’t be.) It wasn’t about working a room or handing out business cards willy-nilly. It was about conversation. It was about connection. It was about all the ways we connect with others on a daily basis, in a thousand different ways.

“Blogging is networking,” she wrote. “Being on Twitter is networking. Sending your BFF a job posting that you think would be perfect for her roommate is networking. Asking Jim in Marketing if he knows someone who is aces at web design is networking. When your new hair stylist asks what you do for a living and you answer her? That’s networking.”

Last year, J.M. did a video interview with me about my career coaching business. That was networking, too. One of J.M.’s blog readers saw that video and became my very first e-course student.

What else is networking?

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Filed Under: networking, spill it Tagged With:

News Flash: Both Marriage And Freelancing Are Hard

June 23, 2011 by 4 Comments

Because everything is more attractive in black + white...

Four years ago today, Michael and I promised each other our undying love and devotion*. We said “I do,” danced the night away, and rode off into the sunset. [Okay. We passed out in our hotel suite, but same difference.]

Within a month, I also went full-time freelance. Michael added me to his health insurance plan, and I set about trying to see if I could make it as a writer or something.

Since then, both our marriage and our careers have had their major ups and downs. Michael went from feeling stuck in a direct mail copywriting job to excelling in the start-up web development world. I lost a permalance gig at the start of the recession, and struggled for a year to regain my footing before learning the power of diversification. We tried unsuccessfully to sell our condo. We tried unsuccessfully to conceive a child. And in the midst of all this, we lost sight of each other.

In fact, I recently wrote a piece for YourTango on how Michael and I almost separated.

The truth of the matter is, neither Michael nor I are the same people we were four years ago. And neither are our careers.

And at first that worried us.

But it doesn’t anymore.

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Filed Under: career path Tagged With:

Even Coaches Need Coaches: 4 Experts I Love To Bits

June 21, 2011 by 1 Comment

I believe that, in order to succeed, you should always be learning… even after you yourself have achieved expert status (a dubiously subjective term in itself).

Which is why I still take classes when I can, devour self-help books like I devour Peppermint Patties, and continue to seek out new wisdom from around the web.

In fact, when I went through a career coaching certification program back in 2009, I requested my own career coach. Her input was invaluable as I worked on creating a business that played to my strengths.

Since then, I’ve come across a handful of experts I just can’t get enough of… people who excel in areas I’m weak in… people who rock the house at what they do.

So. While I can help you create a strong query letter,  guide you through the ins and outs of the publishing world, and give you the kick in the ass you need to get the publishing career you want, I should probably point you in the direction of those who shine in the areas where I can still use a bit of help.

So as long as you pinkie swear that you’ll come back to me for all the word nerd wisdom you need, I’ll reveal the top 4 experts I love to bits. (Seriously. No clicking through until you pinkie swear.)

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Filed Under: link love Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How to Avoid Homelessness and Starvation When the Checks Aren’t Regular

June 15, 2011 by 5 Comments

This self-portrait, by William A. Clark, is both brilliant and eerily familiar. (Whatever. I love ramen noodles.)

My writer-buddy Stacy Lipson recently moved to NYC to pursue her word-nerdy dreams. Stacy is a hard worker. She has a lot of drive and determination. And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t get enough sleep. Still, the city life is proving a bit tougher than she expected. Especially considering how wishy-washy clients can be when sending out paychecks. So she asked me to do up a post on surviving in the city as a freelance writer.

I was happy to comply. There was just one… small… thing…

Though I once worked at the Feminist Press, volunteered my time to a sex-positive feminist mag for sex workers, and declared that I would never be dependent upon a man, I’m now living in a condo in the suburbs, sponging off my husband’s health insurance and his considerably larger income.

God I hate myself.

Still, I’ve learned a thing or two about best business practices and, for everything I don’t know, I’ve provided tips from freelancer friends of mine living in the city. So yeah. I’ve got you covered.

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Filed Under: finances/income Tagged With: , , ,

The 5 Most Common Problems Freelance Writers Face

June 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

So. This virtual Networking for Word Nerds thing is now a… thing. Third Tuesday of every month. You can make it a recurring event on your calendar and shit. Its existence makes me feel… productive. And happy. Because I get the chance to meet new, fabulous freelance writers every time I sign on.

Anyway.

Every month, I’ll be writing a post over at Brazen Careerist in order to promote these events. Here’s my latest!

The life of a freelance writer is not an easy one. There’s the constant hustle. The pressure to come up with fresh ideas that are both newsy and original. The late paychecks from delinquent clients. The ways in which you open yourself up to public criticism from everyone, including anonymous commenters who seem hell bent on crushing your very soul.

I’ve experienced it all but, when I eventually launched my own business — coaching other word nerds — I was regularly surprised by the issues that were holding them back the most.

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Filed Under: networking, writing Tagged With: , , , ,

Reason To Write: So That Others Will Live

June 7, 2011 by 4 Comments

Bill Dameron

It’s been awhile since I posted something new in our Reason To Write series, but when Bill contacted me with his story, I immediately connected to his personal reason for writing… not because of the events that got each of us writing, but because we both often write to make others feel less alone.

Bill is a full-time IT Director who’d rather be writing. In fact, when he’s not as his day job, he blogs over at The Authentic Life. (His blog posts make me LOL.) Married to a woman for 20 years, he’s now with Paul. They’ve been together for four years, and happily married for one.

Bill’s story — as detailed below — makes me think of Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project. The takeaway is the same. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

In 1977, I was unceremoniously dumped into the public school system after eight years of Catholic school.

Studio 54 debuted, Donna Summer oozed disco sex, and Saturday Night Fever introduced me to polyester boogie nights.

It was also the year of my rhinestone-studded pants, and my brief professional writing career.

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Filed Under: reason to write Tagged With: , , , ,

Freelancedom Book Club: The It Factor

June 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last month, I asked if you’d be interested in participating in a Freelancedom Book Club. You responded with a resounding YES. Obviously, I’m among my people. 🙂

As it’s the first week of June, I wanted to announce my first book club selection:

Mark Wiskup’s The It Factor: Be the One People Like, Listen To, and Remember.

I chose it because I feel that building a strong professional network is so crucial to freelance success, and because — as an introvert — I’m always looking for ways in which I can improve my in-person communication skills.

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Filed Under: book review Tagged With: ,

Why It Took Me Four Years To Become A Freelance Hard-Ass

June 1, 2011 by 5 Comments

My new dress code. ... Okay. Not really. I'm wearing a sundress sans bra right now.

It can be tough to be tough with clients when you’re first starting out as a freelancer.

After all, you’re new to all of this: the self-promotion… the self-discipline… the hustle… the rates-setting. You’re unsure of yourself: unsure of what you’re worth… whether or not you’ll fail or succeed… whether or not you have what it takes.

Because of all this, you end up saying yes to every damn project, out of both desperation and fear. You end up lowballing yourself when setting rates. You end up working nights and weekends, with nothing to show for it.

After three years, I still had nothing to show for it.

Don’t get me wrong. After three years, the work was coming to me. My professional network was vast. My portfolio and resume looked a thousand times better than they once did.

But I was still struggling to pay the bills, and my work/life balance was seriously out of whack.

It took me four years to finally become a freelance hard-ass. What finally clicked?

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Filed Under: balance, finances/income Tagged With: , ,