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.

What follows are the five most common problems that come up among my clients, and what you can do about them.

1. Fear of sending out the pitch

This one baffles me. Especially considering that the ones who mention it the most seem to have no problem generating new ideas or writing up query letters. Nay, their fears don’t lie in preparing their pitch. Rather, they let their perfectly good query letters languish in their draft email folders for weeks on end. Why? They worry they’ve made a mistake or left out a crucial bit of info. They worry that their letter is just not perfect enough to land them the assignment. They worry that — with their weak portfolio — they don’t even deserve the assignment.

Here’s the thing. While a strong portfolio, or strong connections, definitely help, you can still land an assignment if you have a strong idea and strong writing ability.

And if you don’t land the assignment (or hear back from an editor within five minutes of sending out your award-worthy query letter)? You can’t take it personally. Editors are busy and overburdened. Timing can be off. Your idea may be too evergreen for them, or a better fit for someone else. The only thing you can do to conquer your fear is to change your mindset and remember: a rejection is not the ultimate reflection of your abilities as a writer.

Interested in reading about the remaining four problems that freelance writers commonly face? You’ll find the rest of the post right here.

But before you head on over there, please do register for my latest virtual networking event on Tuesday, June 21, 7 p.m. EST!

Hey there guys — I need your help. Here’s the story: I’m working on an ebook. It’s called Job Hopping for Word Nerds, and I’m writing it with the intention of creating a go-to resource for those interested in finding work within the publishing industry…anywhere in the publishing industry. I plan on including descriptions of the positions available in book publishing, magazines, newspapers, etc. More importantly, I want to create a monster resource manual, filled with links to professional organizations, databases, job sites, blogs, powerful tweeps, and more. In short: I have a vision. The resource appendices of self-help books have typically been my favorite part of said books, and that’s what I want to focus on here.

Still, I don’t want to lose sight of the big picture here: You. I want to give you what you most want and need.

So tell me:

• What do you most want to know about finding work in the midst of an industry in flux?
• What information has been lacking in the how-to content you’ve read?
• Which questions have you had trouble finding the answers to?
• What would be included in your ideal resource manual?

I’m writing this for you. Please help me get it right!

[$525, myTypewriter]

Since the beginning of the month, me and the rest of my Modern Materialistas have been doing up holiday gift guides for our readers. My favorites have been the ones I’ve done for word nerds: Stocking Stuffers for Word Nerds, Gifts Under $25 for Word Nerds, and Last-Minute Gifts for Word Nerds.

I encourage you to head on over and read the full extent of word-nerdy goodness but, just to give you a preview, I’ve placed my favorite items after the jump:

[$7, Fred Flare]

I am a collector of bookmarks. Most of the ones I get nowadays are the free ones they give you at independent books shops, but I’m somewhat charmed by these bookworm bookmarks.

[$195, Eden & Eden]

This giant nib necklace is gorgeous. I’m a huge fan of unconventional jewelry and, much as I wear my heart on my sleeve, I wouldn’t mind wearing my identity around my neck.

[$50, Zwello]

These bird feet bookends are way cute, and I’ve been wanting some bookends to prop up the books in my still-to-be-read pile.

Which unnecessaries are on your wish list?