I decided to participate in the Lieurance-King Article Challenge. I'm starting midway through (meaning I'll have to write very fast), but basically the idea is to write and submit 30 marketing articles by March 31st.

I have been wanting to try article marketing for a while now. I'm still not completely sold on the idea that it's going to provide enough marketing to make it worth writing for free, but I'm game to try it.

Besides, I write these types of articles for clients, so it makes sense that I should try doing it for myself, too. After all, if they're still hiring me, something about it must work, right?

Today I wrote two articles and submitted them to EzineArticles.com. I very quickly found that trying to keep the word count down (i.e. the 250-400 words that Kristen King recommends) is probably more time consuming than just writing the article. Perhaps I need to find topic ideas that will lend themselves better to shorter articles...

Anyways, I'll let you know when they my articles are live!

Labels: articles, goals, Internet tools, Lieurance-King Article Challenge, marketing, other writers

After writing my earlier post about deadlines, I started thinking about the term "blowing a deadline." I don't think it accurately describes my meaning, and probably not Kristen's, either, really.

"Blowing deadlines," in my opinion, is when you miss a deadline without the courtesy of informing your client that you're having a problem finishing the work on time. It is, essentially, not just blowing the deadline, but also blowing off the client.

I definitely don't do that - I'm always in touch with the client when I'm going to be late on something. Even if all I do is shoot off a quick email to let the client know - ahead of time - that I'm running behind, it makes a big difference.

So my revised list of lessons states:

1) Don't miss deadlines when you can avoid it.
2) Let your client know when you can't.
3) Appreciate the clients who are understanding when you do #2.

Labels: advice for writers, articles, blogging, clients, freelancing, goals, other writers

The end of the month is looming, and it seems deadlines are on everyone's mind. Harmony posted on Sunday about what she needed to do before the month ended, and Kristen King posted Monday about a blown deadline (and how upset she was about it). I have comments about both posts, and they (my comments) seemed kind of related, so I decided to talk about both tonight.

Not too long ago, I blogged about getting burned out. Then, more recently, I mentioned that I was starting to feel more like my old self. Unfortunately, that feeling comes and goes; I'm still struggling somewhat, so I have a backlog of work that I feel like I'll never be free of.

I have a confession to make, one that I suspect will make a whole bunch of guilty freelancers feel a little better: I miss deadlines. Not always - like I mentioned in a previous post, I tend to miss a deadline or two when I get burned out, which usually follows a period of insane amounts of work. Not all deadlines, thankfully - my brain seems to know the difference between deadlines for print publications (that have to go to the printer by a certain date), and deadlines for online venues (which are more flexible).

I mention this in response to Kristen's post, because she was clearly very freaked out about missing a deadline. The truth is, I haven't found missing a deadline here and there to be a major problem in my career (although, like I said, I have yet to miss any truly crucial deadlines). Most of my clients are wonderfully understanding and forgiving. They understand when I explain that I'm not feeling well, or that I'm running behind for some other reason.

There are three lessons to learn from this:

1) Don't miss deadlines when you can avoid it.
2) Don't worry about it too much when you can't.
3) Appreciate the clients that understand when you can't.

In response to Harmony's post... I have roughly 14 articles that I'd like to finish by the end of the week (not by the end of the month, thankfully!), as well as several (paid) blog posts. With a little luck, my productivity will hold and I'll accomplish all I set out to do...

Labels: advice for writers, articles, blogging, clients, freelancing, goals, other writers

I was Googling my name last night, making sure I didn't find any unauthorized uses of my work, when I came across a few pieces of commentary on my Writers Weekly article. I decided it was worth compiling links all of the feedback I've found into one blog entry (and repaying them for their nice words by linking to their sites).

Alicia of WritingSpark.com talks about the low-paying writing gigs she started out getting.

In a discussion of writing gigs that earn the writer "experience only," K.C.'s Write For You mentions my article.

The Writer's Confidant Blog engages in a full-blown discussion of the issues I addressed in my article. (And she calls me "very cool"!)

A piece on Where I Stand addresses the issues in my article, and then provides some tips for staying out of the low-paying-jobs trap.

Labels: articles, freelancing, miscellaneous, networking, other writers

Yesterday I posted about Amy Derby of Write-From-Home.com, Freelance Work Exchange, and the folks over at WAHM. Today I have something to add that Amy told me, in regards to FWE and the annoying ads on Craigslist. According to Amy, the spam doesn't come from Freelance Work Exchange itself, but from affiliates who are trying to make money. Moreover, FWE does not approve of spamming the boards, and would most likely ban the offending affiliates from the program if they (FWE) found out.

Amy also explained to me that her site itself is not actually an affiliate of Freelance Work Exchange. She said she mentioned the service in an article once as a resource for writers, but that was it. She's considering removing the mention from that article so that no one else gets the wrong idea.

In any case, I wanted to pass on this new information about Amy Derby, Write-From-Home.com, and Freelance Work Exchange!

Labels: articles, employers, freelancing

I have posted before about Freelance Work Exchange. In a post back in May, I shared stories I had heard about the difficulty of canceling FWE a membership, as I thought it was reason for concern. More recently, I complained about the frequency of FWE ads on the Craigslist boards - ads which, according to the Craigslist Terms of Service, classify as spam because they are promoting an outside site rather than advertising a job that any Craigslist user can apply for.

Tonight, however, I have a rant of a different nature. I stumbled across this WAHM forum thread about Write-From-Home.com, and was astonished to see the WAHM members' reactions to Amy Derby's ad. They attack her for paying by money order, claiming her payment rates are "too good to be true," but their posts quickly reveal that her affiliation with FWE is the real issue.

Before I get any further into my indignant blog post, let me state clearly that I am currently working with Amy on several articles for Write-From-Home.com. She paid me before I even started, and there was no problems whatsoever with the money order, which I deposited two weeks ago.

Let me also state that I didn't realize she was associated with FWE when I first queried her, but that knowing it now doesn't change my opinion whatsoever. Regardless of her website's affiliations, the site is a fantastic resource for writers. She provides informative articles written by experienced writers, links to publications' guidelines for writers, links to job listings, and other resources. And - contrary to what the WAHM members claim - I looked through several days' worth of job listings, and didn't find anything that led me to Freelance Work Exchange (although there were a couple of ads that had been removed).

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm still opposed to FWE. I don't need to pay a service to find me work, as I find enough for myself for free. And I still hate the way they spam the boards, with links to their sign-up page masquerading as genuine job ads. But regardless of what involvement Amy Derby has in this, that doesn't change the fact that she is providing an excellent resource for writers, not to mention paying healthy rates for other writers' work.

Furthermore, no matter how unnecessary or annoying I think FWE is, I don't think they are doing anything truly immoral. And therefore, I see no good reason to boycott their affiliate, who is providing a valuable (and free!) service to writers.

Labels: articles, diatribes, employers, freelancing, job search, resources for writers