Be a Freelance Blogger

How to Develop Your Relationship with Your Editor

Aaaaand, Submit. Time to break open your favourite treat after you’ve sent your last piece of work to your editor.

A smile on your face, you cross the item off your to-do list and then input the figures onto your budget spreadsheet.

But five minutes later you get that email back: “This isn’t what I’m looking for, can you rewrite it?”

Nothing more, nothing less.

Now the red heat grows in your heart and head. You undo the change in your records and get ready to start over from the beginning. You’re writing the whole post again and you don’t even know if this offering will be more acceptable than the last.

You wish you understood your editor more and could get more out of your relationship, but at the moment all they want is for you to do something “right”, whatever that is. Your editor feels like a distant God, setting commandments but then not accepting the sacrifices of blog posts that you bring to their altar.

Luckily, even if you have a terrible relationship with your editor you can learn to get more out of it.

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By Sophie Lizard

All Killer, No Filler: 6 Simple Tips for Concise Writing

Brevity is the whatsit of thing.

You know the one I mean. Wit. Source. Other way around.

And conciseness, well, it’s similar only more important.

Conciseness is a skill that not enough bloggers take the time to develop. One that, if you demonstrate you’ve mastered it, will win you plenty of work even when other bloggers struggle to get hired.

It isn’t mere brevity. It isn’t only clarity. It’s a special, sparkling combination of the two that gives exactly the amount of information the reader needs, as briefly as possible without sacrificing any important details.

Say you have 500 words to write. You could write 500 smart, well-chosen words and make everyone (your readers, your clients, your editors, your bank) very happy. Or you could dish up 150 of the good stuff surrounded by 350 of fluff and redundancy.

A 3000-word epic blog post is still concise if every one of those words serves a purpose. Length is not the measure of conciseness. Value is.

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By Sarah Li Cain

How a Zombie Apocalypse Can Help You in Your Blogging Career

You’re all alone.

You haven’t showered in weeks.

You’re eating moldy bread.

You sleep with one eye open and carry a dagger with you.

Congrats! You’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Wait a minute. This is a blog about freelance blogging! What do zombies have to do with dreams of freelancing success?

Think about it. Both require a special set of skills in order to survive. Whether you’re fending off zombies or trying to rise above other bloggers competing for jobs, it’s important to be prepared.

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By Patrick Icasas

How Becoming a Parent Made Me a Better Freelancer

Parenthood changes a lot of things, especially your career.

Your child becomes the focus of your life. That’s the way it should be, but it can be hard to keep your freelance business running while looking after your child’s daily (and hourly) needs.

Your work hours shrink from double digits to singles. You’re exhausted all the time, but you’re not earning any extra. Less, in fact — much less.

This is the same dilemma I faced when my daughter was born. She’s adorable and I love her to bits, but in between tantrums, feedings, chores, and the constant fear that she’d hurt herself right that very second if I didn’t pay attention, there wasn’t much time left for anything else.

I started falling behind with work, and my balance sheets were suffering. If something didn’t change, I was going to have to start choosing which bills to pay and which to leave “for later”.

Once my initial panic settled (it took a while for that to happen, to be honest), I took stock of my situation and realized I had to make some serious changes to the business. Here’s how I made parenting work for me as a freelance blogger.

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By Sophie Lizard

Why Your Freelancing Face Scares Rich Clients Away

When you decided to become a freelance blogger and work via the internet, you probably never thought your looks would matter.

But they do. Potential clients judge you on appearance, and some of them are backing off because they don’t like what they see. Gods, it’s like being back in high school.

So why is freelance blogging such a beauty pageant? Because, duh, you’re selling something. People buy with their senses and emotions, so when you’re selling, visuals are just as important as words.

Before you get all uppity: I’m not saying you’re ugly.

Your “freelancing face” might benefit from a makeover, though. I’m talking about your portfolio site, and at the end of this post I’m giving away a premium website facelift to help yours look gorgeous.

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