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PITCHFEST: The Time is NOW!

This month’s theme is all about time: using it, saving it, managing it, billing for it…

So, in the interest of saving us all some time, let’s get right to the contest!

We Want to Hear YOUR Ideas

In case you’re not familiar, Pitchfest is a blog post pitching contest we run here on Be a Freelance Blogger every three months. You tell us your blog post idea and we choose our favorites, with prizes of up to $100 for the winners.

The contest starts today.

Your theme for this Pitchfest

This time we’re looking for pitches on the theme of “time.”

Interpret that theme any way you like! It could be anything from how to write faster blog posts for clients, how to bill for the time you’ve worked, or how to manage your time as a blogger when you’ve got newborn twins and three puppies to look after — anything!

We’re looking forward to seeing what YOU come up with.

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By Pinar Tarhan

Plans B, C, D, and Beyond to Keep Sane and Prolific as a Freelance Blogger

“Do you honestly believe I don’t have a plan B? And if that fails a plan C? Then a plan… You know how the alphabet goes, don’t you?” Katherine Pierce says in The Vampire Diaries, episode 6 of season 2 after Salvatore brothers, her arch-enemies and former lovers, take care of her plan A.

Though she’s one of the villains of the show and makes life very difficult for my favorite characters, she has my respect due to her strategic thinking. Freelance bloggers should take a page or two out of her planning book – just not the evil endgame part.

Because like life and all compelling TV, freelancing can be maddeningly unpredictable. Unexpected illnesses, recurring health problems, romantic distractions, loss of loved ones, disappearing clients, constantly changing editors, and more keep you on your toes, terrified to look at your bank balance.

Luckily, you already took efficient measures to keep one step ahead of the damn fast curveballs: your plans B, C, D and beyond:

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By DeAnna Knippling

Procrastination: When You’re Too Scared to Start Freelance Blogging

You’ve blocked off your freelance blogging time, you have your clients and assignments all lined up, everything is ready to go…

…and you’re cruising around on social media, not sure why you can’t get started. You’re miserable and overwhelmed with stress. You open your word processing program, check the client’s requirements, and take a few seconds to research one last thing…

…and it’s three hours later, your mental energy has drained like a tub with a leaky plug, and you’re playing a video game with your neighbor’s six-year-old kid (and losing). You’ve done solitaire, Words With Friends, Angry Birds, Farmville and…

You still haven’t started your blogging for the day. You mean to. Really you do. But every time you try to get started, your throat tightens up, your stomach clenches, you get distracted by a Facebook ad for car insurance, and before you realize it, you’ve wasted the day.

On top of which, you haven’t made your earning goals, and…you start going broke doing nothing when you very much want to be doing something.

So much for following your dreams.

Here’s how to start recognizing the habit of procrastination and learn what steps you can take to negotiate with your inner two-year-old and their delaying tactics.

Instead of continuing a cycle of trying to guilt yourself into writing, using up all your willpower, then collapsing into mindless time-killers, let’s look at procrastination itself: if it were mere laziness, then you wouldn’t be so stressed!

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By Jessica Denne

5 Backup Plans for New Freelance Bloggers

The first, most difficult lesson that aspiring freelancers learn? Most clients do not want you.

To be successful, it is important that you come to terms with the fact that there are clients out there who do not, and will not ever, want any of your work.

Likewise, it is equally important that despite these rejections, you remain confident in yourself and your writing abilities. As long as you continue working to improve your writing, and as long as you do not give up on yourself, then you are bound to find success on your path to publication.

If you are just starting out, and are struggling with either the rejections from clients, or with maintaining confidence in your endeavors despite these rejections, then I strongly encourage you to refer to these 5 backup plans required for success in the field of freelance blogging:

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By Lauren Spear

PITCHFEST: Maintaining Your Professional Freelance Blogging Integrity

[Note from Sophie: Yes, this is a Pitchfest announcement with the usual $100 prize. But don’t skip to the contest – first, Lauren has some helpful advice to share with you about how to spare yourself the horror of working on a project that goes against your personal ethics and values.]

When it comes to freelance blogging, what you don’t do is just as important as what you do.

Every once in a while, you’ll be faced with a tough decision, and you’ll have to look deep inside yourself to see what you’re truly capable of. Are you willing to sell out an entire race just to feed your family? Is earning a paycheck more important than your humanity?

Earlier this year, I was hired by what I’d assumed to be a legitimate publication. I quickly found out that they were peddling hate speech and wanted ME to write it for them. I refused and removed myself from the project.

From there, I wrote a few posts on my personal website about my views on certain issues – sexuality, racism, etc. – so that future clients wouldn’t be confused about where I stand. I made it clear that I don’t tolerate hate, and that I refuse to write about it (unless it’s in the context of stopping said hate).

This put me in the Famine part of the Feast or Famine cycle for a while. Turning down a high-paying job is never easy, even if you believe strongly in your moral convictions.

However, thanks to the posts I made, I ended up with one of the best jobs of my career. They liked what I had to say on issues that were important to them. Because we were in synch on the tough issues, we ended up getting along incredibly well – and I fully back their company’s mission statement.

By sharing a little about my personal views, I was able to weed out the clients who were bad for me; and draw in the clients who were a perfect fit. It was a risky move, but well worth it.

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