The Freelance Experiment

Freelance Progress Report: October 2009

2009-11-03T18:25:00.001-05:00

As you have probably noticed, I haven't been around much lately. It has been a crazy month with trying to balance everything. However, my class ends this week and I only have a couple weeks of clinicals left. Hopefully after those two things are out of the way I can have a little more time.On a good note, October has been a month of firsts for me. I sold my first article. I met my income goal

First Article Sold!

2009-10-19T22:24:00.005-04:00

I joined Constant Content a while back, but got busy with my other writing sites and never did anything with it. For those who aren't familiar with the site, it's one in which you can upload articles to sell for usage, unique or full rights. You choose your price. You also have the option of entertaining offers.If it sells, Constant Content takes a commission of 35% of the sale price. Provided

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-10-14T09:35:00.000-04:00

Things have been so hectic lately that I haven't had a chance to compile the roundup for a couple weeks. Hopefully this week's mega roundup will make up for it.Obviously none of us got into freelancing to work for free. However, there are some times when working for nothing can be good for your business. In a guest post at The Wealthy Freelancer, Michelle Goodman shares thoughts on when it works

The Fine Line Between Busy and Overwhelmed

2009-10-06T16:17:00.003-04:00

With my phlebotomy clinicals starting this week (tomorrow to be exact), I've been doing a lot of thinking on how I am going to balance everything. I already juggle being a SAHM, going to school 2 nights a week, handling the business end of my husband's business, dealing with his chronic illness and freelance writing. Now, with the addition of clinicals three days a week, I am wondering if my

Freelance Progress Report: September 2009

2009-10-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

September got off to a bumpy start with first my husband, then my daughter and finally me getting sick. I ended up not working for pretty much the entire first week and have been playing catch up all month to try to get to my income goal. Unfortunately, I didn't quite make it to my goal of $400. But considering I missed a week of work, I'm not displeased at coming in just $36.93 short. I ended up

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-09-23T14:41:00.004-04:00

I haven't had much time to post lately. As I mentioned in a post earlier this month, my entire family, including myself, got sick. I ended up losing close to a week of writing time. It was not exactly an ideal start for the month. I've been scrambling all month to make up for the lost income so I can still reach my goal of $400 in writing income.Anyway, on to this week's resource round up. Since

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-09-16T08:46:00.000-04:00

One thing I've found since starting my freelance writing career is that research is essential for many articles. Even if you know the subject enough to write off the top of your head, there are some sites that require you to document sources. So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite research places.If you need a study to back up a claim on something medical related, you can't go wrong with

The Importance of Breaks for Freelancers

2009-09-14T11:15:00.004-04:00

Making a full time living working from home is probably one of the top reasons people choose to leave their 9-5 for a freelancing career. However, most people fail to take into account that it takes time to build that kind of income. They find themselves working long hours, taking on any job that comes their way, trying to get to that income level. Burnout is common.Ask any freelancer what their

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-09-09T08:02:00.001-04:00

This week's roundup is all about blogs and blogging. While most of these resources focus on running your own blog, some of the tips can also be applied to paid blogging for other people.Jade Craven highlights 892 tips you can learn from some of the top bloggers on the web. Darren Rowse (Problogger), Michael Martine (Remarkablogger) and James Chartrand (Men with Pens) are only a few of the gurus

Making the Leap to Private Clients

2009-09-08T10:02:00.006-04:00

Since starting my journey to become a freelance writer in April, I have stuck to content sites. I have browsed the various freelance job sites, but haven't taken a chance on applying or bidding for anything. Considering how well suited I was to several, I'm kicking myself for letting fear of getting turned down stand in my way.However, the last few weeks have shown me that if I can just get a

When Missing a Deadline is Unavoidable

2009-09-05T11:50:00.005-04:00

For a freelance writer, or any freelancer for that matter, missing deadlines reflects badly. Miss too many and you get a reputation for being unreliable. However, there are times when missing a deadline is unavoidable due to circumstances beyond your control. How you handle these situations can go a long way in the client's impression of you.Murphy's Law states that if anything can go wrong, it

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-09-02T09:56:00.003-04:00

This week's roundup will focus on running your freelance business. No matter how good a freelance writer you are, you will need some business skills to survive as a freelancer.To start, we should know what not to do when starting out as a freelancer.If you are considering leaving your 9-5 for a freelance career, check out the get started now guide to becoming self employed at Zen Habits. If you

Freelance Progress Report: August 2009

2009-09-01T08:46:00.000-04:00

August was my best month to date. Early in the month I set an ambitious goal of $400 in income from freelance writing. I'm thrilled to say I did reach that goal and even passed it by a few dollars. The new system of scheduling writing jobs is definitely paying off.In last month's progress report, I mentioned that I had picked up two new freelance writing gigs and would discuss them more once I

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-08-26T09:05:00.006-04:00

In this week's roundup, I want to focus on applying for jobs. As freelancers, we'll be spending a lot of time looking for and applying for jobs.First, check out Deb Ng's list of 12 things to do before applying for a freelance writing job.Next, work on your resume. Learn how to make it stand out from the pack. If you missed my post on creating a writer's resume earlier this month, take a look to

10 Reasons Freelancing Might Not Be for You

2009-08-24T15:47:00.004-04:00

To many people, freelancing may seem like a dream job. There's no punching a time clock. You can take off when you want. If you don't feel like doing something, you can turn down the job. For those that actually attempt a freelancing career, reality may come as a rude shock. So before you tell your boss exactly what they can do with their job, check out these ten reasons freelancing might not be

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-08-19T11:07:00.009-04:00

If you accept Paypal payments from clients for your freelance writing, you may be getting a little less than expected from now on. While personal accounts used to be able to receive money for free, Paypal has now added fees for certain transfers. Check out Paypal Doubles Fees, Forgets to Tell Customers for more details. This move may mean less money in your pocket now, but keep in mind that

Pros and Cons of Writing Packages

2009-08-17T12:34:00.004-04:00

Writing packages consist of multiple articles. Occasionally packages are for articles on related topics, but more often they cover the same topic. For the most part, I enjoy doing packages. However, there are some drawbacks.ProsResearch is faster. Instead of having to research each individual article, you can research the subject once and do all the writing from a single research session.Clients

Scheduling Writing Jobs

2009-08-16T15:09:00.009-04:00

When I first started taking assignments, I would write them down in my planner on the due date and time and would often actually write the article the same day it was due.However, with everything I have going on in my life, I realized that odds were something was going to happen to prevent me from finishing my work on time. I started scheduling jobs a day or two before they were truly due in

Promoting Your Writing

2009-08-15T10:05:00.006-04:00

If you write for content sites that pay for page views such as Ehow or Associated Content, getting traffic to your writing is important if you want it to earn money. While SEO (search engine optimization) and good writing may attract some traffic, promoting your writing exposes more people to your work.RedGage is one method of promoting your writing. After registering for free, users can upload

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-08-12T08:26:00.007-04:00

No one wants to put a lot of work into applying for a writing job only to find out that it's a scam. James of Men With Pens shares three scams freelancers face and how to avoid them. It is an older post (September 2007), but many of these scams are still in use today.If you're writing content for the web, search engine optimization, often referred to as SEO, is something you need to know about.

Busy, but Productive

2009-08-10T10:26:00.008-04:00

Last week was very busy, but also quite productive for me. I finally hit my writing groove and managed to knock out almost $100 in articles. I'm well on my way to my August goal of $400 in writing income. I may even end up surpassing my goal. The addition of two more sites at the end of last month definitely helped as I have more options for income.My new system for writing has helped a lot.

The Weekly Resource RoundUp

2009-08-05T11:06:00.007-04:00

A few more good resources this week. If you know of any that may be helpful to me or other readers, please comment and let me know.If you're looking for information on how to monitor for content theft or how to deal with it if you find it, you need to check out Hey That Blogger Stole My Content at Blog World Expo.If you're constantly fighting distraction, then check out 155 ways to work at home

How to Create a Freelance Writer's Resume

2009-08-03T12:01:00.006-04:00

As in a lot of other jobs, freelance writers sometimes find themselves in need of a resume in order to apply for a desired position. While a traditional resume will sometimes suffice, a writer's resume is a better choice. A writers resume focuses on your writing skills and experience. Any training related to either writing or the type of writing you will be doing should also be included.If you're

Freelance Progress Report: July 2009

2009-08-01T01:05:00.004-04:00

July ended up being a pretty hectic month for me and I fell short of my income goal. Between my husband and my father-in-law both being hospitalized and running here and there taking everyone for doctor's appointments and tests, I wasn't home that much. When I was home, a lot of my time went towards designing new business cards and a website for my husband's business.Most of my writing was done

The Weekly Resource Round Up

2009-07-29T10:33:00.003-04:00

This week's round up has a few more goodies for you. If you have good resource or tool to share, let me know by commenting.If you're feeling frazzled, stop by and check out Will Write for Chocolate for a laugh break. The comics never fail to make me smile.Are you in personal branding prison? James Chartrand of Men With Pens offers some great advice about branding on a Copyblogger guest post.Laura

Back to School

2009-07-28T09:43:00.005-04:00

Tonight, I go back to school. Considering I've been out of school 8 years, it's a bit of a scary thought, but I'm excited as well. Initially, school shouldn't interfere with my writing. My classes will be only two nights a week so I can continue to write during the day and late at night as I do now. Once I start clinicals, however, I'll have to rework my writing schedule as I've been advised that

The Weekly Resource Round Up

2009-07-22T14:18:00.004-04:00

Note to readers: The Weekly Resource Round Up is a new feature and will appear every Wednesday. I spend a couple hours each week browsing the internet in search of information related to freelance writing. I'm constantly coming across some great information and tools and wanted to share them with you to help you in your own journey.Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs shares 50 Places that Hire

Writing for Magazines

2009-07-18T10:06:00.006-04:00