Freelance-Advice.com » get started writing

Scheduling A Telephone Interview

Catherine Tully — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 08:00:45 +0000

Keep in mind that when you are scheduling a telephone interview you will need to know where the person you will be talking to is located. For example, I’m on Central Standard Time (CST), so if I’m interviewing someone on the East coast (EST), I’ll need to clarify if we are doing the interview at 2 pm my time or their time…

It’s embarassing to get this one wrong, and it takes just a minute to find out ahead of time. Build that into your inquiry and you won’t get burned.

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Setting Up A Twitter Account

Catherine Tully — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:31:25 +0000

One of the best ways to get started with social media is to set up a Twitter account. It only takes a minute–you just provide a name, username, password and e-mail. Agree to the terms of service, and you are all set. Try to follow some people who are in the writing industry to get started, and send out a few “tweets”…

Just remember to keep them under 140 characters.

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Tip for Finding New Clients

Yolander Prinzel — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:37:18 +0000

If you are on the prowl for some new clients, do a quick Google search of your specialty followed by the words, “writers needed.” You will find many websites and blogs that have need, at least occasionally, for writers like you.

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Become a Better Writer

Yolander Prinzel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:33:17 +0000

Not all writers have all grammar rules memorized. In fact, I bet 90% of them don’t. Here are some quick resources to help improve your writing, from a grammatical standpoint:

Grammar Girl

Online Writing Lab from Purdue (umm…no, not like the chicken)

Guide to Grammar and Writing

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Find Your Good Quotes Here

freelance — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:32:47 +0000

If you are looking for a place to find reliable quotes, try education. University professors are very responsible and can often provide you with a great quote or two in a timely fashion. Just look for an expert in the area you need and send off an e-mail–or leave a phone message. One caveat–this doesn’t work well in the summer months when many educators are off doing other things.

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Prove, Prove, Prove

Yolander Prinzel — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:07:10 +0000

Your portfolio should not have claims on it, it should have proof. Instead of claiming that you are the “best copywriter” show your conversion ratios on some of your best pieces. Instead of claiming your are an “expert” this or that, show that you are by talking about your experience, the companies you’ve worked for, and your education.

The words “expert” and “best” on a portfolio are usually a smokescreen for “inexperienced” and “exaggeration” and those are not words that sell.

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Unproductive Time–Part of the Creative Process

Yolander Prinzel — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:47:00 +0000

Writers and other creatives can not be expected to perform on demand like trained seals. Sometimes, when I’m supposed to be writing, I find myself drifting off to websites like E! Online, CNN.com, PerezHilton.com and others. I used to feel guilty when I did this, like there was something bad about it. Then I realized that in the back of my mind, as I lazily wander the internet, I’m actually working on the right voice, intro and path for the articles I need to eventually write.

So don’t force yourself to sit down and write, write, write. Allow yourself the time between writing and deadlines to wander a bit and do some mindless zoning. You’d be surprised how much better your writing sounds when you aren’t forcing it.

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Form Healthy Work Habits Early

freelance — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:57:55 +0000

If you are a new writer you have a great opportunity–you can form healthy work habits from the beginning! Many writers get stuck in a rut and don’t take breaks to rest their eyes, or to get a bit of physical activity in during the day. Take advantage of the fact that you don’t have a pattern yet, and build some healthy activities into your routine.

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Breaking Through Writer’s Block

Yolander Prinzel — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 04:11:49 +0000

Wanna know how to bust through writer’s block? Just write. Don’t worry about whether or not what you write is good enough for your client, don’t worry about whether or not it makes sense, don’t worry about whether or not it’s spelling-challenged or grammatically correct, just write your thoughts about whatever topic you want.

For most of us, writer’s block stems from a fear–either that we’ve run out of words, angles or ideas, or we aren’t good enough, or that we don’t understand a topic–or that we just plain can’t write. When you let yourself go stream-of-consciousness and write it out, the fear goes away.

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Free Business Cards

Yolander Prinzel — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:30:49 +0000

Need some business cards but all outta cash? Try this offer for 100 free business cards from Ooprint. Now look, no excuses not to network!

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