Well my new section “Freelance Friday” is here and I’ve got nothing. But since it’s my blog I guess I can highlight myself and tell you a little about what’s in store for some upcoming features.

Mayhem & Madness: I’ve recently started a weekly event specifically for fiction writers called Monday Mayhem & Madness. This is a Monday event where writers can share what they are working on, what they’re putting their characters through (or their characters are putting them through), plots, schemes, frustrations–anything the fiction writer goes through and wants to share.

This event is to help fiction writers meet others through comments and camaraderie. It’s a lot of fun to share and mingle with other writers.

Wednesday Writing Sprint: This is also a weekly event but it’s for all writers–fiction, freelance, poets, etc. The scope of this event is to get as much writing accomplished in this one day as you possibly can. Turn off email, Twitter, whatever you use to network during the week and just ignore it for one day a week so you can concentrate on your writing.

Drop in each week for the Wednesday Writing Sprint and share what you’re working on. I know it’s a contradiction since we’re supposed to unplug–but it really is a great motivator to share with other writers.

And then of course, we have Freelance Friday. I’m not completely sure what I want to do with it yet. I do know since I love fiction and freelance, I want the best of both worlds here at The Scribe and I want all writers to feel welcome here.

Freelance Friday will have some guest posts from great freelance writers around the Internet. I don’t know how soon that will happen, but it’s in the plans. I could call this Fun Friday instead. Any thoughts?

I want The Scribe to be informative, but also a fun place for writers to hang out and share their passion.

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We will be adding some new features here at the Stafford Scribe. One of them being Freelance Friday where we will cover many topics in the world of freelance writing. At times we will even showcase some of the most talented freelance writers on the web.

Other features will be announced soon. Look for The Scribe’s Scope in an upcoming post.

If you feel you have something to contribute to our Freelance Friday section, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d love to hear from you.

Be sure to check out the Guest Blogging guidelines. Don’t worry, they are really easy.

Happy Writing!

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So you’ve decided to become a writer.  Welcome to the hardest “easy” job on the planet.  Or you’ve written a book and you’re ready to start submitting your work of art to publishers.  Are you ready for rejection?  It’s a sad reality we all must face and in the beginning of your writing career it can be very heart breaking. But, you will get rejected.  Expect it.  According to some of the greatest and most well known authors on the planet, if you’re lucky, you’ll get hundreds of rejections.

Why would getting that many rejections be good?  Because it means you’re writing consistently and getting your manuscript or article in front of editors and publishers; it means you haven’t given up, you have passion.  You will need that passion and that excitement to stay the course.  If you don’t have it now, you might as well give up on being a writer or just hang out with your blog until you do get it.

Stephen King, one of the greatest writers of all time, and whether you like his work or not, you have to admit he is the master, received hundreds of rejections and was even told to give up writing.  Did he?  Well obviously not or he wouldn’t be so well known.  If you’ve never read his book, “On Writing“, you need to.  I was under the impression (once upon a time) that writers like Stephen never had a rejection in their life.  Turns out, the greats have  had more rejections than anyone because they kept writing and sending out submissions.

Do you have the passion it will take to get those rejections?  It’s not easy and it can hurt your ego, but if you’ve got the passion to ride it out and keep at it, great things can happen.  You will go through periods that you want to quit- it’s understandable, but you’ll never get published if you quit.  Find a support group if you need to, but don’t stop working on your dream and passion.

Even if you want to strictly write online as a freelancer, don’t give up.  Sometimes a hiatus is necessary, but you need to keep writing during your down time.

What’s your tips for staying focused and keeping the passion alive through rejection?

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How many ads do you skim that ask for writing samples?  Almost all of them, right?  I’ve posted before about not sending freelance writing samples and why.  Read: Never Send a Potential Client “Writing Samples”.

But I wonder if I should re-think this position.  I personally believe if you have an online portfolio with writing samples included, this should suffice as to whether or not you can write well.  I’m also thinking there may be another way to let the client see your work, while protecting it at the same time. Hearing back from them will still remain to be seen and I will post an update if and when I test this new theory.

My new theory is to send the potential client the writing sample, but make sure it’s already on your website with a copyscape protected logo.  Also send the potential client the link to that page on your site under the article itself.

This way, they get a writing sample in the body of your email, but they also become aware that if they use it without your permission (as many have) that it’ll be duplicate material and caught by copyscape.

I suggest you decide which niche topics you prefer to write on, write some sample articles and then upload them to your website for future use to send to clients for writing samples.  I see no reason why freelance writers have to create something new for each client when you can show your ability in your niche topic with one or two samples already written.  After all, a photographer does not go take new pictures for every client they apply for.  They build a single portfolio, add to it with their best work, and it speaks for itself.

Anyone have any thoughts on this?  Do you have a better way to deal with writing samples?

Happy Writing,
Patti Stafford

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1) Set specific goals.
“A DREAM written down with a date becomes a GOAL. A
goal broken down becomes a PLAN. A plan backed by ACTION
makes your dream come true.”
Greg S Reid

2) Set up a Daily To Do List.
Work on prioritizing the list and always work on the
most important task first. Make them realistic and
achievable. Each step you accomplish is a stepping
stone towards your dreams. Avoid procrastination if
you want to get to your dream.
3) Devote a specific amount of hours each and every
day to work on your business.
 
Do not get side tracked, especially with the endless
emails that you may get.

4) Develop a positive routine.
Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Take breaks from
your work to rejuvenate yourself throughout the day.
5)  Stay organized and focused.
Tape your goal list to the wall of your office so you
can be reminded of what you are striving towards each
day.
6)  Check your email ONCE every hour and not every few
minutes. This can be very devastating to your routine,
as you will be easily side tracked from your intentions.
7)   Have FUN!
Make sure you enjoy the time you spend working on your
business or you won’t accomplish your long term goals.

Happy Writing,
Patti Stafford

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by Angela Swanlund

Freelancing refers to the process of offering your services for someone else on a per project basis. The best way to explain this is through an example.

Supposing you possess excellent writing skills. There are millions (and I’m not exaggerating) of webmasters and internet marketers out there who are in need of fresh content and new products on a daily basis. Their demand for digitally written works is so great that even if they are blessed with just as much writing prowess, they won’t have the time to come up with everything that they need. Hence, they resort to outsourcing.

And this is where you enter the picture.

As a freelancer offering your writing services for a fee, you could take in some projects they will give you. You will be paid per delivery, and once that’s done, you could take in more clients for consistent earnings.

But freelancing is not only limited to writing, or ghostwriting as it is technically known. There are other services that you could offer, depending on the area of proficiency you possess. Here are more examples:

* graphic creation and design
* web creation and design
* software development
* data encoding
* translation to specific languages
* marketing consultancy
* strategic placement consultancy

There are more, of course, ranging from something as complex as creating advanced scripts to something as seemingly trivial but as surprisingly effective as forum posting (yes, I kid you not! You’ll get paid per post you make!). The bottom line is, if you have some services to offer that can be delivered digitally, freelancing is always available for you.

There are advantages and disadvantages to this earning opportunity. Let’s take a look at the distinct benefits you can reap from this option.

* You can work anytime you want, from the comforts of your own home. Your only concern is to deliver high quality products on or before the deadline your client has set.

* Freelancing requires minimal investment, or none at all. Promoting your services can be done without spending a single cent. But as with everything else, the best advertising vehicles are often those which you have to pay for. Be that as it may, you won’t be promoting heavily, and any financial investment you will be forced to make will not cost you a fortune.

* You have the liberty to accept the projects that you want, and turn down the projects you’re not happy about. Orders will come from your clients, but you remain your own boss.

It’s not entirely a bed of roses for freelancing. Let’s take a look at the disadvantages of this trade.

* You will earn an amount equivalent to the work you have done. If you could only do so much in one day, you could only earn just as much. Surpassing that threshold is quite improbable.

* You will have to work, many hours on occasions. Freelancing may afford you certain liberties, but the same principle applies: no work, no pay.

* Expansion is also quite improbable. You’re only a single person. There is only so much you could do.

* Your orders would be dependent on how efficiently you market your services. There are other earning opportunities that promise more rewards for less work using the same marketing vehicles you will be forced to take.

If you want to dabble in freelancing, here are some splendid places where you could advertise your services and solicit some clients:

www.elance.com

www.rentacoder.com

www.scriptlance.com

www.guru.com

The choice is yours, dear friend. If you’re looking for sure profit fast, then freelancing is a great option indeed. But if you want to plan long-term, I suggest that you explore other earning opportunities as well.

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