Writer's Journey

You thought you'd try your hand at freelance writing since you love to write. You did your research, made connections online, and managed to find yourself a client or two.  Then, you sit back, and write. Right?  You are so WRONG.  Freelance writing is so much more than just writing. Writers write. Freelance writers run a business. In fact, there are things you will have to do that will make you re-consider or think that you've gotten yourself in over your head.  Let's see...  Your client has requested that you write two SEO-friendly articles per week and post them to his WordPress blog. In turn, he will pay you $x. Sounds easy enough. You've got this for sure. Hold up. Wait -- have you ever used WordPress? A quick google search brings you to some nice tutorials on the program and you feel confident to proceed.  You begin writing and realize that you let the client believe you knew more about Canadian Mining that you actually d...

Life of normal folks: Put in a solid 8-hour workday at the office. Head home, relaxing to some tunes on the commute.  Throw a quick dinner together (or order takeout). Watch some tv.  Catch up on social media.  Throw in a load of laundry.  Go to bed and start all over tomorrow.  Life of a freelancer: Wake up and shower.  Sit down with your laptop and breakfast. Walk the dogs for the 2nd time. Clean up your breakfast dishes.  Get the kids up and make them breakfast.  Walk the dogs again. Check your email.  Start a new article.  Hear the dryer buzz and go switch the laundry.  Get sidetracked by more dishes in the sink. Wash them.  Get halfway through your article.  See an email come in that you need to address right away.  Dogs need walked again.  Remember that you wanted to sweep and mop today, so you stop and do that.   Then decide ...

As a writer, I have been witness to a few different reactions when I respond to a question asking what I do for a living. Most usually come with a nod of the head and a slight, nearly-inaudible, hmm... sound. Others give a look of pity. And, then there are the very few who reply with a quick, " Oh, nice! " and move on.  It doesn't matter who asks, I nearly cringe every time I hear, "So, Michelle, what do you do?" Because the initial response is almost always followed up with, "Have you been published?" Now, yes, they could be sincerely asking the question. And, they are likely not intending to do the damage they do. But, it happens. Every time.  The funny thing is that even when you are published, the feeling still holds true because you are still aiming to get your book published, increase your readers and platform, or find yourself published with a more reputable news source. It is always an upward climb (that often feels stagnant). In...

If you are a writer, then you likely already know when you are your most productive. However, if you are just starting out and trying to find a balance between your writing and the real world, you've likely faced a lot of frustration.  Have you ever taken your car to the mechanic and were told that your "simple repair" will take "about 30 minutes" - only to find that you are still waiting on your car two hours later? No matter the profession, we all think that what we do will be finished faster than it really it is. Perhaps it is a good thing that we give ourselves so much credit. But - truth-be-told - it leads to a lot of aggravation when you realize you have over-scheduled yourself. You know that anxiety-ridden overwhelmed feeling you get when you are staring at your deadlines. Did you ever think that maybe you have been scheduling your time to write during your least-productive hours? Perhaps if you decided to write when during peak product...

You write something phenomenal -- and people read it. Then what? You just let them get away? You let them move on to the next article or continue strolling through their news feed?  NO! Make them do something. Make them want to do something.  A call-to-action, a.k.a. CTA , is a marketing technique used to get the reader to take action. It is an incredibly common tool, too - for good reason. CTAs work wonders for getting potential customers to take a specific action. For instance, sign up for a service, sign up for a free trial of a service, sign up for a free email course or e-book, or even sign up to gain a free consultation. A CTA could also simply convince your readers to connect on social media. Grow your network and transform your readers into future customers - all because of a little CTA. Sounds great, doesn't it?  So, if this technique works so well, why don't we use it for something good? (I know, I know, transitioning leads into customers...

It happens. No matter how much you try to stay focused on what you need to get done, procrastination quietly starts peeping at you from around the corner waiting for just the right moment to pounce. Sometimes, whether we like to admit it or not, we fall victim to it -- we become the procrastination's prey.   There is no sense in getting your knickers in a knot. When you find yourself in this situation, all you need to do is face procrastination head on. Look it in the eye and remind it who the boss is. ( That's you -- you are the boss ). Then, do something else for a bit until you can regain your focus.  Choose one of these 7 things to do while procrastinating.  1. Clean out your inbox.  If there is one thing that can get out of hand quickly, it is an email inbox. Moment by moment, 24 hours per day, this inbox is wide open for receiving. If you are overly efficient, then perhaps you have rules set up that automatically direct each piece of incoming m...

Being a writer doesn't mean you always find yourself sitting in front of your laptop. It is actually very easy -- and common -- to tell yourself that you can put your writing off until tomorrow and all will be ok. And, it may very well be, but only for the moment.  Take a moment to consider the effects of your procrastination: Your deadlines are pushed back, your client’s work is delayed, and you are keeping someone on hold from reading your impactful words.  So, is your laundry/ Netflix binge watching/ cleaning house/ lunch with an old friend/ ____________________ (fill in your poison) worth the outcome? Life gets busy. Trust me, I understand this all too well. And, when you are working from home and for yourself, it is easy to get pulled in many different directions. Put your delays and procrastination to an end. Now. Here are 6 ways that you can effectively get your work done AND do what you want to do. 1. Stay organized. Get yourself a cale...