Blog Archives

How to Be a Freelance Writer: 8 Tips for a Mindset Makeover

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 10 Comments ↓

Mindset Makeover: How to Be a Freelance Writer. Makealivingwriting.com

If you want to learn how to be a freelance writer, what’s your game plan for bad days, self-doubt, and lack of motivation?

How’s your mindset? Optimistic or doomed to fail?

If you’re the latter (even once in a while), those little thoughts that cross your mind when you’re about to hit send, sign a contract, quote a project, or wonder if you can actually make money writing can wreak havoc.

  • What if I’m not good enough?
  • Should I charge this much?
  • Can I really make a living writing?
  • I’ll never be as good as her at writing.

When you’re hustling to learn how to be a freelance writer, there’s a good chance you work alone…in isolation…and your thoughts can make or break you.

Ever felt depressed, anxious, or fearful that you’ll fail as a freelance writer? Do those thoughts and limiting beliefs keep you from marketing, being creative, or making more money?

It happens. Just about everyone who’s traveled the path to learn how to be a freelance writer experiences some kind of struggle. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Ready for a mindset makeover for freelance success? Here’s what you need to know.

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Writing Contest: Share Your Biggest Freelance Fear to Win

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 58 Comments ↓

Writing Contest: Share Your Biggest Freelance Fear. Makealivingwriting.com

What’s your biggest freelance fear, and how did you overcome it? Enter our writing contest for a chance to win.

Fear has a way of holding you back as a freelance writer. It suffocates creativity. It gets in the way of taking risk. Let it dominate your thoughts, and fear prevents you from putting yourself out there, marketing, sending query letters, connecting, pitching your dream clients. Sound familiar?

When fear plagues your freelance writing career, it’s like being in the middle of a Stranger Things episode. You’re expecting the Mind Flayer or the Demogorgon to rip you to shreds at any minute. Only it never really happens.

But if you don’t face your fears, fight back, and pursue your freelance writing goals, the results can be devastating. You roll around on the floor. You procrastinate. Days, weeks, months, maybe even years go by in this state of mind. That’s a terrifying thought.

In this writing contest, we want to hear about your gnarliest freelance writing fear, and what you did to overcome it. Check out the rules for the writing contest and prizes for winners.

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Crazy Schedule? 8 Writer-Recommended Tools for Time Management

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 2 Comments ↓

Crazy Schedule? Time-Management Tools for Writers. Makealivingwriting.com

How are your time management skills as a freelance writer?

If you’re in a constant frenzy trying to keep up with clients, deadlines, marketing, and everything else on your to-do list, you’re not alone.

Your work day ever look like this? Check email, work on client project, check social media, work on client project, buy stuff on Amazon, work on client project…

It’s a recipe for missing deadlines, killing creativity, wasting a ton of time, and leaving money on the table from clients ready to pay you.

What can you do to get a handle on time management?

When Den 2X member and freelance writer Stacy Stein asked for some help  with time management (after surviving the summer with kids at home while trying to write), our freelance writer community came to the rescue.

Got a plan in place to manage your freelance schedule during the holidays? Ready to boost productivity and set yourself up for success in 2020?

Check out these writer-recommended tips and tools for time management.

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Writer Websites That Rank Well: 8 Secrets of Top NYC Writers

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 11 Comments ↓

Writer Websites: Tips from Top NYC Writers. Makealivingwriting.com

Freelance writers sometimes overlook a critical piece of marketing that can drive traffic, generate leads, and land assignments… writer websites.

How’s your writer website?

Maybe you’ve got the basics like a home page, about page, and your portfolio. Maybe you’re still looking at writer websites to get ideas for setting up your own.

  • What should your writer website include?
  • Does design matter?
  • What makes other writer websites perform well?
  • What about SEO?
  • What can you do to stand out in a crowded niche?

These are questions an elite group of freelance writers, authors, and content marketing experts can answer.

Ask Google to help you find a “top NYC writer,” and you’ll get slammed with 19 million results. That’s more than double the Big Apple’s daytime population of 8.6 million.

So how does a NYC writer stand out online? Being smart, creative, and friendly helps. But in today’s digital world, writer websites matter, too.

So I Googled ‘Top NYC writer,” and reached out to the writers whose websites topped that search. Below, eight of those top-ranking writers share their secrets for creating writer websites that seriously get you found and hired.

Ready to launch or revamp your writer website? Here’s what you need to know.

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Query Letter Workout: 15 Proven Tips to Write a Stronger Pitch

Posted by: Evan Jensen — Be the first to comment ↓

Tips to Write a Stronger Query Letter. Makealivingwriting.com

How are your query-letter writing muscles?

Go ahead…flex. Take a good look at your best writing assignments. Happy with your results? Feeling stuck? Or just starting out?

If you’re looking for ways to move up, earn more, and land better assignments as a freelance writer, there’s always room for improvement.

Think of it like this…Writing a great query letter is a lot like lifting weights. You get stronger one rep at a time. It’s hard. It takes practice. But when you follow the right steps, you WILL get better at it.

Want stronger query-letter skills?

Maybe you’re new to freelancing and your pitch skills are weak. Or maybe your query letters are landing zero assignments, and you could use a little help.

Maybe you’re standing in the middle of the gym with a confused look on your face. It doesn’t have to be like that.

Ready for a query letter workout to strengthen your pitch skills? Let’s do this.

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Staffing Agencies for Freelance Writers: 7 Insider Tips from a Recruiter

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 14 Comments ↓

Staffing Agencies: Insider Tips to Get Freelance Work. Makealivingwriting.com

Can you find freelance work with staffing agencies?

Definitely. But you need to know what happens behind the scenes at a staffing agency when a recruiter is trying to find a writer for their client.

Here’s what usually happens. A staffing agency recruiter posts a contract job for a writer to work for one of their clients that looks something like this:

“Our client needs a copywriter who’s a natural at writing copy that’s on brand, fun, helpful, and authentic for a major company.”

Looks like a perfect writing gig for a solid client, right? So you fill out a few details online and click send. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of writers do the same thing. One writer gets the gig, and it’s not you. You never hear back.

Sound familiar? If you want to connect with staffing agencies to find freelance work, there’s something you need to know…that kind of lazy-ass marketing will fail you almost every time.

So what’s the secret to landing freelance work with staffing agencies? We talked to a veteran copywriter and staffing agency recruiter to find out…

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