We freelance writers spend a lot of time writing in our home offices, or whatever corner of our home we’ve dedicated for our business.Wherever you write in your home needs to be conducive to getting your writing done. Let’s look at the basics of … [Continue reading]
If you stay in the freelance writing business long enough, you'll eventually have to renegotiate a deadline.Whether you are a freelance writer or a book author or you work for someone else, missing a work deadline is bad. I pride myself on … [Continue reading]
The Boston Marathon bombings shocked and saddened me, as they did many other people in the United States and abroad.At first I wasn't going to post this week. But as I reflected on how life can so easily and suddenly be snuffed out, I thought … [Continue reading]
Here it is: live a long, happy, healthy life.All of my other goals are actually sub-goals in the service of this one over-arching goal.I have goals for exercise, diet, freelance writing income, information products income, learning, time … [Continue reading]
Why is punctuality such an important time management skill for freelance writers? Simple -- punctuality is a sign of someone who is organized and trustworthy.If you want editors to give you freelance writing projects, or get people you care about … [Continue reading]
Many freelance writers don't give much thought to writing for nonprofit organizations, but some nonprofits pay writers quite well. Here's my story... Freelance Writing for a Higher Education Nonprofit I'm primarily a higher education writer. I … [Continue reading]
And I'm on a two-week hiking and camping vacation in southern Utah right now.I've written about how I often go camping when I need to get a lot of freelance writing done, and I've also written about the importance of time alone for boosting … [Continue reading]
Making you a more productive and better-paid freelance writer is the prime goal of ProductiveWriters.com.Today I'm sharing with you the 10 most important productivity posts from the blog. I suggest you read the 2-3 posts that are most important … [Continue reading]
I've written about the freelance writer's home office, how a writer should sit at a computer, and soon I'll publish a post about how to decorate your home office.Now it's time to discuss... The Freelance Writer's Music ChoicesOf course … [Continue reading]
As freelance writers we're often asked by editors or clients to make changes in our writing. The Big Question: How Well Do You Respond? First see how the guy in this 44-second vid deals with the question (F-bomb alert):(Big shout out to Tom … [Continue reading]
For you to be a truly productive writer, your body must feel good and your brain must be in top form. An important component for both is getting enough sleep at night.How do you know if you are not getting enough sleep? Simple: how do you feel … [Continue reading]
I still love print books and I have a substantial number of them.But I recently got rid of most of my print books, and here's why...It takes time, space, and energy to keep a lot of books. You need room to store them. And just seeing all … [Continue reading]
When and how should a freelance writer use an e-mail auto-response to potential clients? What are the possible payoffs and potential pitfalls? Freelance E-Mail Auto-Response: A Real-Life Example A few months ago I exchanged a couple of e-mails with … [Continue reading]
If you want to be a successful freelance writer, you must overcome writer's block and procrastination. How much have these two maladies cost you in your freelance career?Fortunately, I have a solution for you: 50 Ways to Beat Writer's Block and … [Continue reading]
We all have a certain times of the day or night in which we get the most writing done with the best quality. This varies from person to person, and it can change over the course of your life.I go to bed early and get up early, and I do much of my … [Continue reading]
As productive freelance writers, we want to get many high paying jobs and get them done as efficiently as possible. Winning multiple assignments is a great way to do this. Two Main Ways to Get More Freelance Writing Assignments First, you get … [Continue reading]
It’s simple: The healthier you are, the better you feel and the more you accomplish in all areas of your life, including your freelance writing.If you’re sick, you obviously don’t feel well and you won’t get much done, writing or … [Continue reading]
Why should freelance writers check their spam folders?There’s one obvious answer: sometimes a legitimate e-mail gets dumped there. The Great Freelance Writing Project Sitting in My Spam Folder So I’m scanning my spam folder a couple of months … [Continue reading]
As a freelance writer and a human being, productivity and happiness are top priorities for me, and I was already aware of the negative effects of the Internet on my own cognitive processes and ability to feel fully alive when I read The Shallows: … [Continue reading]
Every Freelance Writer Needs a Business Card It doesn't matter what you write about, or what you specialize in, there will be times when you talk to someone interested in your freelance writing services, or who knows someone who could be interested … [Continue reading]
If you want to be a successful freelance writer, you must write well.You don’t have to be a perfectionist, but you do need to write clearly and with very few punctuation, grammar, and spelling errors. You can learn to do this through studying the … [Continue reading]
Freelance writers’ lives are usually quite busy. But busy with what?Often we are busy doing things that don’t matter, or actually detract from our lives. And that’s why we should practice simplicity.To me, simplicity means simplifying life as … [Continue reading]
All beginning and intermediate freelance writers will benefit immensely from joining the Freelance Writers Den.Just in case you haven't heard about the Den, it's a top-notch membership site with over 400 members. It's run by Den mothers Carol … [Continue reading]
We all use Google, but are you making the best use of it?Finding what you need on the Internet as efficiently as possible is crucial to your productivity, so here's a great graphic that will help you, courtesy of HackCollege.com...Also … [Continue reading]
I'll get right to the technique: no Internet before breakfast.Let me explain.I'm an early riser. I'm in bed by 10 and I'm up around 5. I use these early hours to get a power start to the day by getting a substantial chunk of a freelance … [Continue reading]