[caption id="" align="alignright" width="320"] January Cottage (Photo credit: jenniferworthen)[/caption] Wow, January has been a busy month! And, as a freelancer, this is always a good thing. May the rest of 2014 follow the same pattern! I wrote some really popular articles for Feminist Times and Disability Intersections, and it was great to see such positive responses via social media. For Feminist Times I wrote, "Intrusive entitlement: disabled women as public property", about the way that many people feel that they can touch, grab and inappropriately question disabled people about their lives. I also wrote a long-form article for the exciting new online magazine Disability Intersections about food snobbery and how many people judge what others eat, without taking into account the many different personal circumstances and societal oppressions that can…
There is a lot to be said for providing valuable content, skills or expertise online for free. Offering useful information demonstrates that you know what you are talking about, it helps to show people you can be trusted, and it gives you an opportunity to get your name 'out there'. It's one of the reasons I make a freelance writing podcast - it helps to establish in potential clients' minds that I'm knowledgeable and skilled in my field. Similarly, the writing I have volunteered for non-profit websites shows editors and clients my writing style and the topics I specialise in writing about. It has also increased my profile, all of which contributes to me getting work on a daily and weekly basis. [tweetherder]Giving stuff away for free is usually good; working…
While it would be wonderful if every piece of work we undertake, as freelance writers, was thrilling and enthralling, in reality we do, at times, get assignments which are terribly boring. In this podcast episode, Lorrie provides six ideas to help you [tweetherder]create fascinating content when the topic you are writing about is deathly dull[/tweetherder]. Show Notes What should I tweet? 8 places to find fantastic content There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear our news and to talk with us about what you hear on the podcast! Transcript Hello and welcome to a Little Bird Told Me,…
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300"] English: Beibin Park, Bad weather. 中文(繁體)â¬: 天候不佳的北濱公園。 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] In a bid to get some work done on my own sites, I have decided to undertake the NaBloPoMo challenge this November, which involves publishing a blog post a day for the entire month. I spend so much of my time doing paid writing for other people's websites that my own can get sadly neglected at times, so I am using this challenge as a way to start populating my own web properties, too. Other writers are embarking on NaNoWriMo, a challenge that captures the imagination of thousands of people across the world as they try to write a 50,000 word novel in a month, and although I don't have the time or energy to do…
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="150"] English: A map of the metropolitan county of South Yorkshire, England. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] Having grown up in Lancashire, then moved to Yorkshire at 18, my accent is a strange mixture of both sides of the north, often combined with a slight twang of whoever I happen to be talking to. To have a good listen to what I sound like, you can listen to some of our podcasts! I do have a fascination with regional accents, not least because we have such a wide range of them in the UK. This video is a lovely snippet of Ian McMillen - a delightful poet from Barnsley - explaining the different accents within Yorkshire to Stephen Fry, highly adored national treasure. It is followed by a video…
We ran out of storage space for our earliest episodes. But fear not, we have made these many, many hours of freelance writing goodness available for just £10. If you want access to them all, please click Add to Cart and buy through our e-junkie account for instant access. This solo episode by Lorrie is the third in our series of three podcast episodes about money. In episode 23, I talked about how to set your freelance writing rates, and in episode 24 we discussed the practicalities of things like invoicing, chasing clients and setting payment terms. So today, Lorrie talks about under what circumstances you should consider raising your rates, and exactly how to go about it. Show Notes The Key to Creating More Remarkable Connections There are several ways to make…
I saw the call via your Twitter account for proofreaders and followed the link to find out more. I found that you are looking for people to proofread 50,000 words in a week, in exchange for an advance copy of the book. I can also see, with a quick amazon search that you are not giving away your other books for free, so if you are earning from them, it is only reasonable that you pay others for any work they do for you. My usual proofreading rate is £8 per 1,000 words. If you wanted 50,000 words in a week I would also have to add a rush fee, but even ignoring that, the fee I would request for 50,000 words is £400. Now, unless a copy of your upcoming…
I am very keen on learning new things and staying on top of the subjects I write about. I'm passionate about them and always want to know more, and I want to make sure I am reporting on topics responsibly and ethically. I have a BA degree in French Language and Literature from the University of Sheffield. I have since completed studies in numerous areas, giving me a wide variety of knowledge on many subjects and I undertake regular ongoing professional training. This makes me the perfect choice for writing in many areas and it demonstrates that I have the transferable skills required to research, learn and write about almost anything (except, perhaps, particle physics). However, my specialist areas to write about are disability and LGBT+ rights, with a particular interest…
Lorrie and I are very excited to announce episode 2 of the A Little Bird Told Me podcast, all about the highs, the lows and the no-nos of freelance writing. We ran out of storage space for our earliest episodes. But fear not, we have made these many, many hours of freelance writing goodness available for just £10. If you want access to them all, please click Add to Cart and buy through our e-junkie account for instant access. Setting up as a freelance writer: website, social media and brand management best practice. There are several ways to make sure that you don't miss out on A Little Bird Told Me. Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via iTunes Find us on Stitcher Smart Radio And finally, please 'like' us on Facebook to be the first to hear…
**Note to actual readers, ignore this, it is my technorati claim code: X87HWDFBDQPV ** Social Triggers is a really fascinating blog and podcast by Derek Halpern which looks at marketing from the point of view of psychological research. It presents tried-and-tested information in an accessible way and I learn a lot every time I go over there. This infographic has some great pointers for how to write the perfect blog post. Enjoy!
