writer success tips

Writing Tips: 30 Freelancers Share Their Secrets in 30 Seconds or Less

Posted by: Editor — 20 Comments ↓

Writing Tips & Secrets in 30-Seconds or Less. Makealivingwriting.com

Need writing tips and advice, but you’re in a hurry?

There’s nothing wrong with poring over your library of books on freelancing for the best writing tips, techniques, and business practices.

But what if you’re perpetually short on time? There’s a good chance you don’t crack those writing books for another day, another week…

And that’s a problem if you want to ramp up your freelance writing business fast, need a shot of motivation, or a writing tip related to a current client project.

When I was fresh out of school, only a novice at my day job, I decided to be a writer. No marketing experience. No niche knowledge. Heck, I hadn’t even written a single word of business writing.

I needed a lot of writing tips and advice…fast. So I asked writers in my network a simple question:

If you had 30 seconds to give a new writer just one piece of advice, what would it be?

And they delivered a pay-dirt pile of advice about freelancing. Looking for writing tips to put you on the fast track to move up and earn more? Here you go:

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Success Habits: Crush Your Freelance Writing Goals in 2019

Posted by: Evan Jensen — 8 Comments ↓

Success Habits to Crush Your Freelance Goals. Makealivingwriting.com

What success habits should you adopt to level up your freelance writing game in 2019?

If you’re thinking about that, you’re already on your way.

But if you’re not sure where to focus your efforts, it’s easy to get distracted by Shiny Object Syndrome.

You second-guess yourself about targeting a new niche. You avoid going after bigger clients. You keep getting sucked into searching job boards hoping to find a dream client. Or maybe you’re paralyzed with fear, feel stuck, and don’t know what to do to make this year better than last.

Sound familiar? It happens. Almost every freelance writer knows what it’s like to flounder at some point in time.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. One freelance writer went from a literal unknown to a New York Times best-selling author by adopting a specific set of habits to move up and earn more. A little bit of moxie, old-fashioned hard work and the right success habits can go a long ways.

Ready to crush your freelance writing goals in 2019?

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How to Rev Up Your Income as a Part-Time Freelancer

Posted by: Editor — Comments Off on How to Rev Up Your Income as a Part-Time Freelancer

Tips to Drive Up Income as a Part-Time Freelancer. Makealivingwriting.com

I wasn’t planning on being a part-time freelancer. Six years ago I made the move to full-time freelancing after my third career layoff. I knew financial potholes existed. I also swore I’d avoid the worst ones. I wasn’t planning to blow through emergency funds and my family’s patience or stiff-arm friends asking for updates.

Fast-forward five years. I was stuck in a major client drought and bottomed out financially. I realized I had to find a part-time job FAST and settle for being a part-time freelancer. Like it or not. And I didn’t.

It felt like failure — you thought you could do this and couldn’t, dumb bunny. But monthly expenses had become monthly drama, plus some ugly debt was staring at me.

Ever find yourself wondering if you can make a living as a writer and do work you love? I did.

I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of becoming a part-time freelancer just so I could collect a paycheck from a J-O-B. When I made the switch, it had a big impact on my money situation. But there were also some positive and unexpected benefits to being a part-time freelancer.

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Dealing With Rejection: 5 Bulletproof Strategies for Writers

Posted by: Editor — 22 Comments ↓

5 Bulletproof Strategies for Dealing with Rejection. Makealivingwriting.com.

Rejection is inevitable when you’re a freelancer. You send out queries and LOIs, you’ll be dealing with rejection.

You get some bites and quote on projects…but then you meet up with characters like No, Not Now, Maybe Later, and Not Interested. When you find yourself reading yet another writing rejection, how do you respond?

Do you bounce back like a rubber band? Or does your confidence get flattened like a pancake?

Too many freelancers let writing rejection get in the way of success. And that’s a big problem. If you let rejection beat you down, you’re not going to make a living writing.

Believe me. I know what it’s like. I started out as a columnist and magazine writer. I experienced some early success and then I stalled. Editors started nailing No’s to my forehead. It was hard not to take it personally. Every writing rejection felt like proof I wasn’t any good, that nobody wanted my work.

I knew I had to do something about it. Fortunately, after a lot of research, trial and error, and thrashing around, I developed five bulletproof strategies.

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Afraid to Promote Your Writing? 5 Tips to Overcome Marketing Shyness

Posted by: Editor — 21 Comments ↓

5 Tips for Writers to Overcome Marketing Shyness: Promote Your Writing. Makealivingwriting.com

Why do so many writers have a hard time with self-promotion? Think about it for a second. You know you should promote your writing to grow your freelancing business.

But if you’re totally honest, fear, doubt, or shyness sometimes gets in the way. Sound familiar?

That was one of my biggest stumbling blocks when I first started writing for a living. Fortunately, I learned to change my way of thinking to overcome marketing shyness. And so can you.

My own journey as a freelance writer and career coach helped me figure out how to help others overcome fear, develop confidence, and learn effective marketing skills.

Being an introvert, too humble, or having no confidence in your skills are a few factors that can impede your efforts to promote your writing, land more gigs, and earn well as a freelancer. Too many writers think the whole idea of self-promotion is arrogant and boastful. When I was starting out, I had somehow convinced myself that tooting my own horn was breaking some sacred social law. And that’s not the case at all.

Want to learn how to overcome marketing shyness to land better clients and earn more?

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5 Biggest Lies of Supposedly Successful Bloggers

Posted by: Carol Tice — 26 Comments ↓

If you’re like me, you get a lot of email newsletters from top bloggers. Many of them are awful pushy, no? I’m not talking about the bloggers I really like. A few leaders in the blogosphere are honest about what …

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