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Archive for June, 2009

What I’ve been reading online

I’m off to Edmonton this weekend with my husband to do some family stuff and to take what I hope will be a relaxing break from technology (though I fear my email & Twitter when I return!). While I’m gone, here are some things that I’ve been reading lately that I wanted to share. Some are kind of on the older side, but they were new to me so – they count!

June 27, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

How to not lose your mind while working from home

So I got a phone call today at about 2pm from one of my clients. It lasted three minutes. And that was the only time I heard my own voice all day.

This isn’t an everyday occurrence for me, but it’s also not that out of the ordinary. I work from home most of the week, which means I don’t have an office full of coworkers to talk with. It’s something common to lots of freelancers who work from home and sometimes it can be a little weird. Here are some ways to prevent craziness resulting from freelancing-induced cabin fever.

Talk to someone, anyone

It might be strange at first, but making small talk is great for staving off insanity. I do most of my grocery shopping during the day now, and it seems it’s just me and the seniors. At first I was hyper-paranoid that they were scrutinizing my purchases and tallying up how much produce was in my basket versus anything else, but then I noticed how friendly and chatty they were. They joke with me and I’ve even seen them stop in the aisles to discuss their lives with each other. I’m not suggesting you stroll up there and join the conversation, but take a cue from them and make small talk with people you encounter. There’s nothing like practicing speaking when you sit at home and write all day!

Submit to distraction (but just a bit)

I know that “avoid distraction” is one of the top five tips for a successful freelance writing career, but it’s okay to let yourself get distracted every now and then. Read something frivolous on the internet or call someone for a chat if you want to. Don’t go overboard, but don’t become so consumed by your work that you begin to resent it.

Take work that you normally wouldn’t

If you are writing the same kind of articles repeatedly or taking the same type of writing jobs over and over, you might be at risk of breaking your brain. If you come across a job that sounds fun but isn’t the kind of thing you usually do, consider going for it anyway. For example, if you write about personal finance and you see that a zoo needs brochure content, don’t necessarily pass it by. I mean, what’s more fun than writing about a zoo?

Stop writing

Freelancers might get a searing pain behind their left eye at the thought of stepping away from their work, but sometimes it’s necessary. Depending on your workload, leave your work aside and take advantage of the fact that you are your own boss! Take a class in something. Have a long lunch with a friend. Go on an impromptu day trip. This is the perfect time to get something out of that amazing work/life balance you have working from home!

(Image courtesy of stock.xchng user matthains)

June 23, 2009 | 2 comments | View Post

Three ways my mother can help you be a better freelancer

My mother was never overbearing or naggy when I was growing up, but she often gave me advice about things. There are three pieces of advice she’s given me that I value the most, and today I actually found myself experiencing them one by one during my work day. She’ll be pleased to know that her random bits of life advice can actually help me be a better freelancer!

1) “Messy house, messy mind” – Organize your home work area

Pretty much the only piece of advice my mom delivers in catchphrase form, this one was my great epiphany for today. I spent the day working on a project, referring to notes I’d taken when I’d met with the client. Near the end of the day, I was running out of steam and sitting in a pile of my own papery mess. I decided I needed a break and got up to do something that wasn’t writing-related, but I ended up wandering into my home office, getting a file folder, writing my client’s name on it, and putting all those papers in that file folder. It’s hardly the kind of revelation that will blow your hair back, but getting my papers so organized really did make a difference in how well I worked afterwards.

2) Don’t work in your pyjamas

Growing up, if I was feeling truly ill or merely struck with a teenage disgust for living, my mom would advise me to at least change out of my pyjamas. She’s a sneaky and smart lady, because it worked every time. Working in your pyjamas always seems appealing to freelancers – I mean, there’s a reason it’s kind of the hallmark of a scam work from home opportunity – but it rarely lends itself to feelings of productivity. I believe there really is a connection your brain makes when you wake up in the morning and get dressed. It sounds vaguely cheesy, but changing out of the clothes you’ve slept in is a signal that it’s time to move from sleep to activity.

3) “Be systematic” – Develop a routine in your work day

She first said this one as instruction for the best way to sweep the floor when I was a kid. At the time, systematically sweeping the floor made no sense to me and I said so, turning “be systematic” into yet another family joke (I know it’s not funny to you, but family jokes are like that). However, I find this one to be the most beneficial to my freelancing work days. Sticking to some kind of schedule is so important for people working from home. How else can I avoid distractions in the form of Facebook Scrabble and experimenting with the manual features on my camera? Each day is usually different – some can be more writing-focused and some can be more business development-focused, but developing a schedule for your work day is critical if you are self employed.

June 19, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

How often do you update your writing portfolio?

So you’ve taken the time to choose your best writing samples, designed a fancy portfolio page and merrily directed prospective clients to it. But how often do you review that page yourself. Is it worth it?

In my opinion, it’s very much worth it! If your portfolio page is the first thing your future clients see of your work, you need to be sure it’s representative of what you do.

In getting this newly-designed site ready, I reviewed my portfolio page for the first time since I created it. It was mostly relevant, with links to favourite articles of mine I’d written for various websites and blog networks. What I did notice, however, was a link to a book review I wrote for a local weekly in 2006. Not very web-writery of me, right? I mean, yes, the review is online but it’s not web writing. For that reason, I decided to take it down. I don’t really review books (in fact, I quite dislike it) and I don’t believe it does much to show prospective clients my strengths.

While I was at it, I added a few more links to Suite 101 articles I’d written. I chose ones I felt were my strongest and showed a range of what I could do. I figured that alone was a good enough reason to break my self-imposed Only Link to Three Articles rule.

By doing those two things, I hope I have focused my portfolio page and made it more relevant and representative of my work.

What do you think? How often do you think auditing your portfolio page is necessary?

June 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

What is Wordscience?

This is Wordscience, and welcome to it!

Since I began freelancing full-time (well, I have a two-day-a-week writing job now but, still), I have been planning a revamped website and blog for web writing and writing in general – and here we are! I’m really pleased with it and I hope you get something out of it. I’m always open to suggestions so feel free to get in touch!

What does the name mean, you ask? Well, nothing. And lots of things. Years ago, after an overheard snippet of conversation, I took to the phrase “new science.” Something about the sound of it appealed to me and maybe a bit of what the effects a “new science” could have. The name “Wordscience” is partly an extension of that, just a phrase I liked the sound of. It also makes me think of the effect of words. Not that I believe words follow an actual science (though that’s kind of a trip to think about). I just like using them and thinking about how they work, and will tend to write about that here.

Plus, if you mispronounce it it sounds like “wordsy-ence,” which is a pretty fun nonexistent word too. I can exhibit symptoms of wordsy-ence sometimes. Like right now.

Anyway, I hope other web writers out there enjoy it here, and maybe even web readers too!

June 13, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

How writers can use Twitter

Chances are good you’ve heard about Twitter, if you’re not on it already. Chances are probably through the roof that you’ve also heard how good of a social networking tool Twitter is. If you’re like me, you know you have to market yourself but don’t want to come across as heavy-handed. Here are some pain-free ways writers can use Twitter to promote themselves.


Follow other writers


Don’t hesitate to follow writers you admire just because you don’t know them personally – this is a great chance to get to know them! Twitter is a very direct way to connect with them, so dialogues you have there can go a long way. You never know what a Twitter connection can lead to!

Find out the latest news and discover job leads

I’ve been privy to job leads, contests, book giveaways and advance notice of literary events simply because I follow the right people on Twitter. And by the right” people, I only mean publishers and writers I’m interested in. A lot of people will fill their Twitter followers in on job leads, news and events before they, for example, send out a news release or post about it on their websites. After all, it’s quicker and the feedback is immediate!

Find story or article ideas

Think about it – Twitter is all about instant gratification. So if you’re stuck on a story idea, head to Twitter! With how few words people have at their disposal, you can often stumble upon some great phrases or conversations that can lead to a story or article idea.

Tweet when good news happens

Though I admit I do struggle with this one, don’t be afraid to tweet when something cool happens in your writing life. If you’ve got other writers following you this is a great chance to network that is so unlike the networking you probably hate. And don’t worry, it’s not over-promotional if you balance it out with more everyday tweets. (Hm. Maybe I struggle with this one because I actually can’t stand the Twitter-lingo phase “tweet”?)

Use Twitter to drive traffic to your website

If you blog or have simply added something to your website, make Twitter your next stop. Ultimately, your website is your biggest marketing tool, so try to make the two work together as much as possible. Newbie Tip: Use a URL shortening website to cut down on the lengh of your characters. I like bit.ly, personally – fewer characters than tinyurl.com.

Oh, and if you wanted to follow me on Twitter, I’m @WordscienceBlog!

June 10, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post