When people ask me what I do, I tell them the truth: I’m a freelance writer. If they press it—asking what sort of writing I do—I tell them that I’m mostly a corporate blogger, which is mostly true. I’ll cop to adding the “corporate” part even though a big chunk of my time is spent on my own two decidedly non-corporate personal blogs. I think I add that to make it clear that I’m not just some unwashed social misfit ranting while hunched over a laptop in my basement.

(Because, you know, we don’t even have a basement.)

Plus, I do lots of writing for corporate clients, and there are numerous pretty people who send me money in exchange for my writing, so yes: I’m a freelance writer who specializes in corporate blogging. No shame there, right?

Well, maybe…. Read the rest of this entry »

I would love to tell you a different version of this story. I would love to tell you that on Saturday night when I was greeted by this infamous icon to the side, there, and the subsequent discovery that my computer had magically transformed from the nerve center of my business into a very expensive paperweight, that I simply got a new hard drive, retrieved my meticulously backed-up files, and went on with my life.

But I cannot tell you that, because I hadn’t backed up my files. Not once. Not a single thing. Because I had an invincible MacBook, and nothing would ever go wrong with it! Because it’s a Mac! And… ummm… Macful!

P.S. Sometimes Macs die, too.

P.P.S. I am a moron. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey, so remember how last year I turned my life upside-down, and I remarried and the kids and I moved over a thousand miles and suddenly we were facing a summer sans camps or other daycare-ish distractions, and I was trying to figure out how to help my kids adjust to a new home and a new stepfather and a new state and still get all of my work done?

Yeah, me neither. I mean, I do, sort of… sort of like how in theory I remember labor and delivery, but the details are all very fuzzy.

Mother Nature gently blurs women’s memory of childbirth so that we’ll be willing to do it again, and my altered memory of a summer spent freelancing with no childcare is really the same situation. Because if I had any sort of real recollection of how that worked out, I’d probably be in the fetal position under my desk, right now. Read the rest of this entry »

I want to tell you about something I did last week, and I want to tell you why it bothers me.

And I’m going to stick my foot in my mouth. And I’m okay with that. Mostly. Nevertheless, allow me a proactive apology. If what I am about to say offends you, I am truly sorry.

Okay. Now. I’m just going to put it out there. While it is true that—as a freelancer—I work from home and therefore I could be considered to have a home-based business, I have an extreme prejudice against home-based businesses. More to the point, I hate home “parties” where a “consultant” sells things. There. I said it. Read the rest of this entry »

So, a little time had passed since I was whining about the problem of responding to requests for information from readers. I’ve had some time to think about it, and I’ve talked to some colleagues and read your comments here and really mulled it over. The crux of the issue, for me, anyway, is that I actually love it when regular readers come to me with smart questions. What I really don’t like is when someone stumbles upon my corner of the ‘net and for whatever reason decides that I both can and should inform them how to do exactly what it is that I do.

In the former scenario, I am flattered, and I’m happy to help if I can. In the latter scenario, I’m aggravated, I feel my hard work has been overlooked, and (perhaps I take things I tad too personally?) I feel used. I may be cheap, but I’m not a cheap date. Heh. I require a little wooing, and my favorite love language when it comes to this stuff is Affirmation—I need to know that you understand that I work for a living. (It also helps if you tell me I’m pretty, though it’s not required.) Read the rest of this entry »

I’m going to do something a little bit different today, because I’m in need of a little bit of levity, for one thing, and because my head feels like it’s stuffed full of moldy spaghetti, for another.

(Did you like that visual? That’s why I make the big bucks, people. Stunning imagery, artisan-crafted to render you speechless. And a little bit nauseated.)

Anyway, I thought today you could help my post, because I’m all about the giving and whatnot, but today I could use a little bit of help. And also because no one doesn’t love a Mad Lib, except maybe people who are sticklers about that whole double-negative thing. (Again, with the writing mastery! Don’t hate me because I’m the second coming of Hemingway!) Read the rest of this entry »

So, um, remember how I was taped for The Today Show? The segment aired yesterday.

It was kind of a surreal day.

We’d kind of been making all of these jokes about how you go do a shoot for six hours so that they can make a segment that’s ten seconds long, and then, well, they went and made a segment that included about ten seconds of footage from what we’d done. The fact that this surprised me is testament only to what a rookie I am when it comes to this stuff. Read the rest of this entry »

So, in part 1 of our adventure, we talked about how to first woo a client. You’ve done your background work; you know what they do and what you can do that they need; you’ve entered into the dance.

Let’s pause here for a little reminder: As in life, all of your negotiations in business should be polite and cordial. Generally I feel that this is something that should go without saying, but in light of a post I read recently about a disgruntled rejectee I suppose it bears repeating. Even if you’re strung along, even if they’ve not been particularly polite towards you, even if you’ve decided you never, in fact, want to work with a particular organization—remain professional. Your reputation is part of your portfolio in this business, and moreover, the company that bungles your hire today may lose your contact… who then heads to another company and wants to hire you. But that scenario never happens when you give your contact an earful about how poorly they treated you or whatever. Just keep it in mind. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve mentioned a few times before that at this point in my career, I don’t have to do a whole lot of active marketing. For one thing, I’ve got a steady stream of work, already, and for another, my name is out there and folks often come to me because they’re already familiar with my work. That’s very, very nice. On the other hand, I’m not exactly an international superstar (ha!), and sometimes I find myself wanting to work with a client who—for whatever silly reason—hasn’t come banging on my door of their own volition.

Thus begins the courtship of a client.

Like any courtship, there are unspoken rules and and a little dance we engage in, and the goal is for them to give me their varsity jacket to wear at the end of it. Read the rest of this entry »