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Freelance Tips - by Jenn Hollowell

 
Most of the information presented here is based on my experience, on the spot findings, and progress in my own freelance writing career.

admin - Freelance Tips

Back on the Querying Track

September 29th 2008 15:37

I lost a job as of yesterday, so I’m back on the query trail. This was not a writing-related gig. It was a job I worked outside the home as a favor to someone special to me, but the “employer” of this person didn’t like that she wasn’t the actual person doing the job. I did all the same things as she did, but she’s been unable to do the job for various reasons. It’s been a secret (I’ve been working this job once per week for eleven months) and I guess they finally caught on to what was going on when they repeatedly saw my handwriting on the bills each month.


I couldn’t stand the job, so it’s kind of a good thing. The bad thing, though, is I need to find replacement for that income fast. That’s my goal this week. I know I can accomplish this goal, but it’s difficult to achieve during an already busy week.

I’ll be visiting my old haunts:
· Really Long Link
· http://www.journalismjobs.com
· http://www.mediabistro.com
· http://www.sunoasis.com
· http://www.poewar.com

I’m sure I’ll be visiting forums where paying gigs are listed as well. I’ve got my “Organized Writer’s Side-Tracked Planner” ready to set ablaze with query notes, leads, and place to follow-up. Something I just realized . . . which is kind of odd . . . I’m subscribed to a large number of newsletters and it just now occurred to me that I haven’t been receiving them for quite some time. Weird. I need to fix that right now! There’s leads in those newsletters!


How is your Monday going?
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Would You Like to Be Quoted in My Book?

September 14th 2008 18:21

I'm writing The WonderDads Handbook for Raising a Girl Ages 0-10: A Month-by-Month Look at What to Expect, Developmental Tips, and Ideas For Activities. This book is going to be broken down into years, and then further broken down into months (bite-sized bits easily ingested by fly-by reader dads).

Here's what I'm looking for:
1: One or two sentences about your 0-10 year old daughter. Example for a three month old, "My daughter did not transition well from bassinet to crib until we started playing a CD with ocean sounds." That sort of thing.
2: A one or two paragraph "this is what I experienced with my [insert age] daughter during this [insert event, activity, or milestone]" type of description that I can pull quotes or other reference material from.

This book is a guide for dads, but it doesn't necessarily have to be quoted by dads or first-person stories from dads. It's meant to serve as a go-to guide when things come up that confuse, frustrate, or perplex dads while raising their daughters alone, or with a co-parent. Don’t get me wrong, though, if you’re a dad and want to contribute please do so!

Also, if you’re a daughter and would like to share some thoughts and memories (or advice) about your dad I would love to hear from you!

The publisher would like to see this completed (a finished product) in time for Christmas sales, so if you want to participate please send in your responses as soon as possible. You can reply directly to me at writerjennh [at] aol [dot] com. Please be sure to use “Dads book” or something similar to that in the subject line so my SPAM filter doesn’t eat it by mistake.

Anyone game?
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September Goals Set!

September 2nd 2008 00:09

Okay, it’s official, I’ve set my goals for September AND I’ve posted them on this link:

September Just Hit Send Goals

I used to create these really detailed lists on a monthly basis and it really helped keep me on track, and it helped motivate me to find more work. I stopped when school released for the summer because it was too much to keep up with.

Now that the kids are returning to school (their first day is tomorrow), I can begin my “official” full time work schedule again. I tried my darnedest to keep a 40-hour schedule over the summer, but it’s just too difficult in this household. Maybe when the kids are older.

My goal is to bring in as much income as my fiancé per week (or per month, however the gigs pay). I’m not there yet, but I know I will be. I’m about halfway there, and I know that if I dig hard enough the work is there. I’m staying positive. Staying positive is what’s landed me where I am today, so I know it’ll get me further.
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Taking Baby Steps

July 10th 2008 22:11
I'm taking baby steps back into career mode after what feels like an eternity since I've written anything of substance. So, please be patient with me along this journey. I've managed to reconnect with all the freelance gigs that mean a lot to me, so that's been a huge confidence booster.

Are you coming back slowly into career mode? What is the transition like for you? In the coming days, I'm going to be writing about how I went from "how am I going to handle working full-time while the kids are on summer vacation" mode to being able to set up a workable routine. I really didn't think I would be able to handle everything, but I'm thankful to have proven myself wrong.

Stay tuned!
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Stay Tuned!!!

July 8th 2008 19:24
New posts are on their way - I'm sorry for being MIA for so long! If ther's omething specific you would like to see in this blog, feel free to post questions, comments, suggestions, and so on in the coment area. I'm looking forward to working with you all again!
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Meet Sandy

November 29th 2007 07:02
Do you sometimes wish you had a personal assistant? Someone to send a quick e-mail to remind you of all the things you need to remember? Well, then it is time you met Sandy.

I met Sandy at the end of last week and thought I'd give her a go, just for fun. Now my only regret is that I haven't met Sandy earlier


[ Click here to read more ]
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