Before I found my freelance writing niche, I did anything and everything under the sun to find paid writing work. Job boards, content mills, cold emailing… you name it. That journey led me to become a member of over 20 Facebook groups for writers to find leads and information about growing my clientele. Sadly, not all of these groups were fruitful. Many of them were a big waste of time.

One way I learned to help conversations go smoothly was to set ground rules for all participants. Ground rules make the flow of a meeting a collective responsibility, and they help put everyone on the same page.

From that moment on, I decided to approach business meetings the same way, and these five rules changed my meetings for the better.

The internet seems like it should be a haven for introverts. In some ways, it is. But when it comes to online self-promotion tactics, the usual advice (“just put yourself out there!”) still poses a challenge.

Introverts like myself tend to avoid pedestals, and creating newsletters and social media blasts can feel self-aggrandizing in the worst way. Not to mention, participating in live videos and replying to endless messages is still socializing.

I struggled to find consistent work. Some months I’d be set. Then, the next month the well would dry up, and I’d have to start fighting for gigs again. Finally, I decided to wise up and search for other platforms. That’s how I found these four sites for freelance writers. For the most part, these sites won’t make you rich. However, they are great places to find consistent and interesting writing work. I recommend them if you’re trying to build your portfolio or get some extra side money from home.

The short answer is this: whether writing competitions are worth it to you depends on the competition, your writing goals, and how well you handle rejection. A writing contest can be a fun way to flex your muscles, get feedback on your work, and potentially win something.

As someone who used to work in a coffee shop, I can tell you that the adage is true - you can tell a lot about a person by their coffee order. Since many readers (like myself) subconsciously assign personalities to different books, I can't help but take a guess as to what these books would order for their morning pick-me-up.

When you start a freelance business of any sort, you find out a lot of useful information through trial and error. 2020 was my first year as a full-time freelancer, and one of my hard-learned lessons was that there are certain documents I need to have ready to keep my business running smoothly.

Social media isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's time-consuming, challenging to navigate, and sometimes just downright annoying. Personally, if I didn't rely on Facebook and Instagram to promote my work, I would delete the apps.

When someone interviews an established writer, they almost always ask, “Do you have any writing tips?” We want to follow our role models' footsteps, and we often think that means discovering some magic key. There is a lot of writing advice out there. While some of the tips are helpful, the advice from different writers is often contradictory.

As the writer-gift cliché goes, many stores market notebooks as the best gift for a writer (similar to the way the Barnes & Noble where I took this photo markets them as the only gifts for readers). Unless they specifically ask for a notebook, believe me, your writer has plenty. So, what do you get someone with such a minimalist hobby?