• 5 Must-Have Qualities to Become a Top Freelancer
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Marketing Your Business on Twitter
• Who’s Your Ideal Client?
• Is The Customer Always Right?
• 16 Things You Can Do Yourself to Create Word-of-Mouth for Your Business

What have I missed? Any other posts you think should be on this list? Please share in the comments!

Photo by altemark

As freelance writers, we all know that there are advantages and disadvantages to being self employed. Some of the best things are obvious:

• Setting your own schedule
• No boss breathing down your neck
• Working on projects you like
• Working when and how you are most productive

Of course, there are disadvantages, too:

• Setting your own schedule
• No boss breathing down your neck
• Taking on projects you don’t like but feel you need
• Staying productive

One of the biggest pitfalls that many of us experience is getting distracted by all of the fun stuff we’d rather do when we should be working. I’m about to make that worse. While working on a recent project, I found a bunch of writing blogs that have threatened to suck away my productivity.

Being the swell gal that I am, I wanted to share them with you.

• Grammar Girl – I still use her mnemonic device to keep “affect” and “effect” straight.
• WWdN – I’ve loved Wil Wheaton ever since he was Gordie in Stand by Me, and this is one of the few blogs that I read just because I want to. (It doesn’t hurt that he writes about writing, either.)
• Apostrophe Abuse – I admit to being snobby about apostrophe use, but these folks take the cake.
• Indexed – One of my favorite blogs of all time. Not technically a “writing” blog, but you have to admit that Jessica understands words!
• The Rejecter – If nothing else, I just like the name of the blog. It’s written by a literary agent’s assistant and has good advice for those wishing to publish books.

While there are so many others, I wouldn’t want to jeopardize your productivity for the entire week. I hope you enjoy these blogs. If you happen to have a favorite way to waste time when you should be working, I’d like to hear about it. Maybe you could put a little linky-link in the comments section, yes?

And then we hit the end of March and were staring at a very empty calendar for April. Several of our clients had told us that they just wouldn’t be needing our services “because of the economy.” Oh, dear. We even fear that the creep mentioned yesterday (yes, I’m probably going to continually refer to that company until they’ve paid up) would go bankrupt or something. “Because of the economy.”

Today, I saw a great post called “It’s Not the Economy” on a (new-to-me) blog called The Fluent Self.

And my response is DAAAAAAMMMN! It kind of reminds me of a post that we wrote back in January of 2008. Our business was about five months old, I was three weeks from delivering my first baby, and we finally realized the secret to being successful at freelancing: Work hard.

Sure, the economy is getting a lot of us down, but a lot of people are acting like it’s The Nothing from The Neverending Story (no, I didn’t just make that reference). Long story short: yes, the economy is bad, but it’s not to blame for everything that goes wrong.

If that last item didn’t scare you off, then keep reading to find out how you can make the freelance leap yourself.

The first thing that we recommend an aspiring freelancer do is learn about the field. There are tons of blogs out there that can help you learn how to get started freelancing, as well as how to be a better writer, how to balance home life and work life, and every other aspect of the business. I already mentioned Michael Stelzner’s Top Ten Blogs for Writers (which we would think was awesome, even if we weren’t on it). Personally, I find that in addition to Freelance Parent, these three resources are exceptional for newbies:

• Allena Tapia’s About.com page on freelance writing should probably be your first stop. I’m linking you directly to her page on “How to Get Started in Freelance Writing.” It is must-read material if you’re considering this career.
• Freelance Writing Jobs is a favorite place to “hang out” and soak up the freelancing life. Reading the comments alone is like taking a crash-course on freelance writing. You will see the good, the bad, and the ugly there. In addition, you will get some direction on where to look for jobs. I will warn you, though, that the jobs listed there are extremely competitive, so consider it as an education resource first, and a job resource second.
• We also love James and Harry over at Men with Pens. They have a ton of great information on how to be successful as a freelancer. The writing can be a little in-your-face, but that’s kind of a blessing to new freelancers who might be thinking this job is easier than it really is. The Pen Men are not afraid of a little hard work, and you shouldn’t be either.

There are tons of other great blogs that can help you get a feel for the business. Try to look at both the good and the bad of what they’re sharing. There are a lot of challenges that go along with freelancing, and most of the blogs don’t sugar coat it. In addition, many of the bloggers will take the time to answer questions you leave in the comments section.

Finally, there are some great ebooks and print books out there that deal with the subject of how to get started freelancing. For the absolute beginner, I would recommend checking out Write for the Web: A Beginner’s Guide to Writing on the Internet. (I’m linking you to a review we did of it some time ago.) It was actually written by the Men with Pens team, and it really is a valuable resource for those who want to learn how to make money by writing for various online publications.

So, what have I missed? If you “established” freelancers have more suggestions, please leave them in the comments so our new readers can benefit from your experience. And, newbies, we want to know what questions you have!

In the meantime, CellPhone.org is doing a Blogger Appreciation contest, and Deb Ng is in third place to win her cell phone paid for a year. Deb has been quite an inspiration to Tamara and me (you may remember when we interviewed Deb at BlogWorld), and if every Freelance Parent reader voted for her, we’d push her up into first place. It seriously takes about ten seconds, and it’s the least we freelancers can do to say “thanks” for all of the time and effort she and her group at Freelance Writing Jobs put into sharing both their expertise and their job leads.

Also, I just finally got the baby to fall asleep in the car seat, when she should have been asleep over an hour ago. I’ve been riding in the backseat with her, trying not to audibly suck the air between my teeth when I feel the tires slide out from under us. Still, we’re keeping pretty cool heads here in the car and have managed not to let the particularly tense situation get to us.

A short time ago, we came across a pickup truck that had slid off the road and was stuck halfway in the ditch. Fortunately, they slid off the north side of the old highway, or I’ll bet it would have been even more terrifying for the dad and his young daughter. While there was this little part of me that wanted to just keep going, my husband and I both grew up in Montana, and we know the protocol. You always stop and offer to help.

So, we chained their pickup to our old Bronco and attempted to pull them out. No dice. In the meantime, another pickup came along. Apparently he grew up in the country, too, because he also stopped. In the end, we chained the stuck vehicle to his, chained his to ours, and with all three of us accelerating at once, we were able to inch our way back onto the road, with those of us who stopped to help facing the wrong way.

With a “thanks so much,” the gentleman got him and his daughter into their now unstuck vehicle and set off on his merry way. The other guy and my husband both got their rigs turned around, and now the three vehicles are more or less caravanning down the mountainside. It’s grown dark, and it’s actually kind of reassuring to have those two sets of taillights to follow through the driving snow.

What does all of this have to do with freelancing? Well, it reminded me of how so many freelancers make the time to help one another. Only a year ago, Tamara and I were just warming up to the idea of subcontracting work from other freelancers who had more than they could handle. After we’d given it a try, we discovered that it was a great opportunity for us. Now, we’re at a point where we have been able to outsource work to other up-and-coming freelancers.

We’re not the biggest freelance agency out there, but we are growing; and part of the reason is because other freelancers were generous enough to offer us both guidance and paying jobs. In turn, we hope we’ve been able to offer some guidance with this blog, as well as a few paying jobs to the freelancers we know.

To the following, we’d like to say “thanks so much” for being a part of this process in the last year:

• Wendy Piersall and Sparkplugging – We’ve had some great experiences this year as a result of being a part of this awesome group of work-at-home professionals.
• Billie Gaura and Rainmaker Marketing – Billie’s dones some cool stuff for us, but we’re especially excited about the fact that every time we hire her, she hires us right back!
• Kelly McCausey and her various endeavors – This woman has more good ideas than you would believe.
• Selene Bowlby and iDesign Studios – She’s an awesome person to have in your corner.
• James Chartrand & Harry McLeod and Men with Pens – They’re just as hair-brained as we are, and it sure keeps things fun.
• Genesis Davies from At Home Mom Blog - She was the first Freelance Parent reader we got to hire, but certainly not the last!
• Michelle Nguyen from Mommy Misadventures – She’s a newer addition to our roster and is also a Freelance Parent reader.
• Laurie Mapp and Halo Secretarial – Thanks for helping us fulfill our dream of having a “personal assistant,” even if you don’t pick our kids up from school (now that would be a communte).

And to all the rest of you who have shared your thoughts and ideas with us, as well as your time and your talent. Here’s to another incredible year!

You can read James’ response to our first post on the topic by checking out Men with Pens and “The True Cost of Starting a Freelance Business”. Feel free to leave him and Harry a comment over there to say why you think Tamara and I have the right idea. (Or tell them why you think they’re right…really, it’s all in good fun.) Then come back here on Friday to see our rebuttal to their response.

So, it’s no big shocker when I say that I’m having a hard time keeping up with my Google Reader. I so love reading other people’s blogs, but I’m starting to get to the point where it almost feels like a luxury. I find little times to sneak them in, though. The most common is to scroll with one hand while the baby is nursing. (Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?)

As usual, I’ve found some great stuff in the last couple of week and thought I’d pass the links along to you in case you’re also too busy to go find this great advice on your own.

• This article from ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse is one of those that I’ll continue to visit over and over as I implement the ideas offered in How to Get Featured on the New York Times, CNN, CNET and Newsweek.
• Bob Younce from the Writing Journey gives some great advice in his series on How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business.  I liked this post on Education.  While you’re there, take the time to check out another posts called Recognizing Success.
• While we’re on the topic of getting started, check out Deg Ng’s Back to Basics: Step 1 How to Get Started Finding a Freelance Writing Job.
• Anne at The Golden Pencil answers all kinds of questions in her blog.  She recently tackled one submitted by KP.  I’m not KP, but we both want to know How Do I Write a Magazine Query?
• Tereece M. Clark also has something to say on the subject with her post Best Query Advice over at Freelance Writing Jobs.
• James has some good thoughts to share about why you should learn to love bookkeeping.  You can find him all over the place, but this great article is on Freelance Writing Jobs.  He’s got another gem up there from last Friday called Three Tips and a Bonus to Market Yourself. 
• Speaking of marketing, if you want to know the best marketing advice we ever got, check out our post for Sparkplug CEO’s group writing contest.  Our entry is uninspiringly called The Best Marketing Advice for Freelancers.  Don’t let the title fool you, though, it’s some damn good advice.
• At Freelance Switch, they’re asking Are You Missing the Point of Being a Freelancer?  I love the subheading “Freelancing Should Be a Springboard, Not a Treadmill.”
• John Hewitt over at Poe War has done a rather thoughtful post on how the current economic situation can affect freelance writers with Will the Recession Hurt Your Career?  If you think you’re alone in your bad freelancer habits, think again, and check out another of John’s posts called Better Writing Through Stress. (I hope it’s tounge-in-cheek.)

There are plenty of other posts “starred” in my Reader, but I’m guessing you don’t have a ton of time to ge check them all out either.  Still, the ones listed above seemed especially helpful both for newbies and those who have been freelancing for a while now.

That fluke has bolstered us for an entire year. We were so proud of the award that it even got mentioned in our anniversary video. It became a staunch goal of ours to make the 2008-2009 edition of that list.

We are absolutely thrilled and beaming with pride over the fact that we again placed in the top ten.  Here is the entire list, for your consideration.

1. Copyblogger: As the undefeated champ, this blog has held the number-one spot for three straight years!  The baby of Brian Clark, this blog keeps winning because of its excellent and educational articles.
2. Men With Pens: James Chartrand and Harry McLeod are the dynamic duo who continue to deliver rich content and community discussion.
3. Freelance Writing Jobs: Founded by Deb Ng, this site is the first stop for freelance writers seeking new work and great articles (and it remains a top winner since this contest began).
4. Write to Done: This blog delivers a steady stream of excellent articles for all writers and is the product of top blogger Leo Babauta.
5. Confident Writing: Looking for encouragement? Joanna Young will help you take your writing to the next level.
6. The Renegade Writer: Linda Formichelli and Diana Burell, authors of a book by the same name, help freelance journalists find inspiration.
7. Remarkable Communication: One part writing, one part marketing and one part selling, this excellent blog by Sonia Simone will help any writer succeed.
8. Writing Journey: Looking for a great stop on your writing journey? Bob Younce’s blog will refresh and energize you.
9. Freelance Parent: Two moms, Lorna Doone Brewer and Tamara Berry, provide excellent perspective on writing while balancing time with little ones.
10. Urban Muse: Susan Johnston covers a wide range of excellent topics that all writers will enjoy.

Congratulations to all of the others, as well as to the other 27 finalists.  We are so grateful to our readers, not just for nominating us, but for inspiring us to continually strive to make Freelance Parent the kind of blog that can make this list.

Because I enjoy feeling a bit like Ann Landers and because I wish I had had the guts to ask someone for all the information I needed when I was a beginning freelance writer, I always take the time to craft a reply. Over time, I actually developed a template response to these queries, since so many of the questions centered on the same subjects.

Although we certainly welcome questions at any time (seriously, I think my alter ego is an advice columnist), I thought I would make the search a little easier by posting an FAQ for all new freelancers. Feel free to pose more questions either in the comments section, or you can contact us directly at admin (at) berrybrewer (dot) com.

Do I have to have a college degree or a degree in English to be a writer?

No, you don’t have to have a college degree in order to get jobs, but it does help. I have a Bachelor’s in English, and it’s helped me to land quite a few editing jobs and writing jobs with those looking for something a little more academic. That being said, I also know plenty of freelancers without degrees who get along just fine. Some people would argue that the school of life and a good knowledge of your niche (whether you want to write SEO, product descriptions, or anything else that catches your fancy) is more than enough.

Overall, I’d say as long as you know the rules of grammar and composition, you should be able to find some kind of writing work (although it might be harder to get the bigger and higher-paying clients, at least at first).

I’ve never written professionally before, but all the jobs I want to apply for ask for samples. How can I get around this?

Ah, the Catch-22 of any employment. You can’t get hired without experience, and you can’t get experience without being hired. Fortunately, writers have a bit of an “out” because there’s nothing stopping you from writing all you want.

One solution is to submit articles on pretty much any topic to free content sites. Most of them don’t pay at all (EzineArticles.com, Buzzle.com), while some pay peanuts (AssociatedContent.com). The trade-off is that you can point to a URL and say, “I wrote that.” Web Marketing Today lists 25 free content sites you can consider, though it’s important not to give too much of your work away for free.

Your other option – and in my opinion, the better one – is to create a portfolio of samples. If you want to write press releases, write some. You can either make them up or offer to write them for free for a worthy cause. The same is true for just about any kind of content. Most clients won’t be able to tell that you didn’t write them for the $100 you’re quoting them; they’ll just see good, solid work and hire you based on that. Many beginning freelancers are better off with this option, since you aren’t giving your hard work away by posting on the free content sites.

(I would also argue that a stellar portfolio is especially important if you’re going in without a degree.)

What are the best websites to read for getting started freelancing?

• Definitely check out Men with Pens. Their blog offers a lot of freelance tips and advice (plus they’re really great guys). There’s a link on their site to something called Write for the Web. It’s an ebook they wrote specifically for newbie freelancers. You can either buy the book or take the Sparkplug U Get Started Freelancing: Writing for the Web course we’re offering, which is going to be using the book as a required text. Either way, it’s worth every penny for those just starting out.

• You’ll also want to add Freelance Writing Jobs and The Golden Pencil to your list of blogs to read. Both of these ones offer advice and also list daily updates of jobs available all over the web. Most freelancers read these, though, so the competition for the jobs can be stiff. Get to them early each day.

• IttyBiz is marketing-related, but Naomi offers some good advice on general freelancing, as well.

• You should also check out About.com’s freelance writing page.

As you get more and more involved in the online freelance writing community, you’ll notice a lot of overlap. We all get along pretty well, and there are some amazing networks in place. Become an interactive part of the community by reading the blogs, commenting on the blogs, and even starting one of your own. I’d say that at least 50 percent of our freelance knowledge base comes from these incredible folks.

Okay, I want to get started. Where can I find freelance writing jobs?

We started with Guru.com (Elance.com is another popular job-finding site). You have to pay for both services – basically you pay an up-front fee, and then they also take a cut of every client you have. Paying money out sucks, but you can get some really good contacts through them.

Overall, these sites work by having employers post the jobs they have available and having freelancers bid against one another to get them. Some of the jobs on these sites are ridiculous (we’re talking $1 for a 500-word article), but there are also some really good ones – and once you work with a client successfully, we’ve found that they often return to you for more.

Note: BE WARY of most other job posting sites. There are far more scams out there than plausible sources of work. Always get the opinions of other writers in the community before you shell out any money or share your credit card information.

In the beginning, we didn’t make too much money off the bidding sites, since we didn’t have any customer feedback or job history. Once you build up your site statistics, though, you tend to get considered for better jobs and even get invited to bid on some of them.

• I also mentioned The Golden Pencil, Freelance Writing Jobs, and About.com above. They all offer great links to jobs as well as regular updates on job postings.
• Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger Job Board has some great listings for freelance writers who want to use their talents to blog for money.
• You may want to try checking out Craig’s List or your local newspaper.
• Subcontracting is also a possibility, so if you find other freelancers or freelancing firms you really want to work with, drop them an email and resume letting them know that you’re available for any work they might have. Again, making contacts in the community and networking is key here.

That’s great, but these jobs aren’t paying very much. How can I actually make a living doing freelance writing?

Hard work and perseverance, I’m afraid. It takes quite a bit of effort, trial-and-error, and time to get to the point where your incoming work is equal to or greater than your monthly financial goals. The important thing to remember is that most of your income is going to come from referrals and repeat business. Even if you have to put out ten query letters and fifteen Guru.com bids every single day before you get a client, you still have to do it.

As long as you do a good job and create a good relationship with that client, you are more than likely to get his or her business again. Eventually, you’ll create a roster of clients who like you, return to you, and tell others about you – it just might take awhile. Stick with it.

So, since Freelance Parent readers are such awesome writers, I thought you should know about the contest!  It’s on his Derek Semmler dot com blog, and you should check it out!

Speaking of new looks, have you all taken a look at the new Sparkplugging site?  That’s right, we’re no longer eMoms at Home.  If you want to follow the whole story, check out Wendy’s blog Sparkplug CEO for a blow-by-blow on the how and why of the big change.  If you have been gracious enough to link to Freelance Parent in the past, we would be ever so grateful if you’d be willing to update your links so that Google and Technorati take us seriously!

What’s your personal mission statement?
L – To leave the world a better place than it was when I got here.
T – To behave honorably to everyone I meet, both professionally and personally.

What’s the biggest mess you’ve dealt with this year?
L & T – (We’re still dealing with it.) The working relationship with our previous employer was difficult even before it ended. We’re still trying to pick up the pieces (and a few paychecks) and move on.

What current entrepreneurial efforts consume your time?
L & T – Learning what we need to do to be successful. In fact, sometimes we impede our own progress by wanting to learn everything first, rather than just jumping in and doing what needs to be done.

Why do you do what you do? What inspires you? When do you get the most excited?
a) We are huge fans of balance, and working for ourselves seems like the most logical way to have control over the balance in our own lives.
b) After a quick consultation, we both came up with the same answer: We’re inspired by the success of others.
c) While it’s not the most noble answer, we’re going to be honest and say that we get the most excited when our work or ideas are validated by others.

Boxers, Briefs, Bikini, or Thong?
L – On the opposite sex, I prefer boxer-briefs. For myself, it has to be bikini or “boy shorts.” No thongs for this lady, pregnant or not!
T – Depends on what I’m wearing or the state of my laundry.

What do you do when you’re not designing/programming/managing/writing/toiling for the wo/man?
L – Reading blogs, watching t.v., reading childbirth books, hanging out with my husband and my mom.
T – Reading books and playing with my daughter.

What one thing made the biggest difference when getting started?
L & T – Having a partner was the biggest motivator for us both. Being unemployed didn’t hurt, either.

What’s your exit strategy?
L & T – In our business plan we determined that our exit strategy was for the business to become self-sustainable so that we could either walk away or sell it and have it continue to support those working for the company.

What’s the last thing that made you belly laugh?
L & T – Our answer to question #2. Seriously, we laugh a lot when we’re together.

Have you ever been in business before?
L – Oh, yeah. I’m the daughter of entrepreneurs. Mom had the first video store in a small town in the late ‘80s, and Dad had the first take-and-bake pizza place. In college I got talked into doing an MLM thing with my boyfriend, and it was a fiasco. We also started a second-hand clothing store for a while. Later on, I sold Tupperware and eventually tried freelance writing on my own. This is, by far, the best entrepreneurial experience I’ve had.
T – Unless you count selling my textbooks on Half.com, no.

At what point do you consider yourself successful?
T & L – We will be successful when we can work the amount of time that we want to work.

What was your first experience with a computer?
L – Game-wise, it was playing “Pong” on Coleco. Otherwise, it was taking a basic computer class in high school on the Apple IIe.
T – Playing the original “Hugo’s House of Horrors” on my dad’s enormous green-screen laptop.

Steve Jobs vs. Bill Gates in a Jello wresting match – where’s your money?
L – I’ve heard that Bill Gates has a giant indoor trampoline to help him deal with his autistic tendencies, so he’s probably got the moves to take Steve down. (I said I’d “heard” it, not that I “believed” it.)
T – The Jello.

Where do you do your best thinking?
L – I do most of my best thinking in front of the computer. That might be cheating, though, as I’m pretty much always in front of the computer.
T – The car.

What does your average daily work/life balance look like? How much time do you you work/play/sleep?
L – I sleep a lot. I probably go to bed around midnight and get up around 9:30. My work and play time is sort of intermingled throughout the day, so it’s hard to separate. If I’m reading blogs about writing, for example, that is both work and entertainment. The same applies for researching projects.
T – Each day is different depending on my mood, my daughter’s mood, my husband’s mood, what needs to be done, and how tired I am. I am working on setting up a schedule, though.

If I could introduce you to anyone, who would it be?
L & T – We want you to introduce us to someone who will consistently add $2,000 worth of income to our business each month. (You asked!)

What stops you from giving up when you’re frustrated?
L – An intense dislike of failure.
T – Lorna.

If Chuck Norris and Steven Hawking had a baby (hey, it’s my damn interview), would you vote for her for president?
L & T – With Steven’s soothing voice and the fact that Chuck Norris can lead a horse to water and make it drink, there’s no doubting that their daughter would be presidential material.

Our additional question (everyone’s supposed to add one question that they’d like to ask other entrepreneurs):
How scared are you . . . Really.

 ”The purpose of this blog is very simple: To do Something Good every day. I’ll make suggestions of things we can all do to improve the world around us, feel better about ourselves, or just make our lives a little less stressful . . . Most of the suggestions will be quick and painless. They won’t cost any money and will leave you feeling like you’re a step ahead of the game. Others will take more time or energy. Some might even cost money, although we’ll try to keep that to a minimum as well. I just want us to be able to go to bed at night knowing that we did at least one good thing during the course of our crazy, hectic, brain-draining days.”

The Something Good blog is purely a labor of love.  I don’t make any money from it.  There are some ads there, but they were added by Livejournal because I use a free account, and they keep any revenue that might be generated. 

OK, now that the premise of the blog has been established . . .

With the Holiday Season upon us, I am putting together the Something Good Holiday Shopping Guide 2008, and I wanted to invite anyone here to make suggestions for businesses or organizations they’d like to see included. It’s basically a list of alternatives to shopping at the big box stores and will focus on individual artists, small businesses, and charitable organizations. By patronizing those folks during the holidays, our spending really has sort of a double impact.  With so many of our readers being work-from-home parents, I thought it would be great to open up an opportunity for a little exposure.

So, if you have a business, are an artist, or just know of a great organization that could use our support during the holidays, make me aware of it. (You are absolutely encouraged to nominate other small/home businesses, too.)  If it fits in with the overall idea, then I will happily include it on the Something Good Holiday Shopping Guide. It’s a great chance to maybe get just a little more advertising or one extra sale this year. I personally bought items from several of the folks featured on last year’s list.  Just keep in mind that your product or service should be something that folks would realistically give as a holiday gift.

You can get more information on the post Let’s Do Something Good for the Holidays, and you can send an email with your information to berrybreweradmin (at) gmail (dot) com. Please jump on board, as I’d like to post the list on Friday.