Archive for April, 2008
Customer care = caring for your business
Earlier today, I read a pair of interesting blog posts — one at Men with Pens on showing that you care about your customers, and the other at Freelance Folder on taking yourself seriously as a freelancer.
The thrust of both posts was that by taking care of your customers and giving them good service you’re [...]
Pricing your wares
Money. I can’t think of a working non-fiction writer for whom money isn’t a driving force behind their efforts. One problem that a lot of freelances — whether they’re doing copywriting, technical writing, ghost writing, or corporate work — is how to price their services.
There are guidelines available, which list hourly rates and whatnot, but [...]
Being busy is good, but …
Something that many freelancers dread is not having enough work. Busy is good in our wacky little world.
Of course, you can be too busy. And right now I definitely am. I think the term is under the gun. What’s in my overflowing cup? This:
My current corporate contract Preparing for a conference in May Writing a script and [...]
Thought for the day
You use the same energies to talk about it that you would to write about it. You should be very jealous of those energies. Put them on paper, and not on the air. — Frank Herbert
Tackling the popular idea
Writers want to be seen as being original. We want fresh ideas, to stand out from the crowd, and not chase trends. Sometimes, though, a topic or idea is so compelling that you just have to write about it.
But when you start doing research, you find that one or more other writers have beaten you [...]
On becoming a freelancer
Recently, I’ve been thinking about the questions people have asked me concerning becoming a freelance writer. If you’re considering the move to becoming a literary hired gun, you might want to think about the questions in this blog post before making a decision.
Dealing with comments
I write for a few Web sites. And, yes, I do get paid for those articles. Most of those sites allow readers to leave comments. Over the years, I’ve stopped reading and responding to any comments left about my articles.
It’s not that I can’t take criticism; I wouldn’t have survived in this this business if [...]
Full screen writing on the Web with Darkcopy
As many of you know, I’m a fan of minimalist writing tools. I’ve written about a few that I enjoy using here, here, and here.
But what happens if you don’t want to install yet another piece of software on your computer? Why not turn to the Web. While I enjoy using a Web app called [...]
How I blog
Like many of you, I don’t have a lot of time on my hands. By day, I’m a partner in a technical writing consultancy. By night, I’m a partner in a technical communications consultancy. And a husband. And a father. And a freelance writer. And someone who contributes to three blogs. And finding the time [...]
Finally found a theme I like
At least for this week, anyway …
As you might recall, I’ve been experimenting with WordPress themes for this blog for a while. I’ve tried a number, but none have been quite right. I think I’ve found The One, though. It’s called Deep Blue.
Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment.