Wearing the Many Hats of a Freelancer

As a freelancer and budding entrepreneur, it’s a fact that you have to multi-task and wear a lot of different hats. The tasks you have to accomplish in one day resembles a juggling act of Olympic proportions. The flexibility required is enormous, and if you can’t adapt, you’re likely to pull great swatches of greying hair from your head. As you become more successful, you can outsource some of these necessary evils, but in the meantime, you’re the one in charge. Scary, isn’t it?

These are just some of the duties you’ll be undertaking in the Wild World of Freelancing:

• Accountant: You work for yourself now, bub. Ain’t nobody keeping track of your income and expenses for the dreaded year-end tax accounting; this is something you have to do for yourself. It’s your responsibility to document each and every penny coming in and going out. There are a lot of good software programs to help you with this, but you have to learn them. Plan on spending a good chunk of time learning what you need to maintain the program you choose, but get an early start. If you leave this to too late in the year (or horrors! the very end!) those hours will triple or more and you’ll regret it.
• Webmaster: Whether you like it or not, you have to have some familiarity with the tools of the trade. If you don’t have a blog or webpage of your services yet, you should. That means learning basic HTML coding, how to get around your chosen platform, trouble shooting, how to code links, not to mention the basics of buying and maintaining a domain, hosting, and probably a million other things I’m forgetting. The learning curve is high, but if you take it in small steps, not impossible. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, my friends. One bite at a time. Take advantage of help forums, friends with tech knowledge, and take notes! Again, you can outsource a lot of this work, but knowing what you need and what to ask for really helps in the long run.
• Social Networker: Networking is a huge part of the freelance career. You sure can’t exisit in a vacuum, and the face of freelancing (as in publishing in general, but that’s a subject for another post) is changing daily. The best way to keep up is to network with your fellow freelancers. This means becoming educated about social networking sites and how to connect. Don’t spread yourself too thin; you need to evaluate each social site to determine what is best suited to you, what you expect to get out of it, and how much it costs you in time to maintain. Not all social sites are equal, and if you’re not comfortable there, you won’t spend the time needed. What you’re looking for is quality, not quantity. It is of no value to have umpteen contacts if 80% of them are spammers or entities just looking for a number.

I just want to say on this subject that you get what you give. When I started my writing career and all along the way, I’ve  met some very giving, generous and supportive people. I have never forgotten that and I try my best to pay it forward. Like all karma, it eventually comes back to you. Build your reputation carefully; no spamming, no scamming, and no bullshitting. Word gets around quicker than you can blink if you act in anything but an honorable way. Keep that in mind. Help people along, be kind, be an asset to your community or you’re going to wake up someday with nothing to show for all your hard work but a bad taste in your mouth.

• News Hound: As mentioned above, the face of freelancing and publishing is changing daily. You have to stay informed and on the cutting edge; scour the news for impending trends and information needed by the public in general and clients in particular; whatever is new,  interesting,  and relevant. Your mind must be a sponge.
• Internet marketer: Although it’s probably one of the least favorite of all chores (besides the accountant thing, gah) a writer really must promote themselves. You can’t just sit back and wait for jobs, opportunities or your big break to come to you; you have to go looking for them and you have to make it easy for them to find you. They don’t know how to find you until you get yourself out there. Maybe not all, but many IM  principles will help launch your career to the next level.
• Blog reader (and commentor): Again, this relates to being a good participant in community. You can learn a great deal from reading the sites of others not only in your profession or area of expertise, but in a host of others. Don’t set the circle so close; it pays to read a variety of different blogs. Internet marketers, journalists, mommy bloggers, accountants, webmasters — all the hats  you need to wear. Pay attention and keep a notebook handy for the tips and information that really speaks to you and your particular niche. Leave a thank-you comment if the article or blog has helped you. These people work hard too, and if something they’ve provided has helped, it’s only polite to say thanks.

It’s quite a list, isn’t it? By no means is it complete, or I’d be here all night, and I don’t know about you, but I have some hats to wear. Don’t be intimidated — one bite at a time. To build and sustain a successful freelance career takes time and commitment (no, not to a looney bin, although that’s an option) so don’t expect overnight success. However, keep plugging away and don’t give up.

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” ~ Richard Bach.

Tags: blog, freelancer, Knowledge, Social network, Webmaster, Writer

This story was the result of a prompt from the best workshop in which I ever participated, For The Love of Writing. Administered by Stacy Taylor and Laurie O’Hare, two of the most brilliant women I know, it was probably the most prolific period of flash fiction writing I’ve ever had. Good times, and I miss it.

I never liked New Year’s. Since I work second shift in a shit hole, by the time I get off there’s not enough time to get a good buzz on by midnight. Not that’s it’s busy in this place, but the atmosphere is just the way I like it. I tell the bartender to line up the shots and I munch on the free pretzels in the crummy plastic bowl while his fat ass takes its sweet time.

I can see the piano dude is taking another break. Jesus, that guy breaks more than he plays. I wish I could work like that, but one fifteen-minute break at six and a lunch break at eight is all I get. I came in here right at the stroke of quarter after eleven, still dirty, sweaty, and smelling from the factory. One time, a girl at the bar slid over a bar of scummy soap from the bathroom and said, “Hey, give this a shot”. Some pick up line. This is the same chick that told Al she wanted desalinized water for her drink. I laughed fit to split at the look on Al’s face. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: flash fiction

I am  a Link Hound, a Research Ho, and I’m going to share with you some of the best links I’ve found on the ‘net the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, there’s something here that will inspire you, help you, or amuse you. If so, please leave a comment on the site you visit, or leave me one here . Enjoy!

Helpful:

A brand new forum of internet marketers, Simple Machines Forum promises to be THE place to be for all things related to getting your business off the ground and running. It’s in the early stages yet, but there’s the potential for a great meeting of the minds and an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. I’ll definitely be picking some brain cells here. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: articles, blogging, flash fiction, links, music

Sometimes, in order to know where you’re going, you need to take a look back at where you’ve been. By the same token, it’s not good to dwell too much on the past — it’ll bite you hard, if you let it. The trick is, to take stock and the lessons learned, and hopefully apply them in the challenging times ahead.

This week between Christmas and New Year’s is a strange one, for me. My brain feels like it’s floating in limbo, I can’t remember what day it is, and it feels like free-fall. Maybe my choice of reading material (”World War Z - An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks) or my movie viewing (”Children of the Corn”) has something to do with it - heh!

At any rate, I think I’ll use this time between years to take inventory and get a little more organized. Rest up, because the coming year will present a lot of challenges for all of us. The publishing business is changing rapidly; the economy is in the toilet and in spite of the Hope of Obama, it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. Job markets are shifting, and one of the most valuable skills to have right now is the ability to adapt. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: New Year, resolutions, writing

Thanks to all my readers for hanging with me here at Word Webbing. I hope you’re having the best holiday ever! I just want you all to know how much I appreciate your visits, comments, and good wishes.

I participated in something very interesting from the Before I Am Famous blog. Several people provided words/lines, and the owner of the blog fashioned a holiday poem that you can read here, titled “Broken Christmas Carol”. The last four lines are mine, but I bet you could have figured that out without me telling. Heh.

Poetry and the writing thereof is not usually my thing, but I have flashes now and then. What does a writer do? Say it with me, children — WRITERS WRITE.

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On that note, I shall go ingest some sugar and watch a movie. Take care, don’t overindulge, and enjoy your loved ones.

Happy Holidays.

(Frankly, I prefer “Festivus” and really like the “Airing of the Grievances” part. Heh.)

Not having such a good couple of days…I knew the holidays would be tough. I miss my momma very much. I realize it’s only been a few months since her passing, but I guess I expected a little more of myself than I have.

Tonight, one of our favorite movies is on — The Princess Bride. I’m watching it for the second time, through a veil of tears. I miss her so much. And that’s all I really have to say.

“Life is pain, Highness. Anyone telling you differently is selling something.”

Appreciate your loved ones. Even the ones that can be a pain in the ass. Especially your momma.

Tags: momma

Like I was saying, making a list (no! please dont’ sing it again!) is a great way to maintain your motivation, work flow and inspiration. However, life can really knock one out of the park when it wants to. Thus, the deviation from my semi-regular blog posting. I have recovered from 48 hours in a coma to drag myself to the keyboard to post, in case you thought I fell into a black hole.

Because I have been keeping a list, I’m only a wee bit behind, and hopefully will be able to catch up and maybe even get ahead. Hey, a girl can dream.

The moral of this little story? Make plans, and the Universe laughs. Still, make them anyway. Amusing the Universe can’t hurt, right?

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My Ruminations of the Week (discuss amongst yourselves): Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Writer, writing

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Oh, the life of a freelance writer. Doesn’t it sound glamorous? Fun? Easy? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but sometimes it’s none of those things. It’s not like digging ditches, don’t get me wrong, but I’m willing to bet that a freelance writer can expend as much energy and get just as dirty as a ditch-digger.

Can I get an AMEN??

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In my last post, I recommended making a list, checking it twice (go ahead and sing the rest of the song. I know you can’t resist, especially this time of year. You can cuss me out later) but remaining flexible. It’s too easy to lose your focus if you don’t have some kind of road map to guide you.

It will take you a bit of time to find your rhythym, and there will be plenty of distractions along the way. The phone will ring, someone knocks on the door, the kid throws up and has to be picked up from school, YOU throw up…the list is endless. Some things can’t be helped, but there are some factors you can control. (Not the puking, though. Sorry. Beyond your control.) Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Facebook, freelancing. freelance writing. writing. blogging, Fun?, Judge Judy, Oprah Winfrey, Television, TiVo, Twitter

It’s a big transition from working for someone else to working for yourself. Not everyone is cut out for it; it takes discipline and Mad Organizational Skillz. A freelancer doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for the muse to hit. We all know she’s a tricky wench, and she’ll take a hike when you have most need of her. If you think freelancing is easy or doesn’t take a lot of time, think again.

Plan your day, but before you do that, determine which part of the day is most productive for you. Are you a morning person? Do you write better in the afternoon, or are you a night owl? It may take some time for you to figure out just what kind of a schedule works, but it’s imperative to recognize your work habits and utilize them to your best advantage. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Add new tag, Facebook, freelancing. freelance writing. writing. blogging, MySpace, On the Web, Online Communities, Social network, Twitter

Arch within an arch

Tags: arch, Wordless Wednesday