Archive for April, 2009
Love Thursday: Somebunny Loves Me!
I have a huge sweet tooth, so it’s not surprising that one of my favorite parts of Easter is the candy. More specifically, the candy my mom makes–especially the peanut butter eggs. Yum!
If you’re starting to feel sorry for me because I’m not in the same country code as my mom and therefore can’t enjoy her Easter candy, think again.
My mom continually sends me care packages, but around Easter, one always contains a special treat:
And I swear when I staged this photo, I wasn’t trying to make it look like one bunny was offering his/her love to the other. But it does sort of look that way doesn’t it?
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
When is the last time you received or sent a care package?
P.S. Happiest of birthdays to my mom (yesterday) and my sister-in-law (today)!
Announcement: Changes in Posting Schedule
Back in December 2006, one of the reasons I started blogging was to drum up freelance writing business. I’ve been *very* lucky that this has indeed happened and that my career has continued to grow even in the face of a horrible economy.
Unfortunately, posting here five days a week is becoming increasingly difficult as I pursue more writing opportunities (including trying to make time for a novel or two!), so starting today, I will be posting here at Bleeding Espresso every three days.
When reconsidering my posting schedule, at first I thought to post Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but that would mean losing Love Thursdays, and I don’t want that. And I also don’t want to lose What’s Cooking Wednesdays either.
So I decided to allow for posting on all different days so I can keep up with some regular features and possibly even go back to an old one–Sunday Scribblings. So yes, there will now be occasional weekend posts as well, if that’s when the third day falls.
Another positive note is that I think you, as readers, will be better able to keep up with posts here (I personally can’t keep up with reading blogs that post every day!); with fewer posts, I should also be able to respond to comments more fully and thoughtfully, visit more of your blogs, and meet up with you throughout the web more often.
If it seems that I’ve thought too much about this and wasted a post talking about it, so be it, but I didn’t want to just start “missing” days without an explanation; I felt I owed this post especially to loyal readers who have helped Bleeding Espresso grow over the years.
Your support is appreciated more than you know, and I hope you’ll continue reading!
And how was *your* weekend?
Freelance Writing Week II: How to Tell Whether Freelance Writing Job Offers Are Legitimate
Welcome to the final day of Freelance Writing Week II!
So far we’ve covered:
- How Much Do Freelance Writers Make?
- Should Freelance Writers Ever Write for Free?
- The “Right” Pay for Freelance Writing Jobs
- How Do Freelance Writers Get Paid?
Now finally to one of the most important freelance writing topics out there:
How can you tell whether freelance writing job offers are legitimate?
One of the hardest parts about being freelance writer searching for work on the Internet is deciphering when a job offer is legitimate and when someone just wants to get something for free–or worse.
Here are some tips from separating the wheat from the chaff, as Willym said:
- Don’t answer blind advertisements.
I rarely, if ever, answer blind advertisements, i.e., those that don’t offer the name of the client seeking writers; I can’t imagine many situations in which a potential client should have to be a secret. If you had a solid name and reputation, wouldn’t you want to put it out there so potential writers knew they could trust you?
But if you think you’ve found the perfect job and simply must respond to a blind ad, pay special attention to their return email address, so you can….
- Google!
Check out any websites or names attached to the job offer. Most legitimate freelance writing job offers will come from people who already have *some* sort of online presence, so if nothing at all turns up, I’d probably start to be suspicious.
With so much social media out there these days, it’s highly unlikely that reputable clients have no online presence whatsoever.
- Ask writer friends.
One of the best ways to find out whether something is too good to be true is to ask around and see if others know anything about the client. If you don’t have writer friends you feel comfortable asking, scour writer message boards and forums.
Included here is my recommendation to keep up with “Whispers and Warnings” in Angela Hoy’s Writers Weekly newsletter, which names clients who haven’t paid writers or are otherwise being difficult regarding payment.
- Trust your instincts.
If something sounds fishy, and you just have a feeling you’re never going to get paid, don’t think twice about turning down the job offer.
Now believe me, I *know* how hard it is to turn down job offers particularly when you’re first starting out, but if something feels off to you, it probably is—and you’ll be saving yourself a lot of hassle by avoiding the situation entirely.
And this concludes Freelance Writing Week II. Thanks so much for reading, and as always if you have more questions you’d like me to address, leave them in the comments!
Do you have more advice on how to spot legitimate freelance writing jobs?
For those of you in Italy, Happy Liberation Day for tomorrow!
Buon weekend a tutti!
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