A Freelancers Journey, Part One

Today it begins.

I have always known I was a freelancer. The phrase my family uses to describe me is "not a nine-to-five-er." That said, nine-to-five does carry some not-so-romantic but comforting benefits. Health insurance. Travel reimbursement. Gas mileage. A regular paycheck.

But alas, I'm the daughter and granddaughter of entrepreneurs, and I'm also of the "ownership society."

I love to write. No such thing as retirement--writing is who I am. But with that ideal and that passion comes every writer's downfall. Running a business. Getting paid.

We right-brained people with our horrendous filing cabinets and hard drives/Zip drives full of e-mails have to spend time organizing, like any businessperson. I had a conversation with a fellow writer/content provider in which we both confessed neither of us knew how to charge for our services. Although University of Southern California master of Professional Writing Program does give great training in the business side, most writing programs in my experience don't teach marketing, recordkeeping, fee-charging, and work-for-hire contracts, let alone publishing contracts.

Today while tracking two possible freelance jobs (I'd like to give a plug to David Copeland's Freelance Daily, http://freelancewriters.blogspot.com/, a terrific daily newsgroup with tons of freelance leads, also PayingWriterJobs, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PayingWriterJobs/, AbsoluteWriter, http://www.absolutewrite.com, Writers Weekly, http://www.writersweekly.com, and of course, my local paper, http://www.thedesertsun.com/), I found my e-mail inbox inundated with back and forth e-mails. While I admit my e-mail organization system resembles my filing system at times, I finally wised up.

On my computer, in Windows, I have a folder with subfolders for e-mail. I created a separate directory, "freelance". Then I assigned every potential or actual freelance job its own folder with a client identifier number where appropriate and otherwise the name of the client/publication.

I also created a Work For Hire agreement today. My own--usually when I work with a publication I'm required to submit an invoice. However, a publication you have a relationship with is different from a client that doesn't know you and vice versa. This is new ground for me. I've signed three book contracts, entered into three royalty agreements and two bona fide collaboration agreements, signed screenplay, magazine, fiction, and poetry release forms, sent more contest applications than I can count...but my own Work For Hire agreement...now I feel I've passed the "novice" mark and can proudly call myself a full-time freelancer. Freelance entrepreneur.

No.

Writer always works. To quote Harlan Ellison's business card, "I write."

But will I stay organized?

Continued next week...

Kristin Johnson is co-author of the "highly recommended" Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadable media kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Write Strategy: Think, Believe, Attack

Think of writing like karate...it's about DISCIPLINE.Writing, like other forms... Read More

Celebrating Writing and Life

Every morning I excitedly get out of bed. Just a... Read More

Writing for the Internet -- How To Give the Readers What They Want

In this article you will find tips on: How to... Read More

How to Get Free Publicity in In-flight Magazines

If you're targeting an educated, more affluent audience with your... Read More

When I Run Out of Ideas

I do on occasion run out of ideas for my... Read More

Get Published: The Nuts and Bolts of Good English, and How to Impress a Publisher (3)

A well-punctuated approach letter may make the difference between acceptance... Read More

How To Write More Powerful Reports

There is one key difference between reports and most other... Read More

Dreading the Writing Assignment? Outlines to the Rescue

Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More

Writing HI-LO Material (High Interest, Low Ability) for Slow Readers

To write books for readers at an elementary reading level... Read More

Write With Passion: 4 Steps To Emotionally Charge A Nonfiction Article

You have just completed a draft of an article. It... Read More

A Few Keys to Writing Effective Dialogue

Every writer expends a great deal of creative energy developing... Read More

Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation

ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More

Writing the Chapters of Your Life: Surprising Insights Using This Special Journaling Technique

List-making is a favorite journaling technique and is often used... Read More

How To Avoid Viewpoint Slips

Sit back, and imagine what it feels like to be... Read More

Focusing Your Reading and Finding Ideas

Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More

Spiritual Journaling

Whether you keep a separate spiritual journal or just want... Read More

A Simple Contest with a Strong Message: Wake Up Your Writing Spirit

The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for... Read More

Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 5 of 6

PASSED, PASTPassed is the past tense of pass. Past means... Read More

Apotheosis - the Seminal Insight of the Hero for Screenwriting

Every hero has a seminal insight - the apotheosis. Once... Read More

Think Market!

Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was... Read More

Should You Hire a Ghostwriter?

Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they... Read More

Conflict - How To Keep Your Readers Turning Pages

Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More

Characters In A Romance Novel

Before you even begin writing your novel, you need to... Read More

Become an Instant Author by Playing Well with Others

You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More

Five Minute Miracles

FIVE MINUTES ... Is All You Need ........to phone a... Read More

Getting Past The Shoulds To Write

During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More

Writing from Home: It Can Be Great and Not-So-Great for Mothers

I went to school to be a teacher. In fact,... Read More

Freewriting: A Strategy That Will Bring Your Writing To Life

Freewriting is a release from the prison of rules. It... Read More

How I Became a Syndicated Columnist -- And You Can Too!

Real Estate has "Location, location, location," and writing has "Clips,... Read More

Five Common Errors to Correct Before Submitting a Letter or Report

First impressions count in writing too! So it is always... Read More

Who Said That? Making Dialogue Crystal Clear

Recently, I was hunting for a book that would simply... Read More

Freelance Feast or Famine?

Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like... Read More

The Beginners Guide to Freelance Writing

The Big IdeaOkay. So youve figured out that you would... Read More