The week’s posts on a single page (most recent at the top):
Not Forgotten
Yesterday I wrote about how contingency planning can help to avoid to avoid sticky situations.
What I forgot to add was a word about scheduling – a simple task that technology can do for you.
So when I’m approaching a trip away, and I want these blog posts to continue to go out daily, and my email to drop in to people’s inboxes weekly, I load up both so that the wheel keeps on turning on the days when I can’t work on my laptop.
WordPress (which this site runs on), Aweber (the company that handles my weekly emails) and Hootsuite (which I’ve used in the past for posting on social media) all enable scheduling.
Sticky Situation
When going on holiday or travelling for work, freelancing for a living requires a bit of extra planning.
There are the normal scheduled tasks to think of and accommodate while you’re away, as well as unexpected, urgent requests from clients that always come up.
So to avoid sticky situations that can leave you working when you’d rather not, or clients hanging on when you’d rather they didn’t, contingency planning goes a long way.
Rip It Up
As a sub-editor, I rarely have to rip anything to pieces and start again (I’ve done it to my own work a few times, mind) but here’s a brief list of things I do:
- Check all facts for accuracy
- Ensure the same fact isn’t stated twice
- Avoid repetition of words in a single sentence
- Use the fewest amount of words as possible to tell the story
- Ensure the language is grammatically correct
- Ensure every word is spelled correctly
- Adherence to the publisher’s preferred style (for example, do they prefer US or British English? ‘Email’ or ‘e-mail’?)
- Opt for active rather than passive sentence construction
Mr Writer
Here’s a clue abut my work as a sub-editor.
It’s the point Mark Twain (or was it Blaise Pascal?) was making when he suggested that it’s easier to write many words quickly than a concise, precise few.
Editing takes time and energy. Hence the variation:
Sorry my letter is long but I didn’t have time to write a short one.
Move On Up
One reason why I promote freelancing – and there are many – is because it puts you in control.
If a client shouldn’t get past your Velvet Rope, you have the power to say no. If you no longer enjoy doing a particular type of work, or if it doesn’t pay enough, you have the power to stop doing it. If you’re facing redundancy, it’s a great way of making sure you never get made redundant again.
All this comes from an ability to embrace change, rather than a fear of it, which I had for ages. As Jarvis Cocker said:
“Situations don’t stay good if you sit on your arse.”
There’s a great book I’d recommend on the subject of embracing change: Who Moved My Cheese*.
*affiliate link
Roll With It
Successful freelancing takes a certain kind of resilience and an ability to get on with what’s available, even when it’s not great, and then working for better.
Probably worth teaching kids that.
More Than This
I talk and write a little bit about the conversation I had in 2005 with Deenita Pattni, a recruitment specialist, who gave me some of the best advice I’ve ever had. \
She suggested that I should try to be “more than just a writer”, meaning that I should try to acquire additional skills such as designing or desktop publishing.
The reason it was – and remains – such good advice is because, as a freelancer, the more you can offer, the greater your chances of getting interesting, varied work for interesting, varied clients.
It’s why my work has taken in web design, hosting, journalism, editing, blogging, social media marketing, SEO, ghostwriting and consulting.
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