How to Avoid Homelessness and Starvation When the Checks Aren’t Regular

June 15, 2011 by 5 Comments

This self-portrait, by William A. Clark, is both brilliant and eerily familiar. (Whatever. I love ramen noodles.)

My writer-buddy Stacy Lipson recently moved to NYC to pursue her word-nerdy dreams. Stacy is a hard worker. She has a lot of drive and determination. And I’m pretty sure she doesn’t get enough sleep. Still, the city life is proving a bit tougher than she expected. Especially considering how wishy-washy clients can be when sending out paychecks. So she asked me to do up a post on surviving in the city as a freelance writer.

I was happy to comply. There was just one… small… thing…

Though I once worked at the Feminist Press, volunteered my time to a sex-positive feminist mag for sex workers, and declared that I would never be dependent upon a man, I’m now living in a condo in the suburbs, sponging off my husband’s health insurance and his considerably larger income.

God I hate myself.

Still, I’ve learned a thing or two about best business practices and, for everything I don’t know, I’ve provided tips from freelancer friends of mine living in the city. So yeah. I’ve got you covered.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: finances/income Tagged With: , , ,

The 5 Most Common Problems Freelance Writers Face

June 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment

So. This virtual Networking for Word Nerds thing is now a… thing. Third Tuesday of every month. You can make it a recurring event on your calendar and shit. Its existence makes me feel… productive. And happy. Because I get the chance to meet new, fabulous freelance writers every time I sign on.

Anyway.

Every month, I’ll be writing a post over at Brazen Careerist in order to promote these events. Here’s my latest!

The life of a freelance writer is not an easy one. There’s the constant hustle. The pressure to come up with fresh ideas that are both newsy and original. The late paychecks from delinquent clients. The ways in which you open yourself up to public criticism from everyone, including anonymous commenters who seem hell bent on crushing your very soul.

I’ve experienced it all but, when I eventually launched my own business — coaching other word nerds — I was regularly surprised by the issues that were holding them back the most.

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Filed Under: networking, writing Tagged With: , , , ,

Reason To Write: So That Others Will Live

June 7, 2011 by 4 Comments

Bill Dameron

It’s been awhile since I posted something new in our Reason To Write series, but when Bill contacted me with his story, I immediately connected to his personal reason for writing… not because of the events that got each of us writing, but because we both often write to make others feel less alone.

Bill is a full-time IT Director who’d rather be writing. In fact, when he’s not as his day job, he blogs over at The Authentic Life. (His blog posts make me LOL.) Married to a woman for 20 years, he’s now with Paul. They’ve been together for four years, and happily married for one.

Bill’s story — as detailed below — makes me think of Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project. The takeaway is the same. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

In 1977, I was unceremoniously dumped into the public school system after eight years of Catholic school.

Studio 54 debuted, Donna Summer oozed disco sex, and Saturday Night Fever introduced me to polyester boogie nights.

It was also the year of my rhinestone-studded pants, and my brief professional writing career.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: reason to write Tagged With: , , , ,

Freelancedom Book Club: The It Factor

June 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last month, I asked if you’d be interested in participating in a Freelancedom Book Club. You responded with a resounding YES. Obviously, I’m among my people. 🙂

As it’s the first week of June, I wanted to announce my first book club selection:

Mark Wiskup’s The It Factor: Be the One People Like, Listen To, and Remember.

I chose it because I feel that building a strong professional network is so crucial to freelance success, and because — as an introvert — I’m always looking for ways in which I can improve my in-person communication skills.

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Filed Under: book review Tagged With: ,

Why It Took Me Four Years To Become A Freelance Hard-Ass

June 1, 2011 by 5 Comments

My new dress code. ... Okay. Not really. I'm wearing a sundress sans bra right now.

It can be tough to be tough with clients when you’re first starting out as a freelancer.

After all, you’re new to all of this: the self-promotion… the self-discipline… the hustle… the rates-setting. You’re unsure of yourself: unsure of what you’re worth… whether or not you’ll fail or succeed… whether or not you have what it takes.

Because of all this, you end up saying yes to every damn project, out of both desperation and fear. You end up lowballing yourself when setting rates. You end up working nights and weekends, with nothing to show for it.

After three years, I still had nothing to show for it.

Don’t get me wrong. After three years, the work was coming to me. My professional network was vast. My portfolio and resume looked a thousand times better than they once did.

But I was still struggling to pay the bills, and my work/life balance was seriously out of whack.

It took me four years to finally become a freelance hard-ass. What finally clicked?

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Filed Under: balance, finances/income Tagged With: , ,

Forget Grad School. Is Your B.A. Worth It?

May 27, 2011 by 8 Comments

I’ve commented on a lot of blog posts arguing the benefits of grad school versus real world experience. I’ve blogged about how I feel the best way to learn is by doing. But forget about grad school. Was getting your undergraduate degree a waste of time, too?

A fellow YEC member — Donna Fenn — recently shared info on the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship. Basically, those chosen for the fellowship have each been given $100,000 to drop out of college and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. In addition to the moolah, fellows will be provided with mentorship from the Foundation’s network of entrepreneurs, in addition to other resources.

I was intrigued by this story because, while I felt college was beneficial in helping me develop as a person, I didn’t feel as if it prepared me all that much for professional life.

What do I wish I’d learned in college?

[Read more…]

Filed Under: education Tagged With: , , ,

Finding A Writing Partner Who Will Make Your Dreams Come True

May 23, 2011 by 4 Comments

This image is 100% about partners, and 0% about the huge crush I used to have on Burt Ward.

This is an excerpt from a post I wrote for Brazen Careerist. It was written both to promote my upcoming Networking for Word Nerds event (register here) and to sing the praises of having a good writing partner. (I love my writing partner to bits.)

Enjoy!

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post calling for a “writing partner who can kick my lazy, procrastinating writer’s ass.”

Now I have a writing partner I love, plus another partner I email my daily goals.

I’ve also left behind a low-paying permalance gig that had me feeling stuck. I’m well on my way to making more money this year than I’ve made previously, and I’m feeling more productive and successful than ever before.

Coincidence? I think not.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: community, shameless self-promotion, writing Tagged With: , , , , ,

How To Put Together A Kick-Ass Press Kit

May 23, 2011 by 1 Comment

The following is an excerpt from Cinnamon McCann’s Self-Publishing in Stilettos.

In reading through my review copy, I felt that the step-by-step, how-to content was definitely valuable for anyone considering the self-publication route. But what I was most struck by was the section on press kits and press releases, as putting these together is something I feel many freelancers don’t know a lot about. And if you’re trying to promote an information product, a copywriting biz, or any other type of product or service, it can be an important skill to have.

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Filed Under: book review, marketing Tagged With: , , ,

Spill It: What Does Your Fantasy Coworking Space Look Like?

May 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Since leaving YourTango, I’ve used the past two months to take a really close look at my career coaching business, trying to figure out what I want to focus on, which products and services I want to take off the table, which I want to add (if any), and where I want this whole career coaching thing to go.

The first sentence of the bio I wrote for the YEC site was telling: “Steph Auteri is the founder of Career Coaching for Word Nerds, a company created with an eye toward building a community of fellow word nerds and publishing professionals who can share stories, experiences, tips, and resources with their peers, and also connect with established experts within the industry.”

It made me realize that — as much as I enjoy one-on-one coaching — I’d really like to make my coaching biz a community.

And so, the germ of a (possibly ridiculous) dream was born: To one day open up a coworking space / cafe that also holds regular literary and networking events.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: book review, community, spill it Tagged With:

Introducing A Monthly Word Nerd Networking Event

May 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last month, I partnered up with Brazen Careerist to put together a virtual Word Nerd Networking event. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and some of you even asked to be alerted about future events.

Et voila!

I am now the official host of a monthly Networking for Word Nerds online event.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: networking, shameless self-promotion Tagged With: , , , ,
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