freelance

5 Reasons Why It’s Silly To Complain About Crappy Writing Pay

/ Stuart Danker / 41 Comments

Beggar with a sign that says Hungry

I’ve always been indifferent to lower-than-average pay, especially when it comes to freelance writing. The people in my local writer’s group aren’t as blasé about it, however.

“You should stick to your principles,” they’d say. “Value your writing and someday others will too.”

They have a hatred for writers who take on low-paying gigs, as if that were the reason for dwindling market rates.

Wanna know what I think though? I think that every writer has their own path to pave. If it’s by waiting for a client to miraculously offer you the perfect rates and terms, then more power to you. But some writers resort to places like Fiverr, and they shouldn’t be ridiculed by their choice either.

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The Ultimate(est) 5-Step Guide To Writing A Killer Blog Post

/ Stuart Danker / 79 Comments
Kid standing at the base of a high stairway

Photo: Jukan Tateisi

You’re reading this, so that means you’re most likely on WordPress. And if that’s the case, then you’re probably spending too much time reading other people’s posts instead of writing your own.

Wow, you might think, this guy has such an astute observation!

Elementary, my dear Watson. Most people are already born procrastinators, what more those who choose words as their form of expression.

Because if you can describe procrastination in five different ways, then you’re five times more likely to doing said procrastinating. Boom, quick maths.

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Want To Finish Your Novel? Try Micro-Writing

/ Stuart Danker / 83 Comments
Micro-Writing Typing - Damian Zaleski

Photo: Damian Zaleski

I was a stringer for the national newspapers once. My job was to pick up any assignments that the full-time team couldn’t handle, which amounted anywhere from one story every fortnight to two articles a week. That meant that my income was unstable at best, but what made up for it was the lack of daily commute or morning meetings, and all this before the digital nomad movement.

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How To Defend Your Writing From Your Bosses’ Demands

/ Stuart Danker / 21 Comments
Man yelling with hands grabbing his own hair

Photo: Ryan Snaadt

It doesn’t matter if you’re on a magazine’s payroll or if you’re helping out a friend of a friend with his website copy—as a writer, you’ll need to answer to somebody for your work, more often than not.

The thing is, these relationships do sometimes come with a bit of feedback, and some people are better at giving it than others.

Trust me, it’s no fun reading an e-mail with a list of things you’ve done wrong, even when you put your heart and soul into it. But receiving feedback and amending your work doesn’t need to be a helpless process. You, too, have a say as a writer.

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Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Freelance Writer?

/ Stuart Danker / 64 Comments
Man working on laptop

Photo: Austin Distel

Freelance writing is the dream, isn’t it?

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably fantasised about combining your wordsmithery with the nomad lifestyle. What an image that’d be, occasionally taking your eyes off the mountainous horizon of Costa Rica to reply to a work e-mail, one that’d celebrate your great work and promise your payment before the day’s end.

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