Are you the type of person who is paranoid about losing their work? Hopefully your answer is yes. As a freelance writer you should get into the habit of saving your work on a regular basis. If you don’t do this it will probably bite you in the neck sooner rather than later.
I got a wakeup call a couple weeks back. My part of the country was hit with a giant snow storm. In turn, the power was going out from time to time. Since I made it through the large part of the storm unaffected I figured there was nothing to worry about. But of course, I was wrong.
I was in the middle of writing a feature article, had yet to hit save, and the power blew. After a few minutes it came back on and I rebooted my computer. While I was glad that everything was safe with my machine, you guessed it – all of my work was gone. At that point my only option was to start the project over.
It is so silly to not save your work. It only takes a second to hit the save button, but for whatever reason many of us forget to do so from time to time. I learned my lesson a couple weeks ago, and am now trying to make a conscious effort to save my progress every few minutes. Has anything like this ever happened to you?
The beginning of the year is always most busy for my freelance writing course. I attribute this to the fact that many people decide early in the year to find a new career. This year is no exception. My course has been hopping, and I wanted to give you all a quick update.
As of right now, I have two openings in my freelance writing course. That being said, I do have a waiting list of people who may be quick to act. If you are interested in joining, please contact me as soon as possible – the spots usually stay open for 24 hours or less.
I was glad to hear from three past members (all from November and December 2009) who have taken the leap from part to full-time freelance writing. It is always nice to know that I helped these people reach their first goal of many.
In the months to come I look forward to working with many more of you guys and gals! Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
If you are completing jobs for clients you want to get paid, right? Even though there are many options for receiving payment, some freelancers have a difficult time deciding which one is right for them. In fact, I get more questions about this than just about any other topic.
So, how are you getting paid? There are three methods that I have used time and time again over the years. All of them are perfectly acceptable, although you may be more interested in one or another:
1. PayPal. In my opinion, this is the best way for freelance writers to get paid – especially when working with web based clients. The great thing about PayPal is the speed and efficiency with which you can receive payment. The only downside is that some of your profits will fly out the window by way of PayPal fees. That being said, I have found the fees to be quite fair for the service provided.
2. Check. Many of my clients pay via check. With this option you have to wait a big longer for payment, and once received you will need to head for the bank. That being said, there are no fees involved which means you get to keep every dime that you earn.
3. Bank wire. This is nowhere near as common as the two options detailed above. That being said, I have two clients that use this on a regular basis. All they needed was some basic information from me, such as my bank account and routing number, in order to get started. While this makes payment quick, keep one thing in mind: your bank may charge you a fee for sending and receiving wires. You may want to check on this before agreeing to this form of payment.
I know that this is a very basic topic. Most freelance writers know how to get paid, as well as which method they prefer. Try to be fair to both you and the client when working out payment details. The majority of the time you will be able to settle on something that is mutually beneficially.
