Archive for the "Keeping it together" category

Time is one of those things you just can’t get away from.  It just keeps going at one second per second and never stops.  Many of us don’t even think about it until we have a massive project due the next day and we haven’t even started.  It’s not a problem for people with traditional [...]

It’s happened to me, it’s happened to you, it’s happened to all of us.  You apply for a job opening, get the interview and then after what feels like some good solid communication you discover the job went to someone else. Well, you could do some yelling and screaming and run about the house tearing [...]

I haven’t posted here in a while. A long while. There’s one reason why: I went into full shutdown from freelance writer burn-out. I couldn’t even log into oDesk without getting a sick feeling in my stomach. The danger of destroying yourself from overworking is very real, and as part of my personal therapy in [...]

Changes isn’t just a David Bowie song. Not one of us hasn’t had to make one or more changes to a project before a buyer would accept it.  It happens, sometimes it’s because the buyer was vague about what they wanted, sometimes it’s because they change their mind part way through, and sometimes it’s because [...]

The Need I’ve noticed a trend on oDesk and other contract writing sites. The trend is to hire as cheaply as possible and then either the buyer edits the material into something usable or hires someone else to do it. (And when they get someone else to take a second look, you can bet the [...]

In a previous post, Becoming Invisible I mentioned some errors that shock readers out of the spell you are casting with your fine writing. I’ve accumulated more for my list and here they are. Gaffs to avoid These are mistakes I have collected from writing I have read or edited (and some I’ve made myself). [...]

The doldrums; we all get them. Those days when you just don’t feel like getting out of bed and doing anything.  All you want to do is lie in bed and doze.  The very last thing you want to do is get up and work; or worse yet get up and look for work. So, [...]

Here’s how my average day goes: I wake up anywhere from 5pm to 8pm. Then, I roll out of bed and check my E-Mail and IMs for anything that has popped up. Take a shower. Eat “breakfast.” Check oDesk for any jobs I might like and apply for them. Answer E-Mails. Call Tokyo/Berlin/wherever my international [...]

I have a confession to make: I make mistakes. I don’t think I’m alone in that either. We all make mistakes and there really isn’t anything one can do about it except do the best you can to fix it and then move on. Anyway, here’s what happened in this case. I took a job [...]

Very simply, your mental state is directly tied to the success of your career. If you are experiencing some problems in your personal life, then it is likely to drag your career as a freelancer down. Sometimes, I don’t feel like working because I’m stressed out, and when I try to force myself to work, [...]