<![CDATA[MeganWrites Media

<![CDATA[MeganWrites Media - Blog]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 11:58:03 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Call for Submissions: Guest Posts on Writing and Freelancing at MeganWrites Media]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 13:53:59 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/call-for-submissions-guest-posts-on-writing-and-freelancing-at-meganwrites-media.html

Ring, ring! What's that? It's a call for you to be featured on my blog!

Requirements:
-Must write about topics related to freelancing or writing. Some ideas might include your experiences or opinions about writing, how you work, and what inspires you. But be creative! Surprise and inspire me with your words.

-Must be original - no plagiarizing (I will check).

-Must be no longer than 500 words - it's the Internet, and our attention spans are short.

-You must be willing to post the link to your guest post on social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Please submit your original guest post to my contact page. From there, I will contact you and coordinate when your post will be published, as well as what photos you'd like posted alongside it and what to include in your short biography.

]]><![CDATA[Juggling Freelance and Writing Books: The Power of Big Production Days]]>Tue, 15 May 2012 12:33:25 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/juggling-freelance-and-writing-books-the-power-of-big-production-days.html

Guest post by Shawndra Russell

In June 2011, I left my job teaching high school English and turned my world upside down. I had dreams of being a full-time writer and dove into this career wholeheartedly optimistic. But instead of days spent writing books (I have a “dream box” filled with at least 50 book ideas, mostly fiction), I instead constantly hustled to find new freelance gigs to pay the bills.

This hustle resulted in my seven current social media/content clients, a weekly newspaper column, and an editor position at a regional magazine. I am thrilled to stitch together these income streams and do work I love.

But…what about all my book ideas? Didn’t I want to be an author, not only a freelance writer and marketer? How could I do both?

Then I discovered NaNoWriMo. This program challenges participants to write at least a 50,000 novel in just 30 days (which equals 1,666.67 words per day, if you were curious). So from June to November, I decided to pour my energy into making my business work, all the while planning to start my first novel, Couple Friends, on November 1.

I will confess I actually wrote the novel based on a screenplay I’d written the previous spring during nights and weekends. But I felt this story and its characters deserved to be fleshed out and believed I had a better shot at success with a novel.

I decided to aim for 3,000 words a day because I wanted to hit between 60,000 and 80,000 words, which I learned was typical for women’s fiction. I woke up, had coffee, and wrote nonstop until I reached my word count—usually between 2-3 hours. I didn’t worry about editing or including lots of description. I just wanted to get the skeleton of the story out.

This method worked great for me, and on November 17, I had finished my first draft. The problem? I only had around 54,000 words. So, I added a second narrator—a male point of view, the husband of the main character—and went back to my 3,000 words a day. After another seven days and 21,000 words, I felt I had a real first draft.

Sure, this method requires a lot of additional writing in following drafts, but it worked for me because I had a solid outline and did not edit or re-read along the way.

This experience was liberating because starting the day with these big writing bursts made me ready to tackle the needs of my clients. I’d worked for myself first and felt really darn proud, so I was able to laser-focus on my freelance tasks without the underlying desire to write books. I plan to start a new book June 1 because I honestly feel it makes me a better freelancer.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and good luck with your writing goals!

You can pre-order Shawndra’s novel through Kickstarter, follow her on Twitter at @ShawndraRussell, and read her published work at www.shawndra-russell.com.

]]><![CDATA[Break Time! 4 Essential Daily Time-Outs for Freelancers]]>Mon, 14 May 2012 13:06:49 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/break-time-4-essential-daily-time-outs-for-freelancers.html

You've been working hard, and now it's time for a quick break! If you freelance or work from home, you know it can become difficult to remember to take a break. However, stepping away from work is a good way to recharge!

Take these time-outs every day and you'll find yourself feeling better about working!

Check Email
It's a bad habit to have your email open as you work. It can be distracting and throw off your rhythm. Keep it closed and check it on breaks to see if a client has any new work or if any queries you sent received responses.

Stretch
Hunching over a computer can stiffen your muscles quickly. Get up and stretch during break times. You'll feel rejuvenated!

Tidy Up
Working as a freelancer can mean that while work is your focus, you tend to forget other tasks like chores. Do a quick task while you have a break, such as unloading the dishwasher or changing a load of laundry through.

Clear Your Mind
When you freelance, your mind tends to go a mile a minute. There is so much to accomplish, but so little time to do it all. It's essential to think of other things throughout the day so stress doesn't take over. Whether this means you need to take a short walk or break for an hour to de-stress, clearing your thoughts is important to avoid burn-out.

]]><![CDATA[Megan Harris Joins Evolved Publishing Team!]]>Mon, 07 May 2012 13:14:50 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/megan-harris-joins-evolved-publishing-team.htmlA quick note from Megan Harris, writer/editor at MeganWrites Media

I'm excited to announce I've been chosen to work as an editor for Evolved Publishing! I can't wait to learn so much more about editing and the creative process behind writing great fiction.

Check out more about this awesome publisher here and read my profile posted on the site.

]]><![CDATA[Murphy's Laws for Freelancing]]>Thu, 03 May 2012 08:28:22 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/murphys-laws-for-freelancing.html

A quick note from Megan Harris, writer/editor at MeganWrites Media

Murphy's Law is an adage that states, "Anything that can go wrong, will." However, one might say that the opposite can be true, too, in some cases!

I have experienced the opposite situation this week - you might change the saying for me to, "Everything that can go right, does." Here are just a few examples of how freelancing the past two weeks has turned Murphy's Law on its head.

Apply for a full-time job; receive 4-5 freelance leads

This just happened to me. Last Thursday, I took a clerical test for a government position in my county. Since I am studying Public Administration in my Masters program, I thought it might be worth pursuing. I love to freelance, but I also like to keep my options open. As a result, I received about five leads this week on jobs and projects as a freelancer!

Move a client to Past Client list; receive email from them about more work

I use a client tracking spreadsheet to keep track of past client contact information, current projects and future clients. It's helpful for me to use this to have a real-time understanding of projects as they happen.

When I haven't heard from a client in a while, I move them from the Present Clients list to the Past Clients list. It keeps everything streamlined and allows me to continue pursuing prospective leads. But when I did that this week for a client that wasn't returning my emails, they contacted me about half an hour later with more work! Imagine that!

Update Skype profile; talk to a fellow freelancer half an hour

Since I updated MeganWrites Media's look this week, I thought it would be best to put that look on all my profiles. As I opened Skype to change the profile image, a freelancer started to message me. We talked for a full half hour and it ended up being a pretty good discussion. If I hadn't thought to change the look, the conversation might not have happened!

Have you experienced a similar situation as a freelancer? I'd love to hear about it!

]]><![CDATA[MeganWrites Media's New Look]]>Tue, 01 May 2012 16:30:03 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/05/meganwrites-medias-new-look.html

MeganWrites Media has a brand new look!

This minimalist approach to design for my brand reflects my desire to streamline services and cater to more brands in a wide variety of areas. The colors chosen - black, white and green - are not only my personal favorites for designs of this type, but paired with the pen logo showcase my love of writing and focus of my business.

Whether you are looking to change your wedding business' message, want to improve your resume for interviews or work in another niche that could use my services, you can still depend on MeganWrites Media to provide you high-quality writing, editing and social media services.

Check out my new look in other, places, too!

Pinterest
Facebook
Twitter
About.me

]]><![CDATA[Specialist vs. Generalist - Which is Better in Freelancing?]]>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:40:38 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/04/specialist-vs-generalist-which-is-better-in-freelancing.html

In the freelance world, there is constant debate as to whether contractors should specialize in a particular area or work as a Jack or Jill of all trades. Experts debate frequently over what is "better" for the freelance lifestyle. So who is right?

If you choose to work as a specialist, you might find your income increase as demand for your expertise increases. Thus, you can raise your rates frequently and find clients willing to pay top dollar for your services.

However, one downfall of working as a specialist might be that work can become repetitive and, thus, less exciting. Generalists, on the other hand, can find themselves writing biographies one day, editing a book the next, or writing blogs in a variety of niches each week. While they may not have the polished skills of a specialist, they can net income from a number of sources and keep working on becoming skilled in a number of areas rather than one.

What's the right answer? There is none! Working as either a specialist or generalist can be quite rewarding.

If you decide to work as a specialist and change to a generalist later, there are always free resources available to you. If you, instead, work as a generalist, then choose to specialize, you can still find help from other specialists and sources.

The true success from freelancing comes from constantly desiring to learn new things. Read many books and talk to other freelancers. As Steve Jobs said, "Stay hungry. Stay foolish." Learn consistently about your trade and try new things. You will find happiness if you work hard for it!

]]><![CDATA[Follow MeganWrites Media on Pinterest]]>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:37:42 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/04/follow-meganwrites-media-on-pinterest.html

Do you love Pinterest? I do! I've updated my boards recently to reflect my passion for a number of things, including...

Weddings - which includes some captions written by me for photos!
Writing - Lots of grammar humor!
Books - Writers love books, and I share lots of my favorites there!
Novel Sneak Peek - I am working on a novel and created a board with inspirational pieces relating to it!
My Dream Office - I have an entire board of items I wish I had in my office. A girl can dream!

Check out MeganWrites Media on Pinterest!

]]><![CDATA[Why Confidence Eventually Trumps Skill in Freelancing]]>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:48:06 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/04/why-confidence-eventually-trumps-skill-in-freelancing.html

When you become a freelancer, you bring with you a certain skill set. Perhaps you are great at graphic design or worked as a copywriter in the past.

Using those skills is great, but eventually you have to hone one other important skill. Can you guess what it is?

Confidence. At some point in your work, you will find that your confidence will be what sets you apart from others in the freelance world.

Take this example, for instance: A client is down to two people for their project. They can either choose you or one other candidate. Each of you is equally talented at what you do. Each of you has the portfolio and knowledge the client needs for their project. Who should they choose? If you exude confidence, they will likely you choose you!

Some ways to show you are confident include:

Listening intently rather than talking ad nauseum about your work
Giving advice freely - but don't give it all away! Just enough to keep them interested.
Remain professional throughout your conversations and after they have made their decision, even if they don't choose you.

Working on your confidence can help your business tremendously. Let your confidence shine through in all you do!

]]><![CDATA[4 Common Wedding Blog Posts]]>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:58:38 -0600http://www.meganwrites.com/1/post/2012/04/4-common-wedding-blog-posts.html

A quick note from Megan Harris, writer/editor at MeganWrites Media

Writing for a number of wedding websites has afforded me the opportunity to see what blogs work for certain audiences and what ones do not.

While traditional social media thinking advocates blogging daily, some wedding professionals think this can be excessive. Chris Boulton from the Think Like a Bride blog writes that posting blogs for the sake of updating your site is a waste of time and does not give your blog the rich content it deserves.

Here are four common blog posts that offer content-rich opportunities to showcase your business and attract new clients.

1. Real Wedding Posts
Posting about a real wedding, complete with pictures and anecdotes from the event, are heart-warming to read and can showcase your talent as a DJ, photographer, caterer, or whatever!

If you do not have photos from the event, ask the bride to supply some for your blog or partner with the photographer in exchange for credit for their work on your site.

2. Before/After Posts
Do you work in lighting or decorating for weddings? Use photos in your blog with some commentary of the before and after from setting up the venue! Send the finished post to the managers of the venue and offer use of the photos on their site. Establishing those relationships is important to your success!

3. Problem-Solving Posts
Let's say you help with a wedding that runs into a snag. Perhaps the bride is running late, equipment is missing or an issue arises with the venue. Talk about the problem and how you helped to solve it on your blog. This shows you are not only a professional, but work with couples to make their big day special.

4. Advice Posts
One of the most common posts, advice posts may get lost easily in the blogosphere if you fail to put thought into them. Give tangible solutions to common problems that occur during the wedding planning process. Offer free consultations to couples planning their wedding with a subtle call to action at the end of the blog post.

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