Some favourite work things

So Elicia MacKenzie has been crowned Maria von Trapp (in the show, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?) for the upcoming Toronto production of the Sound of Music. Good for her! I did not see a single episode, nor have I watched any of American Idol or Canadian...

Get out and network

One of the things I encourage new freelancers to do is get out and network. Established freelancers, too! Working in a home office can be as lonely as it is liberating. Just as you should spend some time every week on marketing your business, even when you are already...

How to choose a writing sample

If you are a blogger, consider yourself patted on the back by Anne Holland, Content Director of MarketingSherpa. She encourages bloggers in the May 12 newsletter (see #9) thusly: “Starting a blog is easy. Keeping the blog going for more than a few months is...

Behind the scenes

Here’s some of what’s been going on behind the scenes of the happy freelancer: I had a last-minute panic call from a client. An executive did not like an employee newsletter article written by a junior staff writer. Could I listen to a taped conversation...

Make the most of your freelancers

Ragan just sent me a link to a number of stories, one of which I found particularly close to home: “How to make the most of your freelancers” by Sarah McAdams. (Sorry, link no longer live. But thanks to my western colleague, Dave Traynor, for introducing...

Time for a raise

The latest issue of IABC’s printed Communication World (or CW, which now receives top billing over the full name) reports on the results of a recent member survey about salaries and job satisfaction. Generally, the 3,370 respondents indicated we’re...

Good thing writing is “easy”

I confess to taking a moment today to bask in the glow of a compliment about an online newsletter article I just submitted. However, it reminded me of something once asked of me: “So, are you only as good as your last article/newsletter?” (This was many...