freelancing - Lacey Louwagie

NaNoWriMo: Why I Did It

This is the NaNoWriMo post I wanted to write last week, but I was just too tired. And I think this will be my last post dedicated to NaNoWriMo until next November. I’m still not recovered enough to regain my regular writing “discipline.” At the end of my NaNo

fairy tales

NaNoWriMo Week 3: In Which I Fall Behind

Here I am on Week 3, and I have fallen behind — it’s always my goal to attempt to keep up with my regular writing commitments (journaling, blogging, reviews) while I’m doing NaNoWriMo, but if I have to choose, I choose my novel. November only comes once a year,

blogging

Finish Novel by October 31? Challenge Accepted

A library friend of mine asked me to come to the library in October to share “tips” on completing NaNoWriMo since I’ve “won” it several years in the past. I agreed. And then I realized that if she is asking this of me now, November is not very far

freelancing

How I Crammed My Life Full of Books ... in Nine Steps

The professor who supervised me in my college days of working at the university writing center recently wrote me with feedback on Rumpled. She said that she wasn’t sure how I managed to find time to do so much reading and writing. I wanted to laugh, because what I

freelancing

Some Thoughts on Money and Writing

In November, I clipped this piece of writing advice from Writer’s Digest (my apologies that I didn’t also clip the issue date — if anyone recognizes it, I’m happy to attribute.) I listened to my mom. She once told me to always live a little outside of my

blogging

Are You a Success? By Whose Standards?

I’m still a little bleary-eyed and disjointed from odd train schedules and driving throughout the night — I just got back from the annual Call To Action conference, where I came up with ideas for at least two blog posts for Young Adult Catholics, so overall, I think it was

article writing

It's Here: The Nov/Dec Issue of Verily Magazine

I’ve been waiting to write this post for a long time. The November/December issue of Verily Magazine is finally for sale, and it features my article, “Natural Wonder: Understand Your Cycle to Regain Your Sanity and Appreciate Your Body,” on page 87. In case the title doesn’t

authors

Writing and the Immeasurable Payout

Recently, I subscribed to Holly Lisle’s e-newsletter on a recommendation from Publishing E-books for Dummies, which I’m reading as part of my Rumpled ebook project. Although my inbox is full with newsletters and updates that I often don’t have time to read, I’m glad I took

business communication

Free Writing Ebook from Scribendi

Since early 2009, Scribendi, an online editorial services company, has been one of my most steady freelance clients. The experience of working for them has only improved over the years, as they’ve raised wages and begun offering other juicy incentives for helping out during especially busy times or receiving

freelancing

Writing: My Difficult Task Done Well

When I was taking the Know Thyself course through Coursera earlier this spring, one thing that stuck with me was the finding that lottery winners are not happier than the general population. I had heard this before, of course, and, as someone who doesn’t find a lot of happiness

blogging

My Last Day of One Job, Embarking on Another

Yesterday was my last official day as Teen Services Librarian for the Marshall-Lyon County Library. My heart is sort of breaking over it–I loved that job so much, but it was a two-hour commute, one way, once a week. I’m still processing all of that, and might blog

editing

Why I Work for Scribendi

Scribendi recently released this infographic that sums up perfectly why working with them is a good deal for freelancers. (Click on the graphic to see it full-size).

freelance writing

Freelance Writer Opportunity

My husband’s company, Wimpy Analytics, LLC., is seeking a part-time freelance writer and PR person for their website Coppergoose.com. Below is a description of the position: Wimpy Analytics, a software startup, is seeking a writing and marketing intern/part-time staff member to become part of a fun, enthusiastic

blogging

Blogging and "platform"

In the September issue of Writer’s Digest, there’s an article by Nina Amir encouraging writers to “blog their book” — to post a blog with bite-size book content over time to develop a readership and, eventually, attract the attention of publishers. The article has a “hit two birds with

freelancing

Overwhelmed, or Just Lucky?

I thought about blogging today about how the upheaval in my personal life has once again been detrimental to my creative life. I’ve mentioned it here before, how hard it is for me to write in transition. For me, transition is the enemy of The Writing Life, whereas routine

editing

Oh, Internet, How I (Haven't Really) Missed You

In the wee hours of Monday, September 20, my wireless router died quietly in its sleep. Monday morning, I was in denial. It will come back, I told myself. All morning, I did laundry and washed dishes. By noon, my Internet still wasn’t up. I gathered my courage, packed

freelancing

Finish What You Start

On the Belbin Team Inventory, I score as the Finisher. This may be why I haven’t often fallen into the trap that snags many writers, of starting multiple projects but finishing none of them. That is, I haven’t fallen into that trap until … lately, when I’m in

editing

Freelance Editors Wanted

I got word last week that one of my main freelance clients, Scribendi, is hiring more remote editors. Scribendi is an online editorial services company. I’ve been working for Scribendi for two years, and I think it’s a great gig. Here’s why: * The work is steady. This

freelancing

New Life to Freelancing

I admit that in the past year or so, I’ve fallen into a bit of a routine (rut?) when it comes to my freelance work. I get half of my income, steadily, through my job at the library — which is wonderful, by the way. I definitely recommend part-time work

editing

Up to My Eyeballs

My status over at gmail, which is where I keep my “freelance/writing” account, claims that I’m “up to my eyeballs in writing projects.” And the end of the year certainly is a busy time for writers, but now that we’re on the last day of November, I’

anniversaries

Happy Anniversary, LL Word

Well, today is the exact one-year anniversary of this blog; I began it on November 3, 2008. At that time, I was only a few days into my life as a full-time freelancer, full of questions and fear and enthusiasm. That first month, I definitely bit off a little more

books

Books and Busy-ness (or Business)

Yesterday, the day I’d been waiting for all summer arrived: my local library’s annual booksale. For the first time (at my mom’s insistence), I paid $10 to get into the “pre-sale” and was there when the doors opened. The pre-sale price was defintely worth it — I’ve

freelancing

Finding Freelance Writing Jobs

My friend Jenny recently posted this video in her blog, and I think it’s worth sharing here. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JASsdI4_gAE] This video brought about an “Ah yes, of course!” moment for me. The tips are really commonsense, yet I’d never used them

freelancing

Myths and Realities of Freelancing

Elance recently ran this article on “debunking the myths of freelancing.” I didn’t subscribe to most of these ideas before I started freelancing, and I don’t think most people do–which is why most people fight to keep their 9 – 5 at all costs. Myth #4: “You’ll

freelancing

Freelance Job Portal: Elance.com

The ultimate questions for freelancers, of course, is how to find the people who want your expertise. You know they’re out there, and you want THEM to know that you’re out there, too. Last week, I registered with Elance.com, and now I have yet another home on