All posts by Amanda Connor

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Seasons of Change

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By Amanda Smyth Connor1309285_autumn_leaves

As the seasons change, you need to change too. Adapting to changing seasons is a great opportunity for you to evaluate your day-to-day routine.

Whether you work in an office or work from home, it’s important for you to evaluate your work routine and daily routine. It’s so easy to fall into a routine that leaves you in a rut that you then see reflected in your writing, and it’s even easier to start feeling seasonal depression this time of year. The amount of sun you’re getting is decreasing, the days are getting shorter, and being cooped up in the house for months on end doesn’t sound exciting.  Since the weather is turning a bit chillier/rainier, what better time than now to switch up your routine to combat that rut we all seem to fall into during the colder months. Continue reading Seasons of Change →

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Everything I Need to Know About Freelancing I Learned From Donald Draper

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by Amanda Smyth Connor

If you are a fan of the hit AMC show, Mad Men, then you’ll recognize the following gems that have dripped like honey from the mouth of suave, dark, domineering ad man, Donald Draper. If you aren’t yet a fan of the show, I highly recommend. Aside from the shocking behavior and extremely misogynistic setting, the show has its truly inspirational moments. Below are the quotes that I find apply perfectly to the world of freelancing.

1. “You want some respect? Go out there and get it for yourself.” – Mistakes, bad relationships, burned bridges, missed donald-draperdeadlines: these ghosts will haunt you throughout your career. Give your projects all you’ve got – 100% all the time. Your editors and your clients will come to respect you and trust your work. Getting the next job will become that much easier.

2. “I’m enjoying the story so far, but I have a feeling its not going to end well.” – Know when to cut and run. Know how to self edit. Don’t beat your copy to death. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Give the client exactly what they want and not one word more.

3. “Just think about it deeply, then forget it…then an idea will jump up in your face.” – Overcoming writer’s block is one of the toughest challenges in a freelancer’s career. Don’t freak out, it will just make things worse. Walk away, think about something else. Read a book, take a walk, sleep. The ideas will find you when they are ready.

4. “I would have my secretary do it, but she’s dead.” – It’s going to be a tough road, but the freelance burden is yours to bear. You don’t get a secretary, you don’t get an assistant. Suck it up. If you survive, it will only make you stronger.

5. “It’s your job. I give you money. You give me ideas.” – You took on the project, you must produce perfection. There is no room for “I just couldn’t come up with good copy” or “I had such and such problem and couldn’t produce the work.” Make it work. No excuses.

Thanks for the inspiration, Don. I owe you a drink.

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Living to Write/Writing to Live

By Amanda Connor

Let’s see. What are the hot topics this year? Cupcakes. The Jersey Shore. BP. Sarah Palin. The Wedding Industry. Iran. 1235996_pencil-pusherUniversal Healthcare. Turntabling. The 4-Hour Workweek. Polygamy. Vampires.

I could go on all day.

The fact of the matter is that some days I write to live, and other days I live to write. What’s the difference? The difference is entirely dependent on what topics I’m writing about.

On the days when I’m writing about some topic I don’t particularly give a crap about, that’s when I find myself writing to live. It’s obligatory. Sure, I’ll still give it my all, but my heart isn’t really in it. Continue reading Living to Write/Writing to Live →

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Know Your Client – Become Your Client

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It’s always exhilarating to take on a new client. I personally enjoy taking on clients who specifically want to focus on site copy. It gives me great joy to be the voice of a company. To create the tone, the style and the narrative for a website feels powerful. I feel like the company’s success is somehow riding in my hands and flowing through my pen. But the mistake many freelancers make is in not learning to write in the client’s voice.

You can’t just describe the company. You can’t just talk about the company or your client. You have to become your client. Think how they think. Speak how they speak and represent the company as though you had worked there all of your life.

Nailing down the tone, style and narrative of a company’s voice is really tough. I’ve seen companies plow through a dozen freelancers in an effort to find just one who could carry the perfect tone and style that the client demanded.

I managed one project for client “Anonymous-Huge-Nationwide-Chain” whose list of writing style guidelines was like nothing I’ve seen before. Continue reading Know Your Client – Become Your Client →

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Looking In/Looking Out – Taking Criticism

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By Amanda Smyth Connor1116094_the_buddha_of_happiness

Constructive criticism is equally as helpful as it can be hurtful. Being able to take criticism and apply it to your craft is one of the toughest lessons to learn, and for those who are new to the freelance business (or any business for that matter) taking criticism from an editor, boss or even a coworker can plant the seed of doubt in your mind and can create insecurity instead of fostering growth.

There are two ways to handle constructive criticism.

1. The Good Way: Let’s say your boss comes to you with a list of ways in which your writing needs work. Hopefully, you have a great editor who has tact and can approach the situation with a fair balance of what you do well coupled with what needs improving. The best way to approach this situation is with gratitude. If your editor didn’t care, they wouldn’t be passing along their assessment. Continue reading Looking In/Looking Out – Taking Criticism →

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Overselling/Underselling Yourself

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By Amanda Connor

I have been caught in this web of imbalance before. It is as easy to oversell yourself as it is to undersell yourself to a prospective client.

On days when I’ve felt terribly confident in my abilities and perhaps caught a really inspirational Lifetime movie that hammered home the idea that “I can do ANYTHING I put my mind to,” I may have taken on a project that was clearly over my head, and later lived to regret doing so.  On other days, when I’ve felt overwhelmed or exhausted, I haven’t taken the time to really sell my abilities and I’ve missed out on some great writing opportunities.

The only answer to finding this perfect balance of appropriately selling your abilities is to take the time to really evaluate your own work and to give yourself room for introspection.

Questions to ask yourself to prevent overselling:

1. If this project sounds challenging, am I genuinely interested in the subject matter?

2. Do I have the energy and drive to put into taking on a project like this?

3. Will taking on a challenging project like this boost my knowledge/skill set for future projects? Will this increase my value as a writer?

4. What’s my motivation: the subject matter or the paycheck?

Questions to ask yourself to prevent underselling:

1. What other projects have I worked on that are most worth mentioning? Highlight these projects. Now is not the time to be modest.

2. If I’m not giving this pitch my all, why not? Fatigue? Burn out? Stress? Lack of interest in the project?

3. Am I being too timid about my abilities? Focus on the most difficult project you have taken on to date and ask yourself: Am I capable of producing even better/more challenging work?

Whether you suspect you are underselling your abilities, or you are coming down from the high of another great project and feel like you can take on the world, save yourself the frustration of a botched opportunity by remaining grounded in where you stand, as well as remaining focused on each new step in your writing career.