Tag Archives: catherine l. tully

editorial

What Is Your Favorite Blog For Writers?

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yo-and-dude-150x150by Catherine L. Tully

So today I ask Freelance-Zone readers: What is your favorite blog for writers? And why? I have a picture here of Yolander Prinzel from FreelanceWriterville, one of my favorites. Why do I read this blog? Yo’s voice is slightly irreverent and always easy to read. Plus, she is right on target with a lot of good advice. So today, I’d love FZ readers to share their faves. Go ahead…you know you want to. I’m in the mood to expand my horizons…surprise me!

resources

Newseum

AL_AS

by Catherine L. Tully

Newseum is a pretty fun site that features a ton of different front pages from newspapers every day. Each morning more than 800 papers submit to the site. If you are a freelance writer that wants to keep an eye on what is going on, learn about trends or see what type of news different countries highlight throughout the world, this is a great site to bookmark. Just be careful…it’s easy to spend a little time browsing…

resources

Professional Writers Association Of Canada

pwac_logo

by Catherine L. Tully

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) has been around since 2005, but it has roots all the way back to 1976. The group is open to all types of writers, and if you are a Canadian writer, this group is worth a bit of consideration. There are many benefits to being a member, including networking opportunities, mentoring and workshops.

advice

When You Don’t Get Paid

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Work as a freelance writer long enough and you will have some kind of issue with getting paid. Since writers often work on a tight schedule–and budget, this can be more than a mere inconvenience. There are some things you can do to try and rectify the issue. Try these:

 money

 

  • Screen clients when possible. Try to check out a client ahead of time if you can. If you don’t feel good about taking them on, then don’t. Sometimes your gut instinct is right.
  • Give a little time. I can’t tell you how many checks came two or three days after I was ready to pick up the phone and call. Try to build in a grace period if you can.
  • Follow up politely. Often a missing check is just an oversight, and one that can be fixed quickly. Don’t have an attitude when you follow up. It won’t get you anywhere.
  • Ask when you can expect payment. Once someone has followed up on the issue, be sure to nail down a time frame within which you can expect your check.
  • Get it in writing. Do your follow up by e-mail whenever possible. This gives you a solid record of all communications. Even if you don’t plan small claims court action, people tend to feel more nervous about going back on something they put in writing.
  • Be persistent. I once had to follow up…you won’t believe this…twelve times before I got paid. I think they just got totally sick of me and wanted me to go away. I sent reminders on a regular basis.
  • Add a late fee. If you are coming up with a project bid, tack on a late payment fee.
  • Go over the person’s head. I only recommend this in cases where the person you are dealing with doesn’t seem to be doing anything. Do a little investigating and see if you can come up with a contact that is higher on the food chain.

If you have had success at getting a payment from a client who initially didn’t make it on time, please feel free to share your techniques here for others. After all, we’re all in this together, right?

 

advice, editorial

Top 5 Tips For Writing Restaurant Reviews

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Today we have a special treat for Freelance-Zone readers…a post about writing restaurant reviews by someone who knows this market both inside and out. Christine Tully-Aranza is a 20+ year veteran of the restaurant industry.  She has run some of the country’s finest restaurants, including Chicago’s legendary Spiaggia.  Christine owns and operates a consulting business which provides marketing and communications direction to hospitality and retail clients. She is also a published freelance food writer and blogger. For those of you who dream of being paid to review various dining establishments, we give you:

Photo by Jeff Kauck
Photo by Jeff Kauck

5 Key Tips For Writing Fair & Informative Restaurant Reviews

by Christine Tully-Aranza

Much like those who desire to open a restaurant based solely on the fact that they like to eat out, many writers feel qualified to review restaurants based on the same. But we seldom apply this standard to other industries. I like shoes, but that does not mean I should be writing for Women’s Wear Daily.  So while the average Joe should feel free to publish his or her opinion on comment sites, those who wish to undertake the effort more seriously should always keep the following five tips in mind…

  1. Do your homework.  Contact the restaurant to see if you can obtain information about the Chef/Operators of an establishment as well as the restaurant’s brand statement (if possible) so that you can properly evaluate how well succeed at what they are trying to execute.  Thanks to the internet, most of these materials are at your fingertips on the restaurant’s website. 
  2. Do not review a restaurant the first week it is open, and visit more than once.  Most publications recognize that it takes a bit of time to work out the kinks in the imperfect world of food service, and they seldom review a restaurant in its chaotic first week. Additionally, many good reviewers will visit a restaurant more than once before penning their review.  This is one of the best ways to confirm that your initial assessments are correct.  Continue reading Top 5 Tips For Writing Restaurant Reviews →
advice, lifestyle, social networking

Privacy On Facebook

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fb

by Catherine L. Tully

I heard some information from a fellow writer, Cynthia Clampitt that I thought I would pass along for Freelance-Zone readers…

She said that FB is allowing third party advertisers to use photos that you post on the social networking site. I didn’t research this to see if it was true because you should really be protecting your privacy anyway. Do you know what your privacy settings are on FB? Can everyone see what you post? Careful…I’ve warned before about how this can work against you as a freelance writer. If you don’t want to mix your professional and personal life, take the following steps to protect your photos from other people using them without your permission:

  • Go to settings
  • Go to privacy
  • Go to newsfeeds & wall
  • Got to Facebook ads
  • Select no one
  • Save

Many thanks to Cynthia for bringing this to light!