The WM Freelance Writers Connection

by Shakirah Dawud Please welcome Shanna Mallon of StraightNorth, here to help us out in the calm before a deadline. Just the very mention of the word deadline is enough to get some writers quaking in their boots. Although helpful and often necessary, deadlines can spark fear and dread as writers feel the anxiety and [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud I move around a lot, but wherever I settle, I plant something. Among other things, over the years I’ve learned: which flowers I love most (peonies, roses, cosmos) how to tell a weed seedling from a preferred plant (because I seldom get around to labeling) some gorgeous specimens can be weeds, depending [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud When I say “earn,” I mean you can think about that dollars-and-cents figure that popped into your head for a moment–but just a moment. Then set it aside and think about what you’ve really earned. Experience. Whether you’ve gone out and done something you’ve never done or you’re applying your own tried-and-true techniques for the thousandth time, [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud Joanne Cleaver, 30-year veteran freelance journalist, editor of Business Toolkit Series’ “Find and Keep Customers For Your Small Business,” freelance journalist, and strategic messager, told me during a recent telephone interview that “the I-want-to-work-for-myself mindset is “one thing that makes me insane.” Cleaver–who told us here a few weeks ago how she [...]

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by Shakirah Dawud Last week we read the stories and tips of freelance writers who became successful without the help of courses or books–even if they were available at the time. Experiences shaped their lessons, and and they learned well. I decided to feature three stories of freelance writers who learned and grew without the [...]

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