Last Updated on: July 15th, 2017
This post is for all you freelancers (or freelance wannabes) out there!
This past weekend, I enjoyed the freelance lifestyle by actually taking a couple of days to be away from my computer to go camping with a few friends at Whitefish Lake, which is only about an hour by car from the city in which I live. I don’t go camping very often, but I sure like it when I do!
With all the excitement of getting my ebook out there, monitoring and responding to some of the reviews, being interviewed, setting up my new author site, and doing a ton of other things, I really, REALLY needed a break.
It was nice to hang out with friends, have a few drinks (I RARELY drink alcohol), shoot the sh** by the fire, read by the lake, commune with nature (including a ton of spiders, mosquitoes, and dragonflies), and listen to the water lapping against the shoreline. Talk about peaceful!
I walked down to the lake to test the temperature of the water, and had to grab my phone to take a video of the moon with the melodic waters in the background. The video’s not much to look at, but it’s relaxing!
FYI, the white “dot” in the video is the moon!
Most of you who live in warm climates cannot truly appreciate the beauty I felt this past weekend. I live in a climate where it is winter for the majority of the year. It’s really only nice in June, July, and August, and swimming outdoors usually only happens in those months. The local outdoor pools are only open in the latter two months, too. 🙁
Enjoying the freelance lifestyle is one of the perks of being a freelancer. 🙂
Learning from others is another. 😉
Let’s Learn From Sophie and Francesca, shall we?
Sophie Lizard, from Be a Freelance Blogger, has started a new thing on her blog: Bloggers of Interest, where she interviews freelancers and gets them to share their best freelancing tips.
In her latest interview, she speaks to Francesca Nicasio, from Be a Freelance Writer, who shares excellent – and I mean excellent – freelancing tips!
Francesca is someone with whom I connected early on in my blogging days. She allowed me to guest post for her on her Credible Copywriting site, with the article Investing In Yourself: Why Surfing the Web is Necessary. I’ll admit that this was my very first guest post, and I was a fairly newbie blogger at the time. But obviously she saw something in me (the fact that I’m a darn good writer, perhaps?) and gave me the opportunity to publish my article on her site.
A year later, she paid me $50 for writing Two Simple Things You Can Do to Kick-start your Writing Success, which reveals how I use affirmations to help me be a positive person. (I list most of the ones I use, too. Feel free to steal them! Ralph Quintero, founder of Happy Someone, has given us all permission to use them!) 🙂
But back to Ms. Lizard. . .
This is her third interview so far. Sophie has also spoken with writers Jeff Goins and Tom Ewer.
Here is her interview with Jeff.
Here is her interview with Tom.
And here is her interview with Francesca! Enjoy!
Did you find any of her tips useful? Which ones?
Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comment section!
Whitefish Lake looks beautiful! And it seems you took time out just when you needed it:) Ah…the importance of the refresh! LOL Nice tips for freelancing…thanks for sharing them.
It was wonderful to refresh myself!
Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Hello Lorraine,
I have read your Whitefish Waters + Freelancing Tips post and enjoyed it as freelancer. however, after doing a ton of other things, you needed a break. have you took it?
Sumon, I’m in the middle of a break right now, although I’m still doing a bit of work. It seems like the work never ends!
However, when the weather is nice (a rare occurrence), I don’t work as much, as I’d rather be at the pool! 🙂
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. 🙂
Whitefish Lake looks beautiful! And it seems you took time out just when you needed it:) Ah…the importance of the refresh! LOL Nice tips for freelancing…thanks for sharing them.
Jacqueline, I’m very pleased you stopped by. 🙂 Thank you for reciprocating the comment. I DID enjoy the lake, and I’m glad you enjoyed the tips!
Hi Lorraine,
Glad you were able to take some down time. About the freelancing tips, I know that Jeff Goins is right… taking time to practice your craft every day and striking a balance is important. Tom Ewers is also right in being persistent.
PRACTICE + PERSISTENCE = PAYOFF
Kind Regards,
Bill
Bill, Jeff knows what he’s talking about. He’s been writing for a long time! Tom, too. 🙂
I like your math equation. As both a math and an English teacher, I actually love it.
You are a great writer. Good for you that you can do freelancing and earn an income. Enjoy your trips. I am pretty sure, you will share interesting stories and experiences from your lovely vacation to the world through your blog.
I don’t earn my income entirely from freelancing, I’m sorry to say, Bindu. I DO, however, hope to earn money strictly form writing, though, one day!
Hi Lorraine. Your trip to Whitefish Lake sounds like such a pleasant experience. As we all tend to get caught up in the craziness of life, sometimes the best remedy for unwinding is spending time out in the great outdoors with close companions. Thanks for sharing your experience and those helpful freelance articles!
Tatia, it was an experience for sure! 😉
I’m glad you enjoyed hearing about it, and liked the freelance interview with Francesca.
Have a great weekend!
Nothing like a few days away at a cabin by a lake. We all need that time to unwind. Thanks for posting this one with the videos. There was a lot of great information in there fore freelancers or those of us who are potential freelancers.
Tim, I think everyone needs an escape now and then!
I’m glad you found the interview useful. Francesca’s been a freelancer for years, so she knows what she’s talking about! (So does Sophie!)
Have a great weekend, and thanks for your comment. 🙂
Congrats on your ebook and all your success. It is inspiring to Me because I aspire to get articles published. I have only been writing my blog for 7 months and any helpful tips are greatly appreciated. Thanks for the info. Glad you took some time for yourself . it looks beautiful there! 🙂
Thanks, Crystal! It’s hard to experience success when you’re first starting out, but with perseverance and work, the sky’s the limit! Keep chasing your dream, and don’t forget to take some time off to relax. 😉 I’m sure glad I did, and plan to do it again – soon!
Hey Lorraine,
I love your freelancing tips. They give me new ideas to make money as a freelancer. I can write on any topic. But I don’t know how to find clients.
Any advice will be better for me.
~Diana Hardy
Thanks, Dr. Diana! Sophie and Francesca devote their blogs entirely to freelancing, so I’d suggest learning from them!
Lorraine, I’m still trying to put all the information I’ve received from your post and posts by other BHB members, but one day it will all come together and then this post will be invaluable to me. Thanks for sharing.
Lenie
Lenie, my posts are not for everyone, that’s why I blog about different things. I try to offer something to all my readers, not just those in the BHB group.
I appreciate your sharing my post, and commenting on it. 🙂 Thanks, Lenie.
Hi Lorraine; thanks for sharing a bit of your vacation and four other people to learn from. I’ve been reading jeff for a while now. Liked what tom said about taking time off for thinking is some of the most productive time you will have. take care, max
Max, as someone who is aspiring to write your own book one day, I’m not sure how applicable Francesca’s tips were to you, but it never hurts to learn a new thing or two from others, right?
Jeff is pretty well-known in the writing community, so I’m not surprised to hear you have heard of him. Tom’s advice sure helped me while I was camping; I didn’t think about my computer all weekend! 🙂 And I needed that break!