The truth is that creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It takes inspiration from other authors, from life, and from art to create something that’s new in one sense, but in another it’s a reflection of the world around it. If we didn’t look outside ourselves for inspiration, our work would be flat and one-dimensional […]

If you’re a freelancer, you know what a USP is. You probably also know that it can help your business to have one, as well as the businesses of your clients. But how many of us actually have one? Looking around at the websites of some of my fellow writers, I’ve noticed that many of us don’t really have a clearly communicated USP–and we’re writers […]

Every so often, especially in your first year, you’ll get someone asking for a quote on a type of project you’ve never handled before. If you’ve never written a video script or a landing page before, it might be difficult to figure out how to quote on […]

Theoretically, a guarantee could bring in more business from new clients. But there are definitely drawbacks to the idea.

Over at Men With Pens the other day, I saw a post that took an interesting take on the issue of what to charge. It got me thinking.We all struggle with what to charge. And naturally, we all want to make as much money as possible. Most “what to charge […]

Write out a list of things you can do after graduation to make your dreams a reality. Beware: it can be a difficult transition, so here is advice from someone who’s been there recently […]

I just discovered RogueInk–this blog is absolutely hilarious, and I love the writing style. Perusing the archives, I found this little gem that mentions the crazy things we writers do for our clients–that we generally never tell them about. This practically […]

Here’s how most people tell you to deal with a crush on your boss: don’t. But sometimes the heart just wants what it wants. So if you’ve fallen hard for your boss, this advice is for you.

When I was first starting out, I worked for a client who wanted me to write something edgy for them. Something dramatic and cool and hip and so edgy you could shave with it. I did what they asked. They hated it. I shouldn’t have been surprised.The […]

The last thing I wanted to do was follow his advice. From a practical standpoint, it made sense. But I knew what I wanted right then, and five or ten years of “dues-paying” at an ad agency sounded to me like five or ten centuries of purgatory.