start & scale your freelancing career
tips, guides, and resources to grow
What you'll
learn in the academy
- Basic steps for laying a foundation for freelance writing
- How to land your first client and get paid for writing
- Tips for scaling your business and taking it full time
- Extra resources, including expert webinars, designed to help you level up
Testimonials
You can become a better writer
Below are additional freelance writing resources that I personally recommend to help you grow and scale your freelance writing.
Grammarly
write better
One of my absolute favorite tools is Grammarly. I have it as a Chrome plugin, and it helps me stay on top of my writing. It's like having an editor available for me all the time. Grammarly works well with WordPress, as well as in Google Docs and other sites. It will catch common usage errors, spelling and grammar issues and even make smart suggestions to improve your writing.
Hemingway
pithy, active writing
Get rid of passive voice and overburdened sentences. If you want to write actively and get straight to the point in a powerful way, the Hemingway App is the way to go. It's available as an online tool, but you can also get the desktop app. I've thought seriously about just using it for my writing in general, mainly because of how awesome it is at forcing you to think about your sentences — and use every word to advantage
Asana
project management made easy
If you want to keep track of projects and deadlines, Asana is a great choice. I use it regularly. The fact that you can switch between list and calendar, and even track invoicing, is great. You can also use Asan to collaborate on projects and work with your virtual assistants (if you have them).
Are you a blogger looking to create the best content?
Two course recommendations for you
Enhance Your content
I love this course from my friend Ashley Barnett. This course takes you through the ins and outs of helping you create better content for your blog.
How to turn your blog into a business
My friend Larry Ludwig built a successful blog and sold it for seven figures. While you might not end up with a seven-figure blog, you can still make money with it.
The Freelance Blog
a collection of guest posts, guides, and helpful freelancing tips
Freelance Writing
Freelance Writing and Journalism: Using the 5 Ws (and How)
Freelance writing and journalism have a lot of similarities, even if it's not a perfect correlation. One way you can enhance your writing is to use the 5 Ws (and how). Because I graduated from journalism school, much of my technique focuses on what I learned while working on my MA at Syracuse. From the
Asking for More Money: Or, How I Became a Freelancing Diva
If you're being asked to do more work, it makes sense to start asking for more money. In the wonderful world of freelancing, you are sometimes asked to make revisions. Normally, this doesn't bother me. You make some adjustments to the work, and you move on. On two occasions, I even did complete rewrites. Mainly
General Topics vs. Niche When Freelance Writing
You must decide whether to write about general topics vs. niche-focused writing as a freelance writer. I am asked quite frequently whether it makes more sense as a freelancer to write about a niche or whether you should try to broaden your appeal so that you can write more general articles. While I prefer niche
Pro Blogging
Asking for More Money: Or, How I Became a Freelancing Diva
If you're being asked to do more work, it makes sense to start asking for more money. In the wonderful world of freelancing, you are sometimes asked to make revisions. Normally, this doesn't bother me. You make some adjustments to the work, and you move on. On two occasions, I even did complete rewrites. Mainly
General Topics vs. Niche When Freelance Writing
You must decide whether to write about general topics vs. niche-focused writing as a freelance writer. I am asked quite frequently whether it makes more sense as a freelancer to write about a niche or whether you should try to broaden your appeal so that you can write more general articles. While I prefer niche
What Does a Daily Freelance Schedule Look Like for a Veteran Freelancer?
People always ask about my daily freelance schedule. Here's the latest iteration of what this mess looks like. The most common questions I get are: How do I start investing? How can you travel so much? What is your daily schedule as a freelancer? The answers to the first two questions stay pretty much the
Writing Tips
5 Ways to Battle Burnout in Your Freelancing Career
In order to stay on top of your freelancing game, you need to battle burnout. I love what I do. I feel extremely lucky and blessed to be able to freelance write from home, earning a living for my family. However, even though I love to write, and I write about topics of interest to
How to Improve Your Writing Speed: My Favorite 6 Tips for Faster Writing
The best way to improve your writing is to practice. But it's not the only path to faster writing. Let's take a look at some of my favorite strategies. I'm constantly asked how I write so fast. While I'd like to say that there is a magic secret to writing quickly, the truth is that
Setting Freelance Rates: Hourly or Per-Project?
One of the most difficult aspects of freelancing is trying to put a dollar amount on what you're worth. Here are some thoughts on setting freelance rates. Note: This was one of my earliest posts on this site. I've had a few people recently ask questions, so I've decided to dust it off, update it,
Productivity
Freelance Lifestyle: What to Do With a Family Vacation
Even though your family may have the day off, the freelance lifestyle might mean you have work to do. As Christmas approaches and I get ready to travel, I'm reminded that sometimes the freelance lifestyle doesn't always lead to the same relaxation and time off you get with a “real” job. Running a home business,
What Does a Daily Freelance Schedule Look Like for a Veteran Freelancer?
People always ask about my daily freelance schedule. Here's the latest iteration of what this mess looks like. The most common questions I get are: How do I start investing? How can you travel so much? What is your daily schedule as a freelancer? The answers to the first two questions stay pretty much the
Learning to Say No as a Freelancer
After years of scraping by on anything, it's hard to learn to say no as a freelancer. Occasionally, when I feel overwhelmed and stressed about my work or life, I remind myself that sometimes I need to say no. I think that there are a lot of reasons that we say yes in life and