Have you ever wondered how some writers just seem to be everywhere? Ever wondered how a professional freelance blogger views her career? I am excited today to have a few of those answers for you!
If you’re an avid reader of the personal finance niche chances are you’ve seen the name Miranda Marquit just about everywhere. In fact, seeing her name across such a wide variety of personal finance blogs helped inspire me to give freelance writing a shot.
I was always curious as to how Miranda was able to pull off quite so much and was ecstatic to hear about the release of her new eBook: Confessions of a Professional Blogger: How I Make Money as an Online Writer
I was lucky enough to be able to ask Miranda a few questions in regards to her career in freelance writing. Here’s what she had to say.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome when first starting out as a freelance writer?
Finding the time to write was a bit challenging. I had a young son to take care of, and my husband was going to school. I had to do what I could to carve out time each day to write, making it a priority when I could command an hour or so.
As a freelance writer I think negative criticism is inevitable. How do you deal with it?
Mostly, I just remember that it’s not personal. I’ve had people say rude things about something I’ve written, and there are a few people who aren’t very complimentary about my writing style — or the fact that I write so much. Even when they get personal, I try to remember not to. Instead, I focus on my satisfied clients, and I think about my family and others who love me. If things get really bad, though, sometimes you have to stop reading comments and move on. Once you get out there, and you publish, every troll with too much time on their hands, or even regular folks who just don’t agree with you, might express an opinion. You can’t focus on pleasing everyone, or on the negativity.
I see your name all over the personal finance blogosphere. How do you find time to get so much writing done? Do you ever face burnout?
My writing is basically my “job.” It’s what I do. I don’t have another job. My son is old enough that he’s in school. That makes it a little easier. When he was younger, I paid for daycare twice a week for three hours (six hours total each week) so that I had chunks of time to write. Another part of it is my training. I went to journalism school and learned how to write quickly. Also, the fact that I have so much practice writing, and have been doing this for so long, helps me fit in quite a lot in a day.
I do feel burnout sometimes, though. It’s hard to keep up the frenetic pace from day-to-day. To battle that, I occasionally go through and drop clients. Sometimes I add in a different writing gig, such as ghostwriting a book, for a change of pace. And there are times when I just shut down for a couple of days and refuse to work on anything so that I can re-charge.
What’s the most rewarding thing about being a freelance writer?
I like the freedom that comes with it. For the most part, I set my own hours. I choose my own income. If I want some extra money for something, I just need to do a couple extra jobs. I’ve been doing this long enough that I have a reputation, so I can pick and choose between clients. Over time, once you build up your portfolio, you get to the point where you don’t have to work with people you don’t want to work with. I like that freedom.
I want to thank Miranda for doing the interview! If you want to learn more about her you can check out her blog, Planting Money Seeds, or pick up a copy of her new book Confessions of a Professional Blogger: How I Make Money as an Online Writer
Miranda Marquit? Never heard of her ….
Yeah right! You can’t read a personal finance blog and not see her name. I was not aware that blogging was your full time job. Congrats on writing an eBook. Do you ever do any income reports or something similar? I’d be very interested to know what all that effort translates into as far as income potential each month.
Good advice on not taking everything personally. I get a lot of trolls showing up to my sites trying to challenge things. Being the bigger person and handling it like professional always wins in my book.
Got any journalism secrets on writing faster? I feel like a turtle some days with my throughput …
Hahaha. Thanks for the kind words MMD. Sadly, the best advice I can offer on writing faster is to…practice. We had a “boot camp” where all we did for six weeks was to write news stories. We’d go out, interview people, then come back and file them “on deadline,” like working in a newsroom.
You can increase your speed a little bit, I think, by organizing your thoughts a little bit beforehand. Take a few minutes (I take two or three) before you start writing to think about what you want to cover, and what order you want to cover it in. For a longer post, jot a few thoughts down. A quick outline — nothing fancy — can help you keep your thoughts organized and your writing on track. Also, don’t edit as you write. Go back over it and fix the problems later, once it’s all written.
Hope that helps a little…
I’ve had some thoughts about getting into freelance writing and will probably be putting myself out there pretty soon. My biggest problem right now (I think) is that it can take me a while to write an article. I’d have to get more efficient if I wanted to be able to make good consistent money. But knowing that there are people out there doing it and doing well is definitely motivating.
Practice a little bit every day. The more you write, the faster you’ll become. It might even be worth it to invest in a typing course that can help you learn to type faster. Another option is dictation software. I know a couple different folks who swear by apps like Dragon Dictation. I can type faster than I talk, so it doesn’t work for me, but I know that it helps some people out quite a bit. Once you get the hang of it, I understand that it’s a breeze.
Awesome interview! Being able to pick up writing gigs on demand based on how an extra money need that months sounds like a nice way to live. I struggle with finding time to write just like everyone else, so it’s fascinating to see how people deal with it.
In the end, it’s often about carving out the time. One thing I did, years back, when I was sure that I didn’t have an hour to spare, was to keep a time diary. It was weird (and my husband thought I was nuts) to record every activity I did, and for how long I did it, but it really helped me see how I was using my time, and identify time sucks.
Well, she’s right: there will be trolls with too much time on their hands, but she has a goal and knew how to reach it. Congratulations on all your achievements, Miranda, it’s really a great example of hard work and success. Loved the interview.
This is great, Miranda! I really do see your name everywhere. Keep up the good work!
Great interview! I definitely want to read Miranda’s book. I started freelance writing a few months ago and it was difficult to get started at first but I’ve gradually been finding more and more work.
This is key: “You can’t focus on pleasing everyone, or on the negativity.” I used to be a political blogger and it was the worst. No matter what you said there was always about 50% of the audience that will disagree with you 😉
Great interview. She’s quite a dynamo. I think that it’s important to stay on the gas but also remember to take care of yourself when you’re a professional blogger. Because there isn’t a boss telling you when to start/stop, it’s easy to get into boom/bust cycles.
Thanks Alexa. As I embark on my freelance career you are like my own personal research assistant. I’ll definitely be getting Miranda’s book.
You have a step up on me, Trina. You are an awesome, awesome writer! I think once you get your name out there people will be flocking to you wanting you to write for them!
Great interview. I think taking time off would be a challenge when you know that if you keep writing, the money keeps coming. It would be hard to turn things off.
Miranda is just inspiring! I was wondering how she manages to be in so many places, I guess it boils down to lots of smart hardwork. Like her advice on not taking things personally, rejections alas are an inevitable part of life, the sooner one can internalize that the smoother the ride.
Wonderful interview!
That’s a great interview Alexa! In any career it’s important to avoid burnout by taking time for yourself. The more I read about freelancing the tougher it sounds.
Great interview! I also like the fact that blogging gives you a lot more freedom in choosing work hours, days off and so on (like most of us, probably) and in my case it also helps me earn more than I could earn from a 9 to 5 job.
Great interview. Yes I think the time thing is a big factor for everyone online! Glad you are making it work.
Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I hope that you have been able to get something out of the interview.