Posts Categorized: Freelance

One Space or Two?

Posted by Christi McGuire

As I edit, whether it’s college English papers or marketing copy for business owners, there is one common blunder in most copy: two spaces between sentences.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Years ago, we were all hounded by our English teachers to put TWO spaces between sentences. Two spaces. Two spaces. Two spaces. But what were we using years and years ago before everybody had a personal computer (or two or three)? Yep, you guessed it—typewriters.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

I learned to type in high school in Keyboarding class on a typewriter. Seems like it must have been the Stone Age, doesn’t it? Typewriters only had one font: monospaced font. If you open Microsoft Word and use “Courier” font, you can visibly reminiscence about the days of the typewriter. Monospaced font was not proportional, meaning that each letter and character occupied the same amount of space. The typewriter, God bless its ancient soul, moved the same distance forward after each letter was typed. Because of that, typists inserted two spaces between sentences so that the page didn’t look all smashed together and very difficult to read.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Today’s word-processing programs have hundreds, if not thousands, of fonts that are proportional, where each letter or character has its own width. This allows for better readability and a more professional-looking page. Therefore, two spaces are no longer needed—at all. Nada. Nope. Never. Ever. (Ever!)

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Breaking the habit of adding two spaces between sentences can be hard. But no worries! You can easily change an entire document in mere seconds with the “find/replace” function.

  • Press “Control” and “F” and the “Find and Replace” box will pop up.
  • Click on the “Replace” tab.
  • In the “Find What” row, press the space bar twice.
  • Then in the “Replace With” row, press the space bar once.
  • Now click “Replace All.”

Every single page will be adjusted immediately, and it will tell you how many replacements were made. You may want to do this several times until the program says “0” replacements. I’ve worked with some professionals (who will remain nameless) who put more than two spaces between sentences, so I’ve had to “find and replace” over and over again to make sure only one space is between each sentence.

ANY CHARACTER HERE

No matter what you write—whether emails or blogs, college papers or professional copy—stop typing two spaces between sentences, as if in the Dark Age of typewriters. Join the technologically-advanced age of ONE space between sentences! Editors will thank you!

Positive Proofreading

Posted by Christi McGuire

What was one of the things your teacher always told you in school? Do your best. Keep your hands to yourself. Practice makes perfect. Raise your hand before speaking. Yes, these are all valid. But the particular one I am thinking about is: Double check your work.

As an editor, that’s pretty much what I do all day long: Double check other people’s work! Was it only applicable in seventh grade? Nope! Anybody who writes a letter, word, or sentence needs to double check—triple check—his or her work. Whether or not you are a grammar goddess or spelling bee queen, you need to proofread everything you write.

Proofread, proofread, proofread!

You may never be congratulated for using proper grammar, but you sure may be ridiculed if someone finds a mistake in your marketing copy, your resume, a business email, or even a restaurant menu. Incorrect copy, misspelled words, and improper sentences can cost you a sale, a job, or even your reputation.

The cure? Proofread! No matter who you are or what you do, anything you write needs to be double checked for correctness. So how can you proofread accurately to catch mistakes?

1. Take a break for at least 24 hours.
Write your copy, and then leave it alone for at least full day. Writing is like having blinders on—your brain knows what it wants to see, and it can’t always see the mistakes. Not looking at it for a while will give you fresh eyes when you pick it back up again.

2. Block out noise.
Proofreading = precision. It’s hard to work precisely with noisy distractions. I can often write with music on, the TV blaring, and the kids playing. But I absolutely cannot edit when it is noisy around me. I need a quiet place to focus and concentrate on each word.

3. Read out loud.
OK, I know, this seems silly. But it does work! (Although you might want to do this when nobody is around!) Read your work out loud, and you will catch the mistakes and the parts that don’t flow well, seem awkward, and not what you originally wanted to say.

4. Print a hard copy.
I always edit on paper. Maybe I’m old school, but it really does help me edit better. Reading on a screen, my eyes become tired and glance over mistakes. When I print out a manuscript, article, or any other copy, it is easier and more effective to edit properly.

5. Read it backward.
It may sound like Jabberwocky, but reading backward will help you catch misspelled words.

6. Use color.
When you print out a copy to proof, use colored ink to make your corrections. It’ll help you as you enter in the corrections.

7. Take a break.
Proofreading and editing takes focused, concentrated effort, so take a break every 10 minutes or so, just to give your eyes and brain a quick rest.

8. Let someone else read it.
After you’ve done the previous seven tips, the last (and best) thing to do is ask a friend to read your copy. Ask them, “Does it make sense? Do you see any mistakes? Do you understand the point I am trying to make?” Someone reading a document for the first time will more likely be able to catch mistakes and give you feedback (whether positive or negative) better than you, especially when you have read the same sentence twenty-five times.

Please proofread! Make your seventh-grade teacher happy, don’t forfeit the job interview, secure the sale, and, most of all, look like an intelligent, competent person with correct copy by proofreading, proofreading, proofreading!

Freelance Tips #3 and #4

Posted by Christi McGuire

“The Wealthy Freelancer” by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, and Ed Gandia is a valuable resource for all freelancers. The authors not only conduct an online training site for all freelancers, but they have founded International Freelancers Day, which is on this Friday, September 23. This all-day online conference is totally free for freelancers, but you must register on their site for access to all the conferences.

There are four top tips this resource has given me to help me on my freelance journey. If you missed the first two, you can click here to go to that post. As promised, here are two more useful tips:

  • Schedule Your Work and Focus on It (pages 164 to 177)

Probably the #1 reason you became your own boss was the flexibility: you can work whenever you want to. The #1 downfall to running your freelance business is you can work whenever you want to! Working at home is wonderful. I love sipping my coffee while wearing yoga pants with no makeup on and a ponytail (lovely image, I’m sure). But then I think, “I’ll just check my email … then click over to Facebook … well, better check Twitter this morning.” Before I know it, I’ve lost an hour of precious time that needed to be spent accomplishing a particular task. Checking email and all forms of Social Media are worthy, as well as necessary. But without focus, a freelancer’s day can be unproductive.

Steve Slaunwhite suggests using the “50-Minute Focus” to double your productivity. For just 50 minutes, remain totally focused on one thing (and only one thing). Don’t check email, take a break, or wander aimlessly around cyber space. Focus one on task for 50 minutes, and then take 10 to 20 minutes to refresh your mind, take a break, throw laundry in the dryer, and check email. Many freelancers (including myself) can be easily distracted. This 50-minute focus helps me accomplish more in a typical day.

  • Set Regular Business Hours (page 192)

The glory of being a freelancer is that you can work anytime you want or need to. This is great for a mom like me with young children. I am able to be present and engaged in their lives and fit my work around our family schedule. That means I work a lot of late nights and weekends. However, the trick is not to let clients know you work outside of typical business hours. Never schedule conference calls (unless absolutely necessary due to different time zones) or send emails outside of business hours. Once you do, you give the perception that you are “on” all the time, around the clock, at the client’s beck and call. Clients will begin to expect a response at all hours.

When I read “The Wealthy Freelancer,” I realized I struggled with this concept. I was doing exactly this! Since I do a lot of work on the weekends, I would email it to a particular client as soon as I completed each project so that it was crossed off my to-do list. What transpired was that this client sent me projects at night and over the weekend, as this client knew I was working. This client would send me as assignment on Saturday and expect it returned on Monday, which should be considered a “rush” job with an additional fee. The expectation had been set that I was available at night and weekends, after typical business hours.

After I read the tip “Train Clients to Respect Your Time” and set boundaries of my availability to clients, I was much happier and less stressed. I felt like my time was my own again. Even if I finish a project at night or on the weekend, I send it in a scheduled email via Microsoft Outlook to go out the next business day at 9 a.m. (go to “Options” and then “Delay Delivery” to schedule emails). I do not reply to client emails after 5 p.m. on weekdays or on the weekend. If I receive a project from a client after 5 p.m. on a weekday or on the weekend, I consider it received the next business day.

These tips have helped my freelance business become more successful and have allowed me to be a happier writer and editor.

If you are a freelancer (whether writer, editor, designer, photographer, consultant, or other) tell us your best tips to grow your own business.

Freelance Tips #1 and #2

Posted by Christi McGuire

If you are a freelancer—whether a writer, editor, photographer, designer, consultant, or contractor—the book “The Wealthy Freelancer” by Steve Slaunwhite, Pete Savage, and Ed Gandia (Alpha Books, 2010) is a great resource. It shares 12 secrets to shorten the learning curve of starting your freelance business and dozens more tips and insights to grow your existing freelance career. The co-authors are also co-founders of International Freelancers Academy. Check out all of the free training courses for all types of freelancers at their site.

Much of my copy of this book is highlighted and has made a positive impact on my personal freelance business. If you have read my biography, “Christi Who?” you may know that seven years ago I resigned as editor of ParentLife Magazine to move to Florida and begin a freelance career as an editor and writer. But only in the last few years has my freelance taken off. The secrets, tips, and insights from this resource have been a big part of that growth and success. There are four tips that have personally been the best for me. Today, I’ll share two of those tips.

  • Itemize Your Services on Your Website (page 95)

When people discover I am a freelance writer and editor, they don’t quite understand what I do. They typically ask is: “What do you write? What does an editor do?” It’s not enough to say writer or designer; you will gain more clients by being specific about what services you provide. Potential clients don’t want to waste time by contacting you to see if you fit their needs. My website lists my services as: Magazine Writing, Curriculum Writing, Business Writing, Book Publishing, and Speaking. The authors of “The Wealthy Freelancer” would probably recommend being even more specific than that. I could break down the category of “Business Writing” to be: marketing campaigns, email copy, website copy, newsletters, correspondence, brochures, annual reports, proposals, and resumes. Your clients want to know as much about you as possible before taking the time to contact you. Answer all their questions by being specific about your services.

  • Create a Fee Schedule (page 96)

As noted above, potential clients want to know if it’s worth their time contacting you for a particular job. If they are on a low budget, and your services cost three times as much as they are willing to spend, then they’ll know whether or not to contact you. Personally, having a set fee has helped the awkwardness of talking about “price” with potential clients. Publishing your services and standard fees alleviates time wasted by negotiating with clients. It also sends a message: “I am a professional who provides services for a fee.”

I once experienced an awkward moment with a client who wanted a professional writer for only $10 an hour. I was able to refer to my list of services and fees. There is much written in the freelance world about fees being per project or per hour. For example, typical editing services begin at $30 per hour and writing for marketing campaigns can start at $75 per hour. However, when you have an established career, you are more able to charge per project because you have experience in knowing what a certain project will take to complete. Charging a fixed rate per project is more appealing to clients who want to know the total cost upfront. It’s difficult to charge clients an hourly price but not know how many hours a project will take.

Check in on Wednesday for the next two tips—don’t miss them!

If you are a freelancer, share your best tips to grow your business.