Alice Lemée 🌱
@alicellemee
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tweets on digital minimalism, writing, and nomadism • freelance writer for @zapier , @themissexcel , @mattdavella , @every @fastcompany • •
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It's about to be my two-year freelancing anniversary. 🎉
After having months ranging from $700 to $7,000, publishing 150 + articles, and 26 clients, here are 10 things I wish I had known before starting:
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I've been a freelance writer for just under 2 years.
I work about 5 hours M-F and make around $6K a month.
Here are the 8 essential tools I use every day to help run my business and create content:
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1K
8K
I made $6K from freelance writing this month.
Last November I made around $1K.
A lil' thread on the BEST freelance writing resources that helped me go from $1K to $6K in a year.
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I've been a digital nomad for a year.
My best advice:
1. Invest in noise-canceling headphones.
2. Don't schedule work calls on travel days.
3. Cook. Eating out 24/7 makes you sluggish.
4. For each new place, listen to a new album or get a new perfume (helps make vivid memories)
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Twitter can change your life.
@david_perell
+
@mkobach
's "How To Crush it on Twitter" teaches you how to take advantage.
8 years of what they've learned in a 2-hour video.
These notes turn that into a 15-minute read.
Enjoy this brain dump 🧠🗑️
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It's official! My freelancing business is now an LLC 🥲
What a crazy first year it's been:
• # of Clients: 17
• My worst month: $779
• My best month: $7,589
• Biggest loss: Burnout in January
• Biggest win: Quitting babysitting to write full time
Excited to keep going :)
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Goals for 2022 🙇♀️
💰$10K month
🦤 Twitter to 30K
✍️ Write 50 articles
🫂 Coach new writers
🌴Be a digital nomad
🌊 Internetly to 5K subscribers
📘 Release digital product (passive income)
🏄♀️Learn 3 new skills (surf, salsa, and Spanish)
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Freelancing is so wild. Taxes? That'll be 30%. You thought you were writing? SIKE. You're learning about accounting software. Oh, you sent an invoice? Client won't pay for 6 + months. Buckle up. This is ain't a field for the faint hearted
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It took me...
• 517 days to reach 10K Twitter followers.
• 289 days to get 1K newsletter subscribers.
• 303 days to earn a $7K+ month from freelancing.
These things take time. But if you put in the reps each day, you'll get there.
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I help write
@mattdavella
's newsletter, Snail Mail.
Every week I sift through hundreds of articles on:
• Creativity
• Productivity
• Self-development
• Weird, cool finds
Here's my system for finding content online for our 65K subscribers. 🧵
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3. Hemmingway
Tool to edit your writing and catch any glaring mistakes.
I never send a client any deliverable without first putting it into Hemmingway!
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Published a bad article?
Amazing! You sacrificed your ego to practice the difficult craft of writing.
It's the only way to learn. Now go and write more junk.
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@StephenKing
Just excellent. I loved how as her state deteriorated her "Sent from my iPhone" line fell apart – going from "sent from iphon" to just "iphn"
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In January 2022, I earned $2,250 as a freelance writer.
This January, I made $7,000 +.
Here is a list of the 8 best resources and tools that more than tripled my income this past year. 🧵
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Someone asked me how I grew my Twitter account.
Honestly? One tweet a day, M-F.
I've been doing this since July 2020.
It's not a sexy growth hack. Audience building takes time and most importantly, ridiculously boring consistency.
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People process 74 GB of information (~16 movies) a day.
500 years ago, 74 GB is what a highly educated person absorbed in a lifetime.
No wonder we're so anxious. We're on stimulus overload.
Writing is how you drain the overflow of information.
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4. Excalidraw
Articles with images get 94% more views than those without!
This tool helps you create drawings which:
• Engages the reader
• Helps communicate information
• Is an easy way to underpromise and overdeliver as a freelancer!
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|￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣|
Freelancing is really
freakin' hard
|＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿|
\ (•◡•) /
\ /
---
| |
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1. Clockify
Clockify is a time tracker that logs hours across projects.
This tool helps me:
• Signal to my brain it's time to work
• Notice how long a project actually takes
• See where my time goes and improve productivity
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I started freelance writing in September 2020.
Since then:
• Quit job as a babysitter
• Work with dream clients
• Made 4 figures a week
• Have a 100% remote job
• Newfound sense of confidence
Just 273 days of consistently writing & building a social media presence.
Crazy.
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"I can't wait to become a freelance writer and get paid to write!" 🤦♀️
You only spend 20% of your time writing. The other 80% goes to...
• Editing
• Accounting
• Cold pitching
• Marketing yourself
• Updating client portals
• Maintaining social channels
The list goes on 🥲
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October 2020:
• 0 clients
• Babysat for extra cash
• Sent cold pitches with zero experience
October 2021:
• Dream clients
• Full-time freelance writer
• 500 newsletter subscribers!
• From $15 hourly to minimum project $400
It's all about laying the bricks each day 🧱
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Anyone other writers out there who delete paragraphs but then store them as "scraps" in your notes app *just* in case you might need them?
Or maybe this is just the digital version of hoarding. 🙃
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I've spent 10+ weeks writing Snail Mail,
@mattdavella
's newsletter.
I've combed through hundreds of resources on:
• Creativity
• Happiness
• Productivity
• Self-development
...to curate in our newsletter.
Here are the TOP 10 BEST pieces I've found:
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Life as a freelancer and creator can be a lot...but today I'm in Guatemala, sipping coffee, working on an article about creativity. I'm fully remote. I'm paid well. 2 years ago, I was babysitting and thought a 9-5 was all there was. Change is possible, and it's there for you too
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The average person has about ~60,000 thoughts per day.
Of those thoughts, 80% are negative, and 95% are the same thoughts as the day before.
This is why it's so vital to challenge your status quo. To travel, write, experiment.
Otherwise, you're stuck in a loop.
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I've started to swap "sorry for the late response" to "thanks for your patience" because you shouldn't feel bad about how you decide to manage your own time
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My second year of freelancing is almost complete!
💰 Nearly doubled my rate
💻 Hired my first subcontractor!
✈️ Worked remotely in Colombia, Costa Rica, Paris
If I wrote an annual review about what happened (& lessons) would you read it?
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I cut my writing time down by 50% by extending it over 3 days.
Here's a miniature thread breaking down my three-day writing process. 🧵
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Biggest blockers preventing people from becoming creators:
- Fear of judgment
- Lack of financial security
- Think it's too late to begin creating
- Afraid their dream of becoming a creator will be crushed
Any other anxieties I'm missing?
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So due to the insanity that is
@julian
, I gained 3,000+ followers in 24 hours 🤯
So, hi. I'm Alice (ah-leece). I tweet about content creation & writing.
My goal is to inspire creators & help experts package their knowledge.
What are you struggling with? How can I help?
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"It's only 500 words, it shouldn't take long!"
Nope. You see word count, but you don't see the...
• Ideation
• Outline
• Research
• Interviewing
• Editing
Or the years it takes for writers to train themselves.
You're never paying *just* for the writing.
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2. Novo
If you're a freelancer, a business banking platform is essential:
• Send invoices (no fees)
• Easier to track tax write-offs for LLCs
• Create "reserves" so you can put money aside for taxes (I do 25%)
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5. Otter
Otter uses AI to record real-time transcription meeting notes.
Super useful for when:
• I'm interviewing an SME for a case study
• Chatting to CEO/influencer for ghostwriting
• Recording a brain dump of ideas during my walk 🚶♀️
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I started freelancing two years ago and now get to write for amazing clients as a digital nomad, all because I stopped waiting for someone to hire me and instead used the internet to teach myself everything
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Freelance writers, how does it take you to write an article? I saw someone say they can write one in a day, which blew my mind. It takes me at least 3 (brain dump, write, edit). You?
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Writing improves all areas of your life - your business included.
@shl
&
@david_perell
's "How to Grow Your Business Online" show you the techniques.
Learn how to use writing as a brushstroke to create a painting of success.
Enjoy this Brain Dump 🧠🗑️
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It took me 17 months to hit 10K Twitter followers...
...and 56 days to go from 10K to 15K.
Not only is the power of compounding nuts 🥜, but this is a reminder:
Your first 1K (of anything) is the hardest.
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How to Find Freelance Writing Clients
If you're searching for clients to cold-pitch, here's my advice as someone who's been doing this for 2.5 years.
Let's start with the least obvious places. 🧵
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Things that are an astonishing waste of human potential:
- Daily commute
- Hiring for experience over skills
- Handing in essays for one person (the teacher)
- Pressuring 18-year-olds to choose their careers
What else?
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Promote yourself. Constantly.
It can feel icky, but people need to see an ad at least 7 times to even remember it (and up to 20 times to buy it).
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Building independent income on the internet is how you'll accumulate wealth.
The key is to divorce your time and income by building once and selling twice.
@jackbutcher
breaks down exactly how you can succeed with
@jmikolay
.
Enjoy this Brain Dump 🧠🗑️
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You are *not* annoying if you:
• Follow-up on a pitch
• Ask to modify a contract
• Remind someone about an invoice
• Have high rates since you're in demand
You're just being a professional freelancer.
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just a friendly reminder that if you share/publish your writing, you're a writer. you don't need to have a fancy byline, or to have hundreds of likes, or to have made money from it. if you write, and upload it, you're a writer. end of story
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@mkobach
• No social media in the mornings
• Swapping self-help for fiction
• Not drinking alcohol during the week
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6. Notion
The absolute best project management and note-taking app ❣️
I use Notion to:
• Keep track of income, calls, and projects
• Plan my weekly agenda and schedule tasks
• Bookmark and store relevant resources (see below!)
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2. The AdWeek Copywriting Handbook
Legendary copywriter Joe Sugarman gives you step-by-step frameworks for writing great copy.
I learned how to:
• Create a "slippery slide" for copy
• Craft a "buying environment" for the reader
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About to hire my first (!) subcontractor for my business.
It's a tiny step toward a big goal: to have a freelance writing agency🤞
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‼️ I can't believe what I just stumbled on.
This Redditor makes $300K as a freelance copywriter.
He wanted to teach his sister how to become a successful copywriter in 6-12 months.
Below are his 10 years of experience distilled in 8 videos.
And yes, it's free.
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To make a living as a freelance writer you need 1-4 retainer clients.
Considering that there are...
• 213M+ companies
• 4.4M startups launched in 2020
• 2M creators making 6 figures online
And you only need 1-4 of them to work with you...
The odds are in your favor.🎲
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Lately, it's been hard. Quite honestly, I'm headed straight to burnout.
So, starting today, I'm offering one service: writing content.
No distribution, community management, social media, etc
It's scary to say "no" to more money & disappoint people.
But, it's time to focus.
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So, one of my clients is looking for new writers.
They went on a candidate's Twitter, and their page was *only* complaints about freelancing.
It scared the client away.
Be mindful of what you post — clients may see it as a reflection of you. 🪞
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What would be your number one tip to someone who's just started freelance writing? ✍️
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I was able to earn $5,000 a month as a freelance writer before having a newsletter, big Twitter following, or website. 🤷♀️
Cold Pitching & High-Quality Samples > Everything Else
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Tomorrow I'm headed to Costa Rica to try this whole digital nomad thing 🏝️
A large reason I became a freelance writer was to have the freedom to work anywhere in the world. I drove myself nuts trying to figure it out.
But I figured it out.
23-year-old me would be proud 🥲
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"I suck at writing."
No. You're learning a difficult skill. It exposes sloppy thinking, a byproduct so frustrating, many people vehemently avoid it. But you're trying. It says a lot about you.
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Most people don't want to be freelancers.
They just like the idea of it. When they face rejections, hefty taxes, unpaid invoices, etc they realize it's more than they anticipated — and quit.
If you're past the 1st year, congrats.
You're one of few. 🚶♀️
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And a shoutout to
@typefully
— I use it for threads specifically!
If you want to learn how to build a freelance writing business and live a more creative life, you can check out my newsletter 🤠
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A client rejected you because your price was too high?
That's great!
If *all* clients accept your services without batting an eye, it means your price is too low.
Pushback is a sign of freelancing growth. 🌱
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The best skill a writer can master?
Rousing a reader's curiosity.
And it all begins with your headline.
Here's a cheat sheet of 20 ✨curiosity-inducing✨ headlines that'll help you write viral blog posts.
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"If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes - then learn how to do it later." - Richard Branson
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1. The Writer's Co-Op Podcast
@TWC_pod
is a wonderful, high-signal podcast.
It taught me:
• Money mindset
• How to take off work
• The subtle art of saying no
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@FitFounder
Checking social media first thing when I wake up. I still can't believe the boost of productivity (and sanity) it provides.
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An underrated aspect of freelancing: the self-confidence it brings. When you go from minimum wage to requesting $100 + an hour, it completely changes how you see yourself
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If you want a career, treat it like a nightclub.
There are three ways you can get in.
1) Stand in line like everyone else (Linkedin, Cover Letters)
2) Know the bouncer and skip the line (Nepotism)
3) Slip through the backdoor (Use the Internet to share your ideas)
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Almost every freelance assignment I take on, I think "Am I capable of this? I don't know."
But I finish every project successfully.
You're never going to feel ready. Take on the assignment, surprise yourself.
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Before publishing, I ask myself:
- Did I do my best?
- Would I say this in real life?
- Could it potentially help at least one person?
If it's three yeses, I click "publish" and stop worrying.
Let the piece do its thing, get ready to create anew, and repeat. ♾
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Alright, the vibe has shifted on Twitter (X?). I'm seeing less "As valuable as a 250K MBA" threads and more thoughtful posts.
So I'm going to pull out of my 3-month hiatus (hey 👋) and return to scheduled programming (namely tweets on writing, freelance, all that jazz)
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8.
@TweetHunterIO
Twitter was a game-changer for my business. It led to exposure, opportunities, and clients!
I use Tweet Hunter to:
• Analyze which tweets work
• Compose and schedule tweets
• Find inspiration from past successful tweets
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In March, I felt burnt out as a writer and needed a break. That month, I made about ~$700 freelancing.
This month, I'm projected to earn $7K.
If I didn't take that break, I don't think I would've hit this milestone.
Don't feel bad if you need a time out. It has an ROI.
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Scared to publish online?
You have an ego issue.
You assume people disproportionately care about what you have to say. Reality check: they don't.
You can either find this liberating or discouraging.
Your creativity will thank you if you choose the former.
15th atomic essay⚛️
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By January 2023, I'm projected to have earned six figures total from freelance writing (I started in Oct. 2020!) 🥂
For the past two years, I've experimented with *tons* of tools to help run my business.
Here are the 8 I use every day:
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A gap of work doesn't mean you're failing.
A low-income month doesn't mean you should quit.
A client who ghosted doesn't mean you're unlikeable.
Freelancing can be a volatile, scary thing. Be kind to yourself as you navigate its road bumps.
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Some of the best decisions I've made:
• Start writing online.
• No socials in mornings.
• Create instead of consume.
• Backpack Southeast Asia alone.
• Teach myself financial literacy at 23.
• Stop avoiding rejection and shooting my shot.
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25 today! 🍾🥳
What I learned as a 24-year-old:
• Put yourself out there.
• Meditation is life-changing.
• You're capable of more than you think.
• Screw gatekeepers. Create what you want.
Any other advice you'd give to someone in their mid-twenties?
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Personal branding isn't complicated.
Before posting anything ask yourself...
1) Do you genuinely believe in it?
2) Would you say this to someone in real life?
3) Could it help at least one person?
If it's 3 yesses it's authentic, and therefore, your personal brand.
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The pressure we put on our 20-somethings is crazy.
They're suspended in the land of "your 20's is your last chance to have fun" and "your 20's is the time to hustle."
As a result, many feel lost, confused, and fall into underemployment.
Anyone experience this? What happened?
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Do I believe I'm the best freelance writer to exist?
Nope.
Can I still generate a full-time income writing and feel fulfilled? Yeah!
You don't need to be "the best" in your field to find success. 🌻
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I used to think it was too late to become a creator, but then realized...
- There are 1b Instagram users
- 1b TikTok users
- 2.5b Facebook users
And only 1.75m podcasts, 37m youtube channels, 330m Twitter users.
It's just getting started.
My 10th atomic essay ⚛️
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Use specificity in your writing.
✖️"I started making money freelancing last year."
✔️ "It was my third month as a freelance writer, and I had made a whopping total of $4,562, averaging out to about $1,550 a month."
Which story would you rather read?
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7. GIPHY
Another way to make your articles pop — insert GIFs!
Lots of companies (like
@MorningBrew
and
@TheHustle
) use GIFs in their newsletters to make them more entertaining.
An easy way to amuse the reader and make your content shine. ✨
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Submitted an article to a Medium pub, it gets rejected.
Whatever. I publish it anyway.
It gets curated.
They reach back out to me and now want to publish it. 🙄
Moral of the story: A "no" is never definite. Don't take your creations too seriously - just ship them.
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8. 'Art For Money' by Michael Ardelean
I LOVED this book. It helped me land my first $7K + month in July by teaching me:
• How to value my time
• How to write project proposals
• Why freelancers are cheaper to hire (thus why you should charge $$$)
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Published a bad article?
Amazing! You sacrificed your ego to practice the difficult craft of writing.
It's the only way to learn. Now go and write more junk.
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Turned 26 on Saturday 🤸
I'm not going to list 26 things I learned (I'll spare you) but here are my ten favorite tips for a better life
1. Online, 99% just consume and only 1% create. Join the one percent and watch your life become unrecognizable
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Other honorable mentions:
• Google Docs (obviously)
• Slack (again, obvious)
• ConvertKit (for my newsletter!)
That's the best part about freelancing — it doesn't take much to get started and build a profitable business. 🤝
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Every freelancer at some point in their careers will have a call with a potential client they think went *great* only to never hear from them again. 🤷♀️ It's happened to me several times! It's a freelance rite of passage, don't let it stop you from treading forward. 🏃♂️
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My newsletter, Internetly, hit 2,000 subscribers 🤠
Real talk: I started Internetly in March '21 – that's 29 *months* of writing
While most newsletter posts you see are about wild growth and $$$ payouts, remember – these things take time and a stupid amount of dedication
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Realizing that no one knows what they're doing — but they're going for it anyways — was a pivotal moment in my career
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My 2nd year of freelance writing is officially complete 🎉
# of Clients: 12
Thorn: Made $2.5K in Jan (& got Covid 🤒)
Rose: Worked remotely in Portugal and Colombia!
I share everything — the good, the bad, and ugly — in my annual review. ⬇️
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I'm convinced that the price you have to pay to be a great writer is to delete almost all social media apps from your phone so you can become more observant of the world around you
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Headed to Medellin, Colombia 🇨🇴
One-way ticket. No idea what I'm doing. But really, really excited.
If any other digital nomads are there or have any recs, would love to hear from you! ✨
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Apply to that job.
Apply to that internship.
Apply to that scholarship.
You'd be shocked at how many people pre-reject themselves. The application pool is smaller than you think.
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I don't know who needs to hear this but if you're thinking of getting a Kindle, do it.
I ♥️ mine. Long battery, can buy endless books (and! they're! so! affordable!), no glare, crisp image.
Not an ad, just genuinely love it and want to spread the joy of reading. 📕
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I'm so over the moon excited to announce I've been working on Snail Mail, a newsletter from Slow Growth by
@mattdavella
!
Every Monday we send out resources on productivity, creativity, and self-development. If you're hungover from hustle culture, this is for you.
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Don't pre-reject yourself.
Your duty is to give yourself a chance. To create openly and share with the world.
Whether people like it or not isn't up to you to decide.
Send that application, publish that essay, DM that person, and let things take care of themselves.
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If you're a freelance writer who's overwhelmed with where to start, start by publishing one article a week.
Could be Medium, your website, etc.
Practice.
Build out the portfolio.
Discover what you like to write about.
Focus on just this, *then* expand with cold pitching. 💫
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Small writing lessons for a big difference:
• Make it skimmable.
• Avoid passive voice.
• Delete "that" and "just."
• Ignore using words ending with "ly."
• Be bold. Your name is already on the paper.
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