We spend more hours talking about writer’s block than we spend going through it. So I won’t be talking about it. I’ll be giving you three simple tools that help me get over my mental block.

One Word

One Word combines the two things that are guaranteed to make a writer’s fingers flying. A prompt and a time limit. The first time I clicked on ‘Go’, I was overwhelmed by the word and the ticking clock! My fingers started moving when there were only 20 seconds left.

Then I got mad and hit ‘Go’ again. Since then, I haven’t looked back. Every time I feel I can’t write, I head over to One Word. 

Try it. Only takes 60 seconds of your time. What have you got to lose?

Whine

You heard me. Whine to your heart’s content. You’ll be typing so feverishly you’d wish you could type faster to keep pace with your thoughts. 

Complain about your cat, your noisy neighbours or your dysfunctional muse. Just type it. Write curse words if they’re in your head. Just open your text editor and WHINE! 

I can guarantee that it will clear your head and your fingers won’t feel so locked and stiff anymore. 

Use Twitter Search

So you’ve whined and done 15 words at one word and yet you still don’t ‘feel’ it. The problem with you now isn’t a writer’s block. It’s a lack of topic. Twitter Search can easily take care of that issue. 

Scan your twitter feed to see what people are talking about. Find a topic you have an opinion on and send a replying tweet. Not only will you be gathering points for an article or blog post, you’ll be networking.

Also check the top trends in twitter search along with keeping an eye on the hashtags of the topic you’re interested in.

I’ve used twitter search for reasearch and differing opinions for an article I was stuck on and it helped tremendously! Not only did I find various views, but also prominent people I could quote in the article and stats to back up my views. 

Doesn’t get better than that now does it?

Technorati Tags: Blogging, using twitter, writer's block, Writing

Guest posting is a great way to gain exposure for yourself and your blog. It’s also stamp of approval from the blogger on who’s blog you’re posting. The readers of that blog trust you by proxy. You don’t have to work hard on proving your mettle.

If you’re already successful, guest posting is a great way to reach out to new audiences and establish your expertise.

This week, we’re going round up guests post on popular blogs.

- Write to Done is Leo Babauta’s (of Zen Habits fame) writing based blog. Marco Saric of How To Make My Blog wrote a guest post ‘How to Make Your Site go Viral on Twitter‘. That’s a pretty huge pat on the back. Leo has a huge following and if not many, Marco most definitely managed to gain some loyal readers through this post. Not to mention, he added a feather in his blogging cap. 

- Chris Brogan’s blog has over 21 thousand subscribers. Theses are just the RSS subscribers. On an estimate, add a few thousand more email and newsletter subscribers and that’s a staggering number to reach out to through a guest post. Jason Alba’s guest post “Handling Negative Comments on Your Blog Post“. The post received 52 comments and 6 track-backs. That is some serious exposure!

- A quick look at Shanon Paul’s Very Official Blog revealed that on an average, her posts receive 7-8 17 comments. That’s an decent awesome level of participation if you ask me. But it’s far from the big leagues. Her guest post “Six Very Official Ways to Improve Your Writing” for Pro Blogger was great exposure. 

Shannon’s been busy establishing a solid reputation for herself instead of concentrating on building a blog following. She’s been successful in it to a great extent as she got a mention by Chris Brogan in 8 Marketing Bloggers to Watch in 2009.

- Daily Blog Tips is one of Daniel Scocco’s babies. Daniel was one of the unfortunate bloggers who’s website got hacked. The incident raised a lot of security questions among bloggers. Mr I from Blogging With Success decided to expand on Daniel’s post about website security by listing 5 Plugins to keep WordPress Safe.

- Jonathan Muller’s guest post “How To Become a Better Blogger” for Yan Susanto’s Thou Shall Blog was very well received. Even though Jonathan’s blog hasn’t been updated since early February, it still has a lot of useful information for you to go through.

Technorati Tags: Blogging, guest posting, link love, Writing

Picture Source: Pebbelzz

The above picture is of Buheira Corniche in Sharjah – which is the emirate I live in. 

Before I tell you more about it, here’s a definition of the word corniche according to Wikipedia: 

The word corniche typically refers to a road on the side of a cliff or mountain, with the ground rising on one side of the road and falling away on the other.

The word also, in the Arabic language, refers, in general, to a headland formed at land’s end, which describes a most remote geographical border of a mainland by a water line, with a natural corner, usually, or a cliff.

In Lebanon and Egypt, the word typically describes a waterfront promenade usually paralleled by a main road. In the Gulf States, the corniche often runs along the coast.

The last sentence two sentences sum it up beautifully. UAE has developed their corniche into beautiful picnic spots with parking and bar-b-q area and recycling bins for trash. On a cool evening, you’ll see countless families enjoying, children will be running around having the time of their life and occasional joggers who’re taking advantage of the weather and are hitting the pavement instead of running on their treadmill.

The Corniche isn’t just along a small stretch of road. It goes around in a circle. Further up, in a less crowded spot, you’ll find boats moored and jet skiing hubs. There are also abras (wooden boats) that take you for a ride around the corniche for small price. 

Across the road from it, you’ll find high rise residential and office buildings. The area overlooking the corniche is the most expensive rent wise. You really can’t beat the view from the top floors after all.

Technorati Tags: Buheira Corniche, Corniche, Sharjah, UAE

Getting work queries is part of a freelancer’s routine. Not all work out, but all of them require a response.

How you reply to emails often plays an important part in the reply you get. We’ve already covered what to do if you don’t get a response, now it’s time to find out how to write replies to work queries that will yield a response.

Whether you get the job or not is irrelevant at this point. Your main aim is to get them to reply to you. In my experience that’s half the battle won.

Even if they don’t hire you, you still would have learned from the exchange. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to deal with prospective clients, you’ll be able to figure out if you’re making any mistakes in client dealings and if there’s something more you could do next time.

Reply immediately

First contact should be made immediately after you’ve gotten a work query. It’s important because you won’t be the only freelancer they’ve emailed. They don’t have the time to wait and they want fast results. Send in a reply before they have a chance to consider someone else. In most cases, it doesn’t matter how qualified you are for the job. It’s the early birds that get the job.

Set the tone for negotiations

If they’ve asked you for rates, don’t hedge. State them clearly. I can hear you guys hissing at this, but it’s true. This is your one time shot to get the job and evading a direct question is not the way to go. So state your rates and stop panicking because there’s a way to neutralize your vulnerability.

Right after quoting your rates, let them know that these rates are open for consideration. You can write something along the lines of ‘…these are my standard rates and usually vary depending on the project and amount of work.’

Ask them for more details

Asking for more details encourages the client to respond. A simple “If you could send me more details, I’ll be able to send you a more concrete quotation.” is enough.

If you want, you can also ask them about their budget so that you can decide if their budget would fit in with your rates. This is strongly dependent on your intuition though. Sometimes, I don’t get the vibe that the client will welcome this question so I don’t ask.

Let them know you’re waiting

It may not make much difference, but letting them know that ‘you’re looking forward‘ to their response might compel them to reply back with an answer. There are no guarantees of course.

To be frank, the entire email reply is an exercise in subtlety. Unless you’re uber successful and can do without their business, you have to use every trick up your sleeve to get the engage in a negotiation.

Recommend someone

It doesn’t always work out. The stats actually favour the nays than the yays. We’re freelancers though and our super power is handling rejection.

If the job doesn’t work out for whatever reason, don’t forget to recommend another freelancer. Not only is recommending some one good manners, it’s another way to surprise the client pleasantly. If you’re not getting the job, make sure they remember you.

Thank them

‘Thank you’ are two extremely strong words. Whether it works out or not, thank them for their time and consideration. It ends things on just the right note. For all you know, they just may choose you the next time.

Different things work for different people. Do your tactics differ from mine? Has anything else worked better for you?

Technorati Tags: Clients, Freelance work, Freelancing

As a a writer you’ll be receiving replies to your applications along with getting queries about your work from prospective clients. Sounds cool huh? Getting work queries without having to apply. Trust me, it doesn’t happen that often.

When it does happen though, chances are they’re not gonna get back to you after your reply. Try not to take it to heart though. It’s not you, it’s them.

Actually, it’s the other freelancer who got the job.

So What Do You Do?

Do you mourn and move on? Yes, you mourn. You caught the client’s eye but couldn’t keep them interested. But no, you don’t move on. Not yet.

That last bit is where you’ve got the chance to make the client notice you. They may have settled on some one else, but that doesn’t mean you can give up. You are going to have to force them to notice you. In a not-so-intense way of course.

Take Action!

Wait for 5 working days then send them a follow up email. Simply remind them that they contacted you and if they’d come to a decision. End with asking them to let you know their decision in either case.

Sample Copy Of Follow-Up Email

If you like, you can use a copy of the email I send out to prospective clients who’re AWOL. This is a very simple email which I use as a base to modify my follow up emails according to client and situation.

Dear _______,

We exchanged emails on [Date] about a [writing/blogging/whichever] position for [company/website name]. Since I haven’t heard back from you after the initial contact I’m wondering if you’re still interested in hiring me as your [insert position] or if you’ve decided to hire someone else.

Please let me know in either case.

Regards,

[Name]

[Email Signature]

Time To Move On

That’s it. Now you can move on. If they reply, you’ve accomplished your goal. If they don’t, you’ve already made your peace.

But wait! Why is it so important to follow up? Because they’re going to need another freelancer some day and you’re going to apply again.

Technorati Tags: Clients, Freelance work, Freelancing