This Week in Freelance

Being an RSS junkie, every week I read tons of Internet articles from writers far more talented and interesting than I am. Here are few posts around the Internet about freelancing, small business ownership and writing. Read up on these fabulous blogs and enjoy!

Normally I don’t share Seth Godin posts. It’s not that they’re not amazing or I don’t think you guys would benefit from reading them. It’s just that he’s one of those guys that EVERYBODY shares. Every day, my Twitter stream is full of tweets about his posts. I figured you guys already saw it. But every now and again, I read something that I need to share, regardless of how many times it’s been shared before. The Internet As an Envy Amplifier is one of those posts. Read it and remember that there will always be somebody with something that you wish you had. The question is whether the goal is to have the most turtles or not. (And yes, this paragraph is probably longer than the post. Mr. Godin is brief like that. I am not.)

When veterans like Jennifer Brown Banks talk, I think we should listen. There is a certain knack to staying in this business for the long haul. Many put out their shingle and buy business cards that say “Freelance Writer.” Very few are still doing this ten, fifteen years later. You just can’t freelance that long without learning a lesson or two. This week on Pen & Prosper, she writes 10 Things I Wish I Would Have Known About Writing 10 Years Ago. It’s a good way to benefit from her experience without having to go through those bumps and bruises yourself. Not that you won’t have to go through your own bumps and bruises. But this might help.

Courage is being scared out of your mind and still doing what you ahve to do. In fact, if you weren’t scared, courage wouldn’t exist. So as much as I admire the fearless, I know that it’s really an overrated quality. This week on the Barefoot Executive, Carrie Wilkerson writes about fear and why You Don’t Have to Fearless to Be Successful in Business.