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Lorem Ipsum is a famous copywriter noted for his indecipherable but hypnotic advertising copy. He is best know for this unique bit of writing:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Now that’s what I call powerful copy.
Banish writer’s block with these 8 tiny tips
Do you ever have a hard time getting the words to flow? Of course you do. It’s called writer’s block. And it happens to all writers from time to time.
But writer’s block is not inevitable. There are specific reasons you suffer from it and specific ways to avoid it. Here are 8 that help me get my fingers moving on the keyboard.
Do your research. After all, how can you write about something if you don’t have anything to say? Ask questions, collect your facts, and decide on the main points you want to make. Writing is a bit like cooking. You have to gather your ingredients before you fire up the stove.
Start with a structure. You don’t have to use a standard outline (unless you want to). After you’ve collected enough information, just put your ideas into an order that makes sense. The simpler the structure, the better. For this article, for example, my structure looks like this: 1) Introduction, 2) Series of bullet points, 3) Closing remarks. This gives you a modular approach that can further help you avoid writer’s block. If you get stuck on one section, write another section first. Writing doesn’t have to be linear.
Freelance fees: hourly or per project?
Fees are a difficult subject for most freelancers. And one of the most difficult decisions you face is whether to charge hourly or per project. There are advocates on both sides.
In the hourly camp are those who claim that charging for the time you actually work is the only way to be sure you are fairly compensated. It’s also familiar to most freelancers who have worked this way in full-time employment situations. You quote your hourly rate, track your time, and multiply at the end of the project. Simple.
But hourly fees have a downside. Neither you nor your client know what a project will cost. This can lead to some nasty surprises and uncomfortable conversations when it’s time to invoice. Also, the better you are and the faster you work, the less you get paid, which is inherently unfair. The most important negative is that hourly fees mean you are selling your time instead of selling your expertise. This can prevent you from attaining the higher professional image you want.
