Ashley’s Newsletter for Writers

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Having a Slow Freelance Month? You're Not Alone.

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Having a Slow Freelance Month? You're Not Alone.

& make money writing with these tips, opportunities, and more.

Ashley Broadwater
Apr 1, 2023
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Having a Slow Freelance Month? You're Not Alone.

ashleybroadwater.substack.com
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Hi and happy April (Fools’ Day)!

Having a Slow Freelance Month? You’re Not Alone.

Some months, freelancing is slow. Maybe editors are busy and taking longer to respond, or you’re receiving more rejections, or no one seems to need your services.

It’s easy to take this personally. You may think you’re not good enough, or that freelancing full-time isn’t doable, or that the months ahead will look the same. In other words, it’s easy to feel anxious and as if it’s personal.

And, it’s not personal. Nor are you alone.

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve seen *many* tweets this month about freelancing being slow for writers. I’ve been there many times, too, so I get it. You’re not alone in the struggle, nor does this mean you’re a bad writer.

Keep going. Keep learning, trying, putting yourself out there, and asking for advice. I’ve found that even when freelancing seems the bleakest, a better month is around the corner.

I Support You Mental Health GIF by YouTube
From Giphy

Writing/Freelancing Tips

  • Twitter thread on DOs and DO NOTs for pitching

  • Twitter thread of articles with freelancing 101 tips

  • My tips on small things that can help motivate you


Pitch Calls

GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:

  • If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.

  • Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!

  • Who Pays Writers can be a helpful site to get an idea of how much publications pay.

Pitch calls:

  • Swap Meet Mannequin on Twitter: "Still looking for pieces on: Saving up for surgeries/travel/home Paying debts while still enjoying life (New) Creatives dealing with layoffs & publishers cutting rates *plz read the ENTIRE pitch call thoroughly — I'm only looking for Black writers." / Twitter

  • Janus Rose on Twitter: "on a related note i am always accepting freelance pitches at @motherboard :) https://t.co/WlmorkHfWP" / Twitter

  • Molly Stout on Twitter: "Writers! I’m looking to expand the freelance roster at @sleepopolis, and would love to hear your pitches. If you have story ideas (What is green noise? What’s with sunrise alarm clocks? Can you really strap the singing Sopranos fish to your baby so they'll sleep?) DM or email me!" / Twitter

Want a bunch of these weekly? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.


Writer Jobs

  • Content Writer/Editor at GoodPup

  • Freelance Writer, Entertainment at Digital Trends Media Group

  • Commerce Assistant at Bustle Digital Group

Want a bunch of these weekly, all spelled out? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.


Writing/Freelancing Resources

  • A compilation of 64 articles with tips, resources, publications to pitch, encouragement, etc!

  • All about Medium’s new “boosted” feature

  • Twitter thread of ways to find editors’ emails, see calls for pitches, pitch successfully, etc


Encouragement

  • Instagram graphic on healthy freelance mindsets

  • TikToks on embracing being cringey here and here

  • Maybe delusional confidence isn’t so delusional!

  • Mental Health & Journalism workshop

Illustrated gif. A beet, garlic, radish, potato, and carrot all have cute smiles on and are looking at us encouragingly. Text, "Rooting for you!"
From Giphy

My Articles + Updates

  • In last month’s newsletter, I mentioned a new Apartment Therapy piece I had in the works. Now live (!), it’s called “If You’re Feeling Unproductive, It May Be Because of ‘Trauma Drive’ — Here’s Why That’s Actually a Good Thing.”

  • I also wrote a personal essay about grief and I’m proud of it :) It’s called “Reconciling With Grief Doesn’t Look Like I Thought It Would”


Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help

  • Don’t forget about my approved pitches document and Medium guide and coaching/editing services and Writing Checklist Set!

  • More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls

  • Feedback from you: (1) For the newsletter // (2) For the resource set


This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, and my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3 :) A huge thanks to donors! 

That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)

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