So You Want To Be A Freelance Writer: Business Basics All Freelancers Need - Thursday, September 21 · 3pm - 4:30pm ET
Join this free workshop to learn all the business basics I've learned from ten years in the industry.
So you want to be a freelance writer? Great! But it takes more than perfect prose to make it in this tumultuous industry. I should know! My name is Vanessa Chiasson, and I'm a Canadian freelance writer. I've been crafting travel and human interest narratives for over ten years (and paying my bills with the proceeds!)
In this workshop, I'll be sharing all the business basics I wish someone had told me over the years, things like what marketing means when you're a one-person show, simple and effective tools for invoicing and taxes, resources for pitching, and much more. I'll also be sharing real examples from my career: pitches I've used successfully, lessons I learned the hard way, and the newsletters I read every week without fail. I'll also be sending you a long list of resources, tool, and books before the workshop so you have all the resources you need close at hand.
All writers, from all genres, are welcome. Please bring a friend!
PS: After you click on the orange "register" button below, Eventbrite will ask you fill out your name and email information. After you do that, keep scrolling down within the little box. Eventbrite will then ask you to confirm that your contact info and the ticket info is the same and then you hit the button to confirm the registration. Sometimes it's not obvious that you have to keep scrolling to confirm the ticket info!
So you want to be a freelance writer? Great! But it takes more than perfect prose to make it in this tumultuous industry. I should know! My name is Vanessa Chiasson, and I'm a Canadian freelance writer. I've been crafting travel and human interest narratives for over ten years (and paying my bills with the proceeds!)
In this workshop, I'll be sharing all the business basics I wish someone had told me over the years, things like what marketing means when you're a one-person show, simple and effective tools for invoicing and taxes, resources for pitching, and much more. I'll also be sharing real examples from my career: pitches I've used successfully, lessons I learned the hard way, and the newsletters I read every week without fail. I'll also be sending you a long list of resources, tool, and books before the workshop so you have all the resources you need close at hand.
All writers, from all genres, are welcome. Please bring a friend!
PS: After you click on the orange "register" button below, Eventbrite will ask you fill out your name and email information. After you do that, keep scrolling down within the little box. Eventbrite will then ask you to confirm that your contact info and the ticket info is the same and then you hit the button to confirm the registration. Sometimes it's not obvious that you have to keep scrolling to confirm the ticket info!
Q4 Planning Workshop For Freelance Writers - Friday, September 29 · 10am - 12pm ET
Join me for a two hour workshop dedicated to business planning, goal-setting, and strategy formulation for the final quarter of 2023. In my world, planning days are all about leveraging success and cultivating a sense of purpose, agency, and clarity. By investing in this opportunity, you will save time, you will save money and – most importantly – you will write more. Let’s end the year on a high note!
After this workshop you will be able to:
By the end of the day, you’ll feel AMAZING because:
The program commences at 10:00 AM ET and concludes at 12:00 PM ET, allowing for a snack break in the middle. We’ll utilize Zoom breakout rooms and group discussions. Kindly bring a notebook and pen. It also helps to have your 2023 income and expenses breakdown nearby, although this information will not be shared with the group; it is for your personal reference only.
All writers are warmly invited to join us. Please note that participation is limited to 25 individuals, so secure your spot early to avoid disappointment.
Save 50% off of the General Admission Price with our Half Price Early Bird Ticket - only available until September 25th!
After this workshop you will be able to:
- Identify High-Value Work Activities: Think more bylines, less busy-ness during what many writers feel is the most challenging time of the year.
- Salvage Your 2023 Goals with Actionable Steps: Who says it’s too late to smash your way through your 2023 list of goals and projects? There’s still A LOT of time to make things happen and we’ll work together to break down how it will happen.
- Recharge Your Creativity: Forget AI and X (or whatever Twitter is calling itself these days). Let’s look at brainstorming story ideas, developing creative projects, and selling our artistic services without compromising our integrity and ideals.
By the end of the day, you’ll feel AMAZING because:
- You’ll Realize You're Not Alone: You will discover that you are part of a community of like-minded individuals who share similar challenges, dreams, and victories.
- You’ll Savor Your Accomplishments: You will gain a renewed appreciation for your achievements over the past year and recognize that you are in a stronger position than you realized to conclude 2024 on a positive, productive, and profitable note.
- You’ll Work ON Your Business (and not just IN it): You’ll feel wonderful after investing time and effort into strategic planning for your writing business, instead of just immersing yourself in day-to-day operations.
The program commences at 10:00 AM ET and concludes at 12:00 PM ET, allowing for a snack break in the middle. We’ll utilize Zoom breakout rooms and group discussions. Kindly bring a notebook and pen. It also helps to have your 2023 income and expenses breakdown nearby, although this information will not be shared with the group; it is for your personal reference only.
All writers are warmly invited to join us. Please note that participation is limited to 25 individuals, so secure your spot early to avoid disappointment.
Save 50% off of the General Admission Price with our Half Price Early Bird Ticket - only available until September 25th!
Unlock Your Writing Potential: Join Us for a Year-End Planning Day - Friday, December 8 · 9am - 3pm ET
Join me for a day-long workshop, dedicated to business planning, goal-setting, and strategy formulation for the upcoming year.
Have you ever watched a classic movie scene where a creative genius approaches the bank for a loan, armed only with a brilliant idea? The bank manager, seeking a solid business plan, sits in deafening silence, leaving our hero at a loss.
Thankfully, as writers, we rarely need old-fashioned business plans, but we do need business planning. This time, it’s not for the benefit of a bank manager. We need to empower ourselves!
Join me for a day-long workshop, dedicated to business planning, goal-setting, and strategy formulation for the upcoming year. In my world, planning days are all about leveraging success and cultivating a sense of purpose, agency, and clarity. By investing in this opportunity, you will save time, you will save money and – most importantly – you will write more.
After this day, you will be able to:
By the end of the workshop, you’ll feel a huge sense of relief because:
As the day concludes, we will engage in a 60-minute "bad ideas" brainstorming session. Together, we will explore story concepts, potential book topics, avenues for pitching, and more. During this collaborative exercise, we will provide kind encouragement on each other's story ideas (yes, even the embarrassing ones!) culminating in a comprehensive list of concepts to begin creating and pitching in January 2024.
The program commences at 9:00 AM EST and concludes at 3:00 PM EST, allowing for ample breaks to indulge in snacks and lunch. We’ll utilize Zoom breakout rooms and group discussions, but participants who prefer a quieter environment are welcome to follow along without active engagement. Kindly bring a notebook and pen. It also helps to have your 2023 income and expenses breakdown nearby, although this information will not be shared with the group; it is for your personal reference only.
All writers are warmly invited to join us. Please note that participation is limited to 25 individuals, so secure your spot early to avoid disappointment.
Save $200 off the General Admission Price with our Ultra Early Bird Mega Sale - only available until October 31st!
Have you ever watched a classic movie scene where a creative genius approaches the bank for a loan, armed only with a brilliant idea? The bank manager, seeking a solid business plan, sits in deafening silence, leaving our hero at a loss.
Thankfully, as writers, we rarely need old-fashioned business plans, but we do need business planning. This time, it’s not for the benefit of a bank manager. We need to empower ourselves!
Join me for a day-long workshop, dedicated to business planning, goal-setting, and strategy formulation for the upcoming year. In my world, planning days are all about leveraging success and cultivating a sense of purpose, agency, and clarity. By investing in this opportunity, you will save time, you will save money and – most importantly – you will write more.
After this day, you will be able to:
- Identify High-Value Work Activities: Discover which work activities provide the greatest value (and it’s not always the highest-paying gigs that offer the biggest rewards.)
- Embrace Deep Work: Learn to integrate deep work practices into your daily life while minimizing shallow distractions. This approach will provide ample time for dreaming, creating, pitching, and producing, enabling you to achieve more with less effort.
- Translate Big-Picture Goals into Actionable Steps: Together, we’ll transform your overarching goals into manageable, everyday actions that drive progress and lead to tangible results.
- Confront Hard Truths That Are Hurting Your Writing: Yep, it’s time we talk about 16-hour days and the idea that Twitter’s essential to our jobs. Instead, we’ll discover strategies to optimize professional, artistic, and financial aspirations.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll feel a huge sense of relief because:
- You’ll Realize You're Not Alone: You will discover that you are part of a community of like-minded individuals who share similar challenges, dreams, and victories.
- You’ll Savor Your Accomplishments: You will gain a renewed appreciation for your achievements over the past year and recognize that you are in a stronger position than you realized to make 2024 your most positive, productive, and profitable year yet.
- You’ll Work ON Your Business (and not just IN it): You’ll feel amazing after investing time and effort into strategic planning for your writing business, instead of just immersing yourself in day-to-day operations.
As the day concludes, we will engage in a 60-minute "bad ideas" brainstorming session. Together, we will explore story concepts, potential book topics, avenues for pitching, and more. During this collaborative exercise, we will provide kind encouragement on each other's story ideas (yes, even the embarrassing ones!) culminating in a comprehensive list of concepts to begin creating and pitching in January 2024.
The program commences at 9:00 AM EST and concludes at 3:00 PM EST, allowing for ample breaks to indulge in snacks and lunch. We’ll utilize Zoom breakout rooms and group discussions, but participants who prefer a quieter environment are welcome to follow along without active engagement. Kindly bring a notebook and pen. It also helps to have your 2023 income and expenses breakdown nearby, although this information will not be shared with the group; it is for your personal reference only.
All writers are warmly invited to join us. Please note that participation is limited to 25 individuals, so secure your spot early to avoid disappointment.
Save $200 off the General Admission Price with our Ultra Early Bird Mega Sale - only available until October 31st!