Over many years working as a freelance writer, I have learned that clients who have never partnered with an independent writer are sometimes nervous about how to get started.

Hiring a freelance writer can take a lot of work off your plate, but it can be intimidating when you don’t know what to expect. So, I’m sharing with you how I begin working with new clients, and I hope understanding the process will ease your concerns.

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All in the space of one week, we’ve got Read Across America Day (March 2), National Grammar Day (March 4), and National Proofreading Day (March 8).

It’s a writer/editor’s dream week. Except that, well, every day is Grammar Day for me—nights, weekends, holidays, you name it.

And I’m married to a writer/editor, which makes the whole situation even worse. (Or better? I’m not sure.)

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Everyone has to begin somewhere. Without taking the first step—whether it’s a success or a failure—you’ll never achieve any goal you set for yourself.

My first step was fearful and cautious, but unstoppable. There were also many missteps before I found a solid foothold. When I made a mistake, I backtracked a bit to catch my balance. Then I stepped out again, sometimes in a new direction, sometimes in the same direction but on a different route.

That path has led me to being able to say that I’m more successful today than I ever thought would be possible working for myself.

That’s because I learned to value myself, value my business and value my work as a service to help clients achieve their goals. If I didn’t realize my worth, I would have quit after the first mistake I made. There have been lots of mistakes since then, but I still move forward, learning lessons as I go.

That’s what I want to share with you—things I’ve (mostly) learned not to do, and what to do instead. Hopefully you can benefit from my trials and errors.

So, let’s get started.

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This is a G-rated post, I promise.

We’ll get to the word in a minute—first, let’s talk about why you desperately need it.

If you’re in the business of writing, you need stories to tell. Whether you write feature articles, customer case studies or even executive bios, you need a story to keep readers engaged.

For writers, that’s common sense. For anyone who’s ever read anything, you know it’s true.

But stories aren’t always easy to find, even for professionals who are trained to find them. I’ve been writing feature articles for more than 10 years, and I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews. Some are easy—these people are comfortable talking your ear off. I don’t have to hunt for the story. They just tell me. Others, well, other people just don’t know how to tell their most interesting stories easily.

So what does that mean for the writer?

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The birth of any great blog post is a messy business.

For professional bloggers, writing is a labor of love. For business owners, however, it can be a painful, intimidating process that’s just not worth the effort.

The conception of great ideas to share with your blog audience is usually pretty easy and fun. The delivery of clear, concise writing, though, that’s a different story.

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We celebrate Cinco de Mayo with gusto down here in San Antonio, Texas.

If you’re not familiar with the background of Cinco de Mayo, here’s a quick history lesson.

In 1862 at the Battle of Puebla, the Mexican army was outnumbered two-to-one by invading French troops. But that day – May 5 – the smaller Mexican army defeated the French and sent them packing back across the Atlantic.

Today, May 5 commemorates that important victory and honors the country’s heritage and pride.

Though the win at the Battle of Puebla wasn’t the end of Mexico’s fight against the French, it was a milestone in that direction. That victory bolstered Mexican confidence in the conflict. It encouraged and motivated the troops.

What does all that have to do with business blogging? Let me explain.

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Before I go any further into this post, let me give you one caveat. You shouldn’t edit your own work. (This goes for professional editors, too!)

Why? Because you’re simply too close to the writing to be effective.

Your eyes glaze over when you read your web copy or e-book for the gazillionth time. You skim and miss typos. You read words that aren’t there because you know what the sentence is supposed to say.

I guarantee it happens to the best of us.

But if you absolutely must play editor to your own writing, do yourself a favor by following these five easy tips. They won’t replace professional editing (if they could, I’d be out of a job!) but they’ll make your task more efficient and effective.

Let’s dive in.

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When Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his dreams for America in one of the most influential speeches in all of history, he knew how to incite action from his listeners.

Not only was the content of his speech provocative, his delivery could have moved mountains.

King challenged tens of thousands of civil rights supporters in Washington that day to move toward change and never give up. King so moved Americans of all races that they accepted the challenge back in 1963 and continue to do so today.

Delivering this speech, King used classic call to action techniques to inspire and motivate. By analyzing King’s speech, business copywriters can discover an effective approach to motivate even the most resistant readers.

As we celebrate his birthday, let’s take a look at what made his speech so inspirational.

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Love ’em or hate ’em, New Year’s resolutions tempt you every year.

You may make them (and break them) faithfully every year, or you might be someone who gave up resolutions long ago.

Do as you please with your personal resolutions to meditate (who has the time?), to work out more often (who has the energy?) or to eat less chocolate (who has the willpower?). But don’t overlook business resolutions, and certainly don’t break them come Jan. 2.

Before heading back to the office after the holidays, take inventory of your business writing. Changes in the past year mean your website and marketing materials need an update. So resolve right now to take stock of what’s working well and what needs a face-lift.

Let’s take a look at a few areas you should reevaluate.

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Your website might be missing a very important page.

If you don’t have an About Us page, you haven’t introduced yourself to your website visitors.

They’re looking for you, and you’re nowhere to be found.

Your site has no personality. But you can fix that.

No matter whether you overlooked it or just didn’t know how to write it, if you don’t have an About page, you need one. Let’s learn how to write it.

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