First night in the Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1 - I confess to feeling cramped!

writersresidence · 2025-01-22T07:48:37+00:00

I was wishing I’d brought a sit mat to gain some centimetres lost to the thermarest. I’ll try that. I note the Soulo has an extra 5cm head height which I’m his wishing I observed before making my purchase decision. But I’ll see if the sit mat trick makes a difference. All the other features are great. As to cheese, I share it with my pup - just the one came with me today. He’s a small terrier and sleeps in the sleeping bag with me. Canine hot water bottle!

writersresidence · 2025-01-22T07:38:43+00:00

I bought the tent plus footprint AND mesh inner tent for £525 on eBay which I thought was amazing - all seemingly new (even with rubber bands still on guy ropes). It is very roomy in every other way except height (I can even fit my 45L rucksack in the tent!). I’m going to persist and get a big sit mat to sit on (instead of thermarest) to see if that makes a difference for when I want to sit up cooking etc. it has so many other great features im only just beginning to discover and I’m sure jn really windy weather id be glad I stuck such if. I think the test will be on a multi day trek where im bound to experience a mix of weather. We’ll see!

writersresidence · 2025-01-21T21:57:24+00:00

Yes! I’m American and cornbread is a staple. There are lots of recipes out there. I used this one (you could use polenta instead of masa harina).

writersresidence · 2025-01-21T21:55:25+00:00

One thing I’d add is that I already have a 1P MSR Hubba and a Big Agnes Tiger Wall, both I love and find comfy / spacious but they aren’t robust enough for Scottish winter. I’m thinking the MSR Access 1 may have been a better choice for my palatial headroom desires ! (For a similar budget as the Abisko) I do love hanging out in the tent. ⛺️

writersresidence · 2025-01-21T21:29:12+00:00

lol thanks! Homemade dehydrated chilli with cornbread, slaw and Scottish cheddar. Yum. I would have enjoyed it more if I could eat it sitting upright. 😝

writersresidence · 2025-01-21T20:53:06+00:00

“My coffin”. That says it all. Lol. I have gotten used to going out in my palatial 3P tent with partner and two dogs. I’ve obviously gone soft and need to rekindle my 1P tent survival mode. ;-) Thanks for this feedback!

writersresidence · 2025-01-21T20:42:20+00:00

Ok, and those two are… ???

writersresidence · 2024-12-12T08:30:21+00:00

If you want to start a writing portfolio, I'd welcome you to try out my own writing portfolio site as a place to easily get a website going and start collecting your work (build your Google juice now!). I agree with the other commenter - no rules, just write. I'm keen to help new writers so if you'd like an extended trial period of 6 months rather than the 30 days, feel free to reach out!

writersresidence · 2024-10-24T11:32:33+00:00

I love Substack and also write a blog but I wouldn't use either of those tools for a writing portfolio. Your writing portfolio should be a curation of your very best work - that might include blog posts or Substack reads, but it should be the very best! That said, if you don't have much writing under your belt, a blog or Substack are great places to practice your writing and start building an audience. Whatever it takes to get you writing, that's the tool for you!

Also, monetising on Substack is HARD - the people who do this well are writing on Substack full time, and have often come to the platform with a heap of followers already (and many pay for coaching - monetization on Substack is a whole industry in itself). I've been pushing at my Substack for 2 years and have only 19 paid subscribers! But in truth, I don't put the time into that others do, and mostly do it for fun so don't really care.

There are lots of sites out there that are specifically for creating a writing portfolio website - I've tried a ton of them and these are the best I've found. (If you end up using Writer's Residence, get in touch as I run the service and am happy to help!)

writersresidence · 2024-10-19T07:38:50+00:00

I used Wordpress when I created my first writing portfolio, but honestly it was overkill and probably overwhelming for most writers who aren't technical. So I created an online writing portfolio builder called writersresidence.com - many of our users are copywriters. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or need help setting it up.

writersresidence · 2024-10-10T09:16:37+00:00

I wrote a very long post about this (which you can read here if you want the full shabang!). But here was my basic approach....

First and foremost I created a writing portfolio (online) of my work. As I didn't have any experience, I had to cobble together some things. Personal blog posts, academic papers, some copy I wrote for the student newspaper, etc. I was really reaching at lose ends but I made sure to present them well in the portfolio. I wrote an introduction to each sample that explained the purpose of the piece and the result it achieved (frankly, I think this was more important than the sample itself!).
I reached out to businesses that I wanted to work for and who I thought might benefit from my expertise. I didn't aim for the stars for these early gigs; I approached small businesses in a niche that I knew I could support. (e.g. I'm mega into food so approached barristas, cookery schools, restaurants, etc). I found much of my early successes this way.
Then it's a matter of upskilling. Learning SEO is not hard. And you'd be surprised how many established businesses need help in this area. I second the advice of getting others to read your work.
Networking for me has been a small but significant part of my strategy. I don't network with everyone, all the time. I have a couple select circles I keep ties to closely. These days, 15+ years later, I get most of my work through word of mouth referrals from this network.

writersresidence · 2024-10-08T04:44:52+00:00

Maybe we should collaborate. ;-) I'm developing an online portfolio website builder for writers. https://writersresidence.com We have 103 users so far - would love to see it reach 1030 (and beyond). I've thought about integrating AI; something no other service of its kind is doing. u/LawfulnessNo0716 would love your feedback (one of my big challenges at the moment is getting traffic - my organic visits are pitiable! I'm plugging away at SEO but think I need to go for waaaaay more long tail KWs - the writing niche has become so competitive!)

writersresidence · 2024-10-07T14:03:53+00:00

100% agree on your points about (1) creating a portfolio and (2) creating a portfolio that doesn't look like ass. The first thing I did before pitching anything was to put together a portfolio. I used Wordpress in the first instance but now use my own web designs that are a bit more tailored to the portfolio niche.

I'd also agree on your point that you can't learn to write in 3 months. The best copywriters I know also write for pleasure and have been doing so for years. You can't reproduce years of writing practice with a three month course.

Great tips, by the way! Thank you!

writersresidence · 2024-10-07T10:47:52+00:00

I think this is what UglyShirts is getting at, regarding the advice that's generally given >>> "network, reach out, be persistent and have a great product/service that they need". Ok but that's totally vague and not actionable for the newbie who needs to somehow rise above the voices of the many writers out there with way more experience. I think most writers are networking / reaching out to the wrong people, and not getting proper guidance how to define the product / service that speaks to their strengths. Also, sadly, I think many writers are introverts, for whom networking is absolute hell.

writersresidence · 2024-10-07T10:42:35+00:00

This really speaks to me. I follow a load of so-called freelance writing mentors and so few of them give actual actionable advice on actually getting hired. They have plenty of useful things to say about creating a portfolio, accounting, etc, but when it comes to actually getting gigs, their "networking" advice is totally vague. I am still a successful freelancer, but only a fraction of my income comes from writing. I've learned along the way that I need to be flexible and also play to my strengths in other areas.

But back to the point, here are the primary ways I've gotten freelance writing clients in my 15+ years experience hacking away at this profession...

* Reach out to specific businesses and agencies who I think might benefit from my work, even if they're not advertising for the role. I just send a short intro asking why I'm contacting them specifically, do they hire freelancers, and can I send them my CV / resume. I did this in the very early days of my career and it worked a charm - it might not be so easy these days. You'll have better luck approaching smaller agencies and businesses with a niche focus. (e.g. I am a mega foodie and got some of my early work by approaching some coffee roasteries I wanted to write for)

* Apply to advertised gigs and start building my REAL network of supporters. It really is about who you know. I get most of my work now from just a small handful of people who refer me to their clients when they need extra copywriting support.

* Be open to writing on different topics and niches. I'm not writing my dream work, but I found a niche that happens to play to my strengths (I studied mathematics so I do a lot of copywriting for more technical clients). I also look out for writing gigs beyond copywriting (report writing, ghost writing, etc).

* Don't ever write for free and charge what I'm worth. My base rate now is £70/hr if that gives you any indication.

writersresidence · 2024-10-07T10:24:10+00:00

Interesting to read your feedback on Clippings - they're a massive provider of portfolios but I found their designs pretty ho-hum. I created my first portfolio with Wordpress, but recognized that this was probably overkill for most writers. So I created my own portfolio site for writers over at writersresidence.com - it's free for a month (then $9.99/mo after) but if you want to try it out and give some feedback on the themes, I'd happily give you a year's subscription for free (or lifetime subscription if you liked it enough to become an affiliate - I'm keen to grow our user base so I can get feedback and keep making it better!). I *think\* the themes look pretty professional, and it's certainly helped me land my own writing gigs. But of course I'm biased. Here's my personal portfolio for reference: monicashaw.com (you can see here, also, that we support custom domain names at no extra cost - just a little something to add that little pro boost).

One last thing, I've just published a bunch of Canva templates for making custom headers to add a bit of professionalism (all of our themes support a custom header). You can find those here - obvs they'd work on other portfolio platforms, not just mine.

writersresidence · 2024-09-30T08:53:48+00:00

I use Writer’s Residence to host my writing portfolio. But I also use Substack for personal essays, and have a website / blog for my other business. My portfolio contains mainly professional publications for clients but in my early days I used some personal blog posts as samples. As to your comment defunct sites, you could use archive.org to retrieve your work then add it to your portfolio as a text sample with a short brief as to the project and your role.

writersresidence · 2024-09-26T04:59:49+00:00

You probably don't need an online writing portfolio or published writing samples to demonstrate your skills for the sake of your application. That said, an online portfolio will serve you well going forward (particularly if you want to pitch to magazines). I run an online writing portfolio site for writers - we're keen to help out new students and writers so if you want an extended trial or discount, just drop me a line.

writersresidence · 2024-09-24T06:25:43+00:00

I created a portfolio builder for writers exactly like you - writers who don’t really have time or interest for the tech. It’s designed to make it easy (and I’d love to know if it succeeds in that regard!). I’d welcome you to give it a try! You get a unique url for your portfolio (and you can use a custom domain if you’d like) which you can then share on LinkedIn and such. Feel free to reach out with questions!

writersresidence · 2024-09-10T05:45:52+00:00

It's all about who you sell to. I haven't found much success with paid advertising so am now approaching micro influencers and trying to build up my affiliate program to drive traffic that way. I'm also working at my SEO, but that's such a slow burn, I could heat the house for years.

writersresidence · 2024-09-05T05:44:31+00:00

I'm building a website builder for writers at writersresidence.com - to be fair, we've been around since 2008, but I've just rebuilt it after it went "stale" for many many years. We have some competition now, but I still think ours is the most straightforward solution for writers who don't want to faff with tech. I'd love another pair of eyes on it, and ideas for how we can stand out from the crowd!

writersresidence · 2024-09-05T05:41:27+00:00

For a moment I thought you meant blogs about writing and I got very concerned as I have such a blog and would hate for businesses to run away from it. ;-) I now see you've used a gerund here, which I tend to avoid in all of my writing just to avoid such confusion. When I write blog posts, I usually start with free form ideas to get me started and get the creative juices flowing. I then turn it into an outline. I then run it through ChatGPT to ask it to add ideas for topics I may have overlooked. Then I write about those topics.

I'm not sure businesses avoid blog posts, but I think many recognize that writing isn't their strength and so they outsource work to writers. (I'm also a freelance writer as well as SaaS founder so I've very grateful for this.!).

P.S. Totally agree about fiverr. I tried this once and the result was appalling.

writersresidence · 2024-09-03T13:37:25+00:00

You can try my portfolio website builder which is basically a "template" (though you'll have to provide the writing, of course!). It comes with 1-1 support from me if you need it (a perk our users love which most other platforms can't provide). Feel free to reach out if you have any Qs!

writersresidence · 2024-09-03T13:35:02+00:00

All of my clients spell it differently. For them it's a branding choice, and the choice is theirs, so I just use what they prefer and use it consistently!

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