The Born Freelancer Stays Focused
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. One of the most frequent complaints I hear from non-freelancers during this pandemic is, “I just can’t stay focused on anything”. […]
Myriad Ways to the Book Publishing Market – Part One
by Steven Threndyle Most magazine writers and newspaper journalists think about writing a book at some point in their careers. Maybe it’s a deeper dive into a story that was part of a feature package, or a biography of an important event or persona in Canadian life. Recent non-fiction books by Bruce Kirkby, Justin Ling […]
Tax Tips webinar now available on CFG website
On February 10th, about 5 dozen people took part in the CFG’s Business of Freelancing Tax Tips for Freelancers webinar. This was a very lively discussion about the important questions facing freelancers at tax time — such as eligible expenses, dealing with foreign income, the G/HST, CERB, CRB, and so on. The webinar is an […]
The Born Freelancer on “personal protection” for freelancers
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. Since the pandemic, never have the words “personal protective equipment” appeared together so ubiquitously. And it got me to thinking: what […]
The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #44 — Francesca Bianco
In this regular feature, Story Board asks Canadian freelancers to share a few details about their work habits and their strategies for navigating the ups and downs of freelance life. Francesca Bianco is a Canadian freelance writer currently living in Germany. Her Maisonneuve feature “The Hand That Feeds You,” which is about the impact of the pandemic on migrant farm workers […]
New study on mental health and resilience for journalists reporting on COVID-19
by Lesley Evans Ogden On November 19th, the Canadian Journalism Foundation held a webinar hosted by CBC journalist Anna Maria Tremonti, focusing on the mental health risk and injury of reporting on COVID-19. The webinar discussed the results of a recent study initiated when Meera Selva, director of the journalist fellowship programme at the Reuters […]
How to avoid editors’ pet peeves
By Monte Stewart The dreaded phone call usually comes when Mark Reid is right in the middle of doing something. “[After] 45 minutes,” said Reid, editor of Canada’s History magazine, “we’re still talking, because you don’t want to be impolite, and the conversation always ends with: ‘Okay, now, can you send me an email about […]
A refresher on indemnity and liability in contracts
by Don Genova One of my roles as Organizer for the Canadian Freelance Guild is to help members interpret and negotiate contracts they’re asked to sign for the work they are about to do. (Lesson One: Agree on the contract before you start doing the work.) With each contract I review, it’s almost a certainty […]
Review: Two books that will boost your storytelling skills
by Michael Strickland An increase in my pulse rate accompanies the uptick in my attention. I missed that the first time, in the fall of 2019. Now, less than a year later, I’m watching for the subtlest of changes. I sit up a little bit straighter, pajama-clad legs pushing against the familiar couch cushions, as […]
The Born Freelancer on Knowing When to Leave the Party
This series of posts by the Born Freelancer shares personal experiences and thoughts on issues relevant to freelancers. Have something to add to the conversation? We’d love to hear from you in the comments. In my last column I wrote about using the current crisis as a catalyst for change by moving into freelancing. Today […]
