Almost by definition, freelance writing is a profession that demands individual interpretation and method. Because freelance writers and journalists are essentially self-employed, there is a great deal of flexibility involved in this sort of work – but also a great deal of responsibility on the writer’s shoulders. Ultimately, succeeding in your particular writing environment depends mostly on what works best for you. But in this line of work, any tip could be the one that helps you to improve your professionalism or efficiency. With that in mind, here are 5 general tips for advancing your career in freelance writing.
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5 Helpful Tips For Freelance Writers
March 11, 2013Scope Out Issue #2 of Buze Magazine on iPad
February 11, 2013
Do you like craft beer and other similarly potent beverages? Do you like iPads and other Apple tablety thingamajigs? Cool. Buze Magazine is a newly launched iPad mag for adult beverage enthusiasts that is slick, fancy, and pretty rad. My first article for the digital mag appears in issue #2, which just hit Apple newsstands. I have another feature commissioned for issue #3 and some other pieces in the works for this sweet bi-monthly mag. Scope it out here!
A Very Tragic Day
October 31, 2012I was utterly devastated this morning to learn that fellow freelance comrade and talented writer Matt Hughes took his own life last night. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones on this terrible day. Like many others in the relatively small, tight-knit game journalism community who’ve worked with Matt, I’m still in shock. I never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, but over the past year or so Matt and I have exchanged many e-mails about our mutual love of writing and this exciting, challenging career path we’ve chosen.
Matt was a nice guy, and a cool dude. He was a skilled writer, a respected colleague, and someone I enjoyed chatting with online. Matt was one of the very first folks to rally behind my recent Kickstarter project. I appreciated his support and comraderie. I don’t know anything about the circumstances surrounding what happened, other than it was completely unexpected. Just last week, he helped me out with an online multiplayer session for a review I was working on. I’m completely floored.
This is a sad day indeed. If any freelancers or aspiring writers out there find themselves in a dark place or a tough spot, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line. My door is open. I’m always willing to offer help, encouragment, and advice whenever I can.
Matt, you will be missed. RIP.
BIG Kickstarter Final Push: We Can SO Do This!
September 5, 2012Hey gang, thanks so much for supporting this Kickstarter so far. We’ve got 3 days left and $3,762 to raise by 5pm on Sept 8th. Though it’s probably a long-shot, I’m not going to give up until the final buzzer. I’m hoping you won’t either.
I know you’ve already pledged a lot and put in some serious time promoting this Kickstarter, which I am super grateful for. In order to have a shot at making this a successful, I’m going to need your help once more.
Three things you can do to make this final crazy push work:
1) Consider increasing your pledge – Did you know you can adjust your pledge amount at any time before the project ends? If you feel like kicking in a little bit more or a lot more, that’d be so awesome.
2) Encourage folks – on Twitter and other social networks to get on board in the final days and help make this project happen! Spreading the word is great, but we really need actual backers. Share the link, tweet about it, all of that good stuff. If you can ping your peeps about this a few times, perhaps once a day for the next three days, that’d be really helpful. Particularly as we get VERY close to the final hours.
3) Talk to friends/family in the meatspace world – and point them our way. If you know anyone at work, at home, anywhere that might be interested in backing this project, please let them know about it and our insanely tight final push deadline.
A fun surprise:
Anyone that pledges $125 or more will also get a free Up Up Down Down Left WRITE coffee mug:

Also: if we meet the $7,000 goal in time, I’ve committed to writing a second shorter book and giving ALL BACKERS a free digital copy when it’s complete. That’s two books for everyone who pledges $15 and above, and a totally free book for backers who kicked in less than $15.
Plus all backers get several fun/funky indie games. So that’s sweet.
Please help me make this final push and make this project happen. If we don’t hit $7,000 by the deadline, then we won’t get funded. Thanks for your support!
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion Review (@GamesRadar)
July 10, 2012
“‘Epic’ feels too inadequate a word to describe the massive space battles that pulse like lifeblood through the heart of Sins of a Solar Empire. Panning the camera around for an intimate view of the mayhem yields breathtaking scenes of destruction as huge fleets of lumbering star cruisers clash amidst thunderous barrages of laser fire and concussive missile bursts. It’s these highly strategic, explosive encounters that make all the planning that goes into expanding your galactic empire so worthwhile. Rather than overhauling what already works, Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion continues to refine and expand the core formula established back in 2008, offering just enough new factions, ships, and extra content to entice us back into the fray with weapons systems at the ready.”
Check out the full review here at GamesRadar.
Weird Things I’ve Done In Skyrim That Were F#*@ing Awesome (Volume 1)
November 17, 2011
Skyrim owns you. It is, as they say, everywhere you are. I don’t usually make a lot of time to play games just for shits and giggles in the middle of the holiday season coverage rush, but my craving for nerdy fantasy epicness overruled my better senses. I pre-ordered Bethesda’s latest jaunt in the Elder Scrolls saga on a whim. It arrived. I set it aside for a few days. Then I cleared my schedule for 24 hours, cracked open the cellophane wrap, inserted the disc into my Xbox 360, and BOOM: nerdgasm. Wizards! Glowing axes! Melting people’s faces off with jets of flame from my hand! YES!
But for all its grand quests and diversions, one of the things that I’m enjoying the most about Skyrim is the all the weird WTF moments that pop-up during my travels. With such a vast open world to explore, I’m finding myself prone to wandering around and getting into trouble rather than sticking to the main story line for any length of time. Here’s a short and snappy chronicle of some of my random oddball experiences in the game presented in easily digestible list form.
What Topics Would You Like To See Covered in Shop Talk?
August 23, 2011Welcome new readers! I’ll be writing Shop Talk features a few times a week going forward. While I’ll be covering many different topics related to freelancing in the video game world, I’d love to hear from you!
Do you have any specific questions you’d like answered or topics you’d like covered? Comment below and I’ll do what I can to work your requests into my future articles. Thanks!
Review: Tobe’s Vertical Adventure
July 26, 2011
“In some ways, the rise of the indie game scene and the recent retro game revival are inextricably linked. Beyond paying homage to classic graphic styles and gameplay mechanics that have long been surpassed by modern day technology, a large number of small studios are cranking out games using limited tools and meager budgets. When the result is an excellent game like Tobe’s Vertical Adventure, who can complain? Old-school charm, a tough challenge, and simple-but-fun gameplay outshine the few murky moments found in this lovingly crafted platformer.”
Check out the full review here at GamePro.
Free Bytes: Walkie Tonky
September 2, 2009
“Humans build robots for various reasons. Usually those reasons involve a functional purpose designed to make life easier for us squishies. Other times we design them to provide amusement. But visitors from another galaxy might have their own ideas about the best use for robotic entities — like exterminating life on our inferior planet. So why not drop a giant, sentient, mechanical behemoth the size of a skyscraper onto Earth and see what happens? Walkie Tonky is on the loose, and crushing the humans is its prime directive.”
Check out the full column here at IGN’s Green Pixels.

“Humans build robots for various reasons. Usually those reasons involve a functional purpose designed to make life easier for us squishies. Other times we design them to provide amusement. But visitors from another galaxy might have their own ideas about the best use for robotic entities — like exterminating life on our inferior planet. So why not drop a giant, sentient, mechanical behemoth the size of a skyscraper onto Earth and see what happens? Walkie Tonky is on the loose, and crushing the humans is its prime directive.”








Weird Things I’ve Done In Skyrim That Were F#*%ing Awesome (Volume 2)
December 14, 2011I probably haven’t clocked nearly as many hours in Skyrim as the average RPG nerd, yet I’ve amassed a large cache of little personal stories culled from my journeys. Every time I boot it up I manage to stumble across some strange encounter, some random circumstance, some oddball situation I get myself into that makes me chuckle and go “WTF.” You can read about my first round of bizarre, bite-sized exploits here. I’ve added a few more to the pile for your amusement. Fellower adventurers, I give you: Weird Things I’ve Done In Skyrim That Were F#*%ing Awesome (Volume 2)!
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Tags:commentary, crazy, dying, funny, game journalism, hilarious, humor, nathan meunier, skyrim, skyrim horses, weird stuff, WTF skyrim
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