Karen Marston (@KarenMarston) is an independent copywriter and the founder of Untamed Writing. Dissatisfied with her earlier roles, Karen took to writing SEO-focused articles and now works with clients writing bold, memorable copy for websites and other projects.
Her latest project is a foray into teaching. She now instructs others how to be effective, productive freelance writers. Our conversation discusses her personal workflows and habits, as well as her outlook on teaching and client project management.
Show Notes & Links

Karen describes herself simply as “a writer”
Karen started writing SEO-optimised articles — 500 word articles heavy with keywords to bring attention to the clients
Lately, Karen is taking on personal writing
JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, has a higher net worth than Queen Elizabeth II
Karen now earns more from teaching than from writing
Organisations struggle to have a voice, even though they talk about “brand voice” and whatnot


“As much as graphics and photos are essential on the web, it’s still mostly a written medium.”
—Prescott Perez-Fox
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“A brand is the human component of a non-human entity.”
—Prescott Perez-Fox
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Eat24, Mailchimp — brands with personality, especially in their written voices


“Serious and professional are not the same thing. You can be professional without being serious.”
—Karen Marston
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Part of being a professional means pushing back against clients
Scrum-Sprint Methodology
A number of Karen’s students have self-confidence issues, which inhibits their careers as a freelance writer
The Top 3 Things that Stop Talented Writers Making Money


“I’m a best-selling author, not a best-writing author.”
-Robert Kiyosaki
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Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki On Amazon and On Audible
Untamed Writing School
 Karen Marston on Twitter
 Karen Marston on Facebook
 Untamed Writing on Facebook
 Karen Marston on Instagram

Tools

Facebook groups, especially if it’s your group
Location Rebel, and its forum
Trello, for to-do lists
Paper “catch-all” notebooks
Evernote
MacBook Air
StandStand
Kneeling Chair, as used by Lisa Simpson

Lisa Simpson uses a kneeling chair


OpenOffice
Dropbox

Techniques

Drop the serious, professional, corporate persona and write like an actual person
Be surprisingly human in your writing
Keep projects to two week periods: first week is planning, strategy, and first draft. Second week is for editing.
Allow unlimited revisions … but limit the time of the overall projects
Don’t specify to clients why you’re unavailable, just say when you can fit them in
Offer to connect a client with another writer (or designer)
Participate in a community and observe the questions being asked … then seek to answer them.

Habits

Cross a big diagonal stripe across a paper to show that everything on it is finished
Don’t get out of bed until getting 8 hours sleep
Take time on Mondays to plan the week
[Try to] work out everyday, perhaps taking a 28-day challenge
Avoid the supermarket on Sundays (take advantage of your own schedule)

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Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 58 (MP3, 37:06, 18 MB)
Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 58 (OGG, 37:06, 31.4 MB)


 
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