Today’s Write Out Loud interview features Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Laurie is a freelance writer and blogger living in British Columbia, Canada.

Write Out Loud: Thanks so much for being willing to answer some questions for me (and my readers). I really appreciate it. You write a series of “Quips and Tips” blogs on various topics. Can you tell us about these blogs and how/why you started them?

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen: All four blogs – Quips and Tips for Successful Writers, Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility, and Quips and Tips for Spiritual Seekers – are tips-based, which means that they’re not “just” blogs about my life or opinions (no offense to people who blog about their lives! It’s just not me). All my articles feature a book and a quip directly related to the tips. I started Quips and Tips because I love writing, I love interacting with readers, and I love earning money!

WOL: You also write the blog See Jane Soar and are writing a book by the same name. Could you tell us more about those projects as well?

LPK: See Jane Soar offers life lessons based on quotations from inspirational women in history. Today, for instance, I wrote 6 Practical Ways to Believe in Yourself – Zora Neale Hurston. I love learning from strong, successful women – and so every article on that Web site reveals a little about what we can learn from those who have gone ahead.

WOL: Besides these projects, what other types of freelance writing and/or editing do you do?

LPK: I’ve written for magazines such as Reader’s Digest, Health, Woman’s Day, and More. But, my blogs are my passion and my main focus right now. I want to bang on my blog all day!

WOL: How do you find clients, market your services and/or sell your work?

LPK: I occasionally pitch article ideas to magazine editors if I think something will fit, but I mostly only accept assignments from editors I’ve worked with. I love when they send me assignments – but I’d rather earn a living from my blogs!

WOL: Why did you decide to become a (freelance) writer/editor?

LPK: I’ve always wanted to write, and finally took the plunge into full-time freelancing about two years ago. It’s been great – I’ve surpassed my financial goals.

WOL: How do you schedule your day?

LPK: I work from 5:30 am – 11 am, then I do Pilates, kickboxing, or yoga. After lunch in front of Judge Marilyn Milian, I work from 1 pm – 4 pm. Then I like to either run or do ballet, but I’m not always motivated to work out twice in one day.

WOL: What portion of what you do is writing/editing and what portion would you say is other business related work (e.g., marketing, networking, querying, etc.)?

LPK: Great question! I think I write about 40% of the time, and work on my blogs 60% of the time (answering reader comments, tweaking articles, adding new advertisements, rearranging old ads, etc).

WOL: What are your favorite tools for making your work easier?

LPK: Umm…my laptop? My reference books? I don’t use any other tools! No software, no gadgets, no hee haws. Gee gaws, I mean.

WOL: What resources (books, websites, courses, etc.) do you regularly use or have been useful to you in the past?

LPK: Roy Peter Clark’s Writing Tools is one of my favorite writing reference books, and Problogger is an amazing resource. I also love Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance for inspiration and motivation.

WOL: What skills would you say are most important to your success as a writer/freelancer?

LPK: Not taking rejection or criticism personally is huge – and so is persevering no matter how many times you get turned down. “It took me 25 years to become an overnight success” is one of my all-time favorite quotations! (I don’t know who said that…though I suppose that’s what Google is for…to look up those unknowns…)

WOL: What strategies do you use to stay on top of deadlines and manage multiple projects?

LPK: A major psychological motivation is to tell myself that I have enough time to do a great job. A practical motivation is to schedule an hour a day for each project if I have several things on the go. I prefer working on assignments a little bit every day – I almost never write or research a whole article in one sitting. I’m a better writer if I chip away at assignments a little at a time.

WOL: What one piece of advice would you give to other writers who are hoping to build a freelance business?

LPK: Be strategic. That is, don’t fire off a bunch of unprofessional query letters to a bunch of editors at once (I did that, and it worked, but…I don’t do it any more).  Instead, pay attention to those freelance writing books and do what they say.

WOL: Where is your favorite place to work? What is your favorite time of the day to work?

LPK: I can work anywhere as long as I’m standing! My home office looks out into our forest and my husband built a wooden riser on my desk so I can stand and write. But I also work very well at any coffee shop that has wireless access, the library, the airport, the ferry (I live on an island), and even my CR-V. My laptop has been to Costa Rica, Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, and all over Western Canada! I gotta get me some travel stickers.

WOL: And my favorite question: Writers are often known for their vices. What’s your biggest vice?

LPK: Stuffing half a pack of Bubblemint sugarless gum into my mouth all at once, and chewing through 3 or 4 packs of gum in one sitting.

WOL: Better for the waistline than eating a bag of chips, I guess! Thanks, Laurie, for sharing your writing life with us. It’s been great getting to know you better.

If you want to know more about Laurie you can find her at any one of the blogs she mentioned or on Twitter.