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Interview With Raj Dash – Writer, ProBlogger, Freelancer

Posted September 15, 2007 in Inspiration, Writing 6 Comments »

Raj DashOne of the things I particularly enjoy about working online and freelancing is you get to meet so many nice people. In fact, I met Raj through blogging some time ago, and I interviewed him this week.

You can find more about Raj over at his personal blog RajDash.com, where he writes about productivity, blogging, writing, internet and a lot more. You certainly have seen his name on some really popular blogs, and I have a feeling you will see his name everywhere soon. Enjoy the interview! :)

Jon: Hey Raj, thank you very much for accepting the invitation. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Where you’re from, where we can find you, how long you’ve been freelancing/blogging?

Raj: I’m a small-town Canadian who would rather live in Toronto, Montreal, Atlanta, San Jose or maybe somewhere in Spain. I’ll be moving back to Toronto soon. I’ve been blogging since Mar 2002, with a bit of a hiatus inbetween. I started blogging when getting heavily into writing short stories and novellas, and composing electronic(a) music with aspirations of being a soundtrack composer. As for freelancing, I’ve been a computer consultant/ contractor for most of 1987-2001, with a few periods as an employee. But I’m a freelancer at heart, and a blogger for hire since Jan 2006.

Jon: A typical day in the life of Raj Dash, how is it like?

Raj: A typical day: I get up between 7:30 – 10:30 am, sleep 4-6 hrs a night, work from waking to sleeping, with periods of TV watching, novel reading, listening to music, or meditating if I’m stressed. I vary my work methods because I write mostly from inspiration. If I’m not inspired, I go research, vote, email, chat, or whatever until I am. I doubt I could ever manage the fabled 4-hour work week because I don’t like being idle. (But if I do, I’ll become a world-travelling photoblogger.)

Jon: You have your own blog (RajDash.com), but you also write for a great number of blogs. What got you started? Where do you usually go to find gigs/contracts?

Raj: I got started as a blogger for hire by first being an active member of Performancing since Nov 2005. [I highly recommend the site, of course.] Now, I’ve made enough friends online that I sometimes simply get asked to write. I have a hard time say “no“, and still owe guest posts to several bloggers.

Jon: Since you write for many blogs, it’s probably not always easy to get everything done and meet deadlines. Where do you find inspiration for writing all those posts? What do you usually do to stay productive?

Raj: I developed writing productivity methods as a technical writer, and I’ve been writing short stories, poetry and lyrics since my late mid teens. Writing comes very easily to me, because I consume massive amounts of other “content“. My biggest “block” is having too many ideas and not knowing where to start.

Jon: Before going the “for hire” route, what was your “day job“? Have you studied anything in particular?

Raj: I was a programmer, computer consultant, tech writer, and webmaster for a very long time. Without getting into details, certain world events and my own resulting uncontrolled unhappiness in the way people treated me afterwards effectively ended my contract computing career. Between 2002-2004, I cooked, dishwashed, or did coatcheck. I learned a lot from suddenly being poor, working up to 85 hours/week in physical labour, then coming home late at night and writing fiction before I passed out from exhaustion.

Jon: Who would you say helped you the most in your freelance career? Who would be your “mentors” or “idols“?

Raj: My “idols” have always been Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin, Mother Theresa, and Mahatma Gandhi. Writing-wise, Rudyard Kipling, Herman Hesse, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Neal Stephenson, Philip K Dick, Jack Womack, Nalo Hopkinson, Poppy Z. Brite and many others. Blogging-wise, Darren Rowse and the original founders of Performancing: Nick Wilson, Andy Hagans, Chris Garrett, Patrick Gavin.

As for “helped me“, I’m a very do-it-yourself kind of guy, but the bloggers I mentioned were a factor, and the many others that have hired me. Darren (problogger) also linked to one of my blogs in Aug 2005, and has been an inspiration. The Performancing guys have either hired me or referred work to me and still do. So props to all of them.

Jon: Apart from blogging and freelance writing, do you run any other businesses? (online or off)

Raj: I don’t run any offline businesses at present, but hope to be a filmmaker – a long-time dream that’s been dotted with my interviewing/meeting many celebs. Online, I have a few projects with various partners, and I’m transitioning towards copywriting and SEO. (Still lots to learn.)

Jon: What would you suggest to anyone wanting to work online as a freelance writer or blogger? Any secrets you can share? ;)

Raj: Freelancing can be much harder emotionally and financially than a salaried job. It can ruin relationships and make you bitter. It’s also lonely working from home. But I still enjoy the freedom and the variety of work. If you have the discipline to save money when the getting’s good, you’ll learn to weather the dry periods. If you don’t have discipline, get a salaried job. Else be persistent. [I wrote up a post "25 Ways to Maximize your Freelancing Income" for Performancing.com. which gives some tips and advice to freelancers.]

Jon: Thank you so much Raj!

******

*note: I hope you enjoyed this interview with Raj Dash. We will have more interviews soon, if you would like to be featured/interviewed on FreelanceFolder, drop us a line.


About the author: Jon Phillips is a full-time freelancer, designer and blogger, he loves WordPress and plays guitar in a heavy act. He's also the founder of Freelance Folder. Oh and he'd be pleased if you would follow him on Twitter. :)


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6 Comments
  • User Gravatar
    Goal Setting College
    September 15th, 2007 at 3:22 am

    Excellent interview, Jon! Offers a very clear picture of anyone interested to go into freelancing. Even I’m not, it kind of struck a chord somewhere due to the similar nature of freelancing and pro-blogging. Good stuff as usual!

    Cheers,
    Ellesse

  • User Gravatar
    raj
    September 15th, 2007 at 8:51 am

    Jon, thanks again for the interview.
    cheers
    -raj

  • User Gravatar
    Jon - Freelance Folder
    September 17th, 2007 at 12:16 am

    Hi Ellesse, I’m happy you liked the interview. It’s true freelancing and pro-blogging are similar in so many ways.

    Hey Raj, you’re very welcome! :)

  • User Gravatar
    raj
    September 17th, 2007 at 10:59 pm

    Jon, the “tips” post I mentioned will appear at Performancing.com in the next day or two (Tues Sep 18 or Wed Sep 19, morning). It’s also expanded itself from 9 tips to 25.

  • User Gravatar
    Jon - Freelance Folder
    September 18th, 2007 at 3:08 am

    Hey Raj, cool, I’m really looking forward to reading your post, hehe went from 9 to 25, that’s awesome (will definitely link to it to) ;)

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