Off The Wire: News for the Canadian media freelancer August 26-Sept 2

Once a week, we gather stories about the media business, journalism, writing, publishing, and freelancing—with a Canadian focus—and share them in Off the Wire. Who needs a water cooler?

From Canada: 

• John Macfarlane dishes on the stories behind his storied career [Globe and Mail] (via @Canadianmags)
• 11 mistakes to avoid as a newbie journalist [J-Source]
• Vancouver Observer growing with National Observer [J-Source]

From the U.S. and beyond:

• Fast, cheap, and good: Pick two [Freelancers Union]
• 6 Unorthodox Way to Spark Your Creativity [Contently]
• Surviving the Gig Economy [Boston Globe] (via @Romenesko)
• Why freelancers should consider collaboration [Freelancers Union]
• 6 Ways to Land Better Freelance Writing Jobs and Make More Money [The Write Life]
• 6 ways to stay productive while working from home [Freelancers Union]
• How to stand out from the crowd as a young journalist [Journalism.co.uk]
• James Foley’s Murder Highlights The Risks Freelance Journalists Take [Huffington Post] (via @mediagazer)
• Ask A Freelancer: How Do You Get Your Ideas? [Contently]
• Setting Your Freelance Rates? Make Sure You Understand the Psychology of Pricing [Contently]
• Want to avoid procrastination? Impose an early deadline on yourself [Poynter]
• Its Edge Intact, Vice Is Chasing Hard News [New York Times] 

Last week on Story Board:

• The 5-Minute Freelancer Q&A #17 — Peter Alexander: Toronto writer Peter Alexander has done a little bit of everything — he’s written for print, television and the web. Recently, he’s been working on digital advertising and marketing for clients such as Virgin Mobile and Unicef. He also writes a regular column for Toronto Life…
• www.you.com… Working Your Freelance: Of all the things you put time and money into as a freelancer, a website is one of the most important self-marketing tools at your disposal…

Spot a story you think we should include in next week’s Off the Wire? Email the link to editor@thestoryboard.ca or tweet us at @storyboard_ca.