Home
>
Writing
>
Freelance Feast or Famine?

Freelance Feast or Famine?

Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like "feast or famine".

At the very beginning, it's almost all famine. You spend more time looking for freelance writing jobs than you spend actually writing, and, quite apart from being utterly demoralizing, when you have a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed, it can be absolutely terrifying, too.

Of course, once you get past those early days of struggling for work and start to build up a portfolio and a reputation, you move into the "feast" era of your freelance writing career and everything should be rosy.

The problem is however, that those early days can be hard to forget. You can't help but remember the days of living off ramen noodles while trying to get your freelance writing career off the ground, and there's no way in hell you want to go back there. Like Scarlett O'Hara you vow never to be poor or hungry again ? and so you accept every single assignment that comes your way, and end up working yourself into a greasy spot at the same time.

Rather than a feast, it starts to become a binge, and before you know where you are, you're struggling again ? albeit this time you're struggling to get the work done, rather than to find it in the first place. Your home life and health starts to suffer, and, if you're not careful, so does the quality of your work.

So what do you do?

Well, if you think you could be on the verge of a writing binge, here are a few tips:

1. Dump your toxic clients

Toxic clients are the ones who cost you more in terms of time and effort than you ever get back from them in dollars. These are the clients for whom everything is a problem: they're not happy unless they're complaining, and you end up spending more time coddling and cajoling them than you do working for them. At the start of your career, you'll probably just put up with the toxicity. Once you start to get busy, however, it's time to get rid. If a toxic client feels like more trouble than they're worth, they probably are: so dump them, and stick with the ones who actually reward your effort.

2. Look carefully at your prices

How much are you charging? Writers who are new to freelancing are often tempted to reduce their prices in order to secure work. This can work very well; once you're more established in your field, however, it can start to backfire on you, because once you have a reputation for being good and cheap, you'll end up with more work than you can reasonably handle. If this sounds like you, it may be worth considering accepting fewer projects, but charging a higher rate for them. That way the quality of your work and life remains high, and you still have the opportunity to increase your earnings.

3. Learn how to say no gracefully

Turning down work can be frightening. No matter how successful you are, when you're a freelance writer there's always going to be a little voice whispering in your ear that although you're doing well this month, next month the work could dry up. While it's never a good idea to become complacent, you do need to learn when to switch this voice off. If you're good at what you do, and you've built up a strong portfolio and network of contacts, there will be more work. Sometimes it's better to turn a project down than to take it on when you don't have time for it ? and risk your reputation by doing it badly.

4. Make friends with your competitors

Yes, really. Your fellow freelance writers don't always have to be "the competition". If there's another freelancer in your area, or in your field of expertise, why not contact them when it's busy and offer to recommend them to the clients you don't have time for, on the understanding that they do the same for you next time they're busy and you're not? This kind of reciprocal arrangement can work out very well for both parties: it means that you're not having to flat-out refuse work, for one thing, and it also gives you something of a safety net if things suddenly get slow, but your competitor's workload is more than they can handle.

Amber McNaught is a freelance writer and editor, and the owner of writingworld.org, an online agency for freelance writers, editors and proofreaders.

Chat about all aspects of freelance writing in the writingworld.org!

Amber is also co-owner of writingworld.org, a UK website design and marketing firm specialising in helping small businesses grow through the use of internet technologies and public relations.

family-safe home cleaners Northbrook ..

In The News:

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Freelance Feast or Famine?

Writing