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.
maid service near Lake Forest ..With the expansion and diversion of businesses, manufacturers, and even... Read More
The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips -We've established what a title should... Read More
Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More
Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they... Read More
Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea,... Read More
I have added a new word to my vocabulary. Logorrhea.... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
William Faulkner, the great Mississippi writer, said, "The tools I... Read More
For any great novelist, defining your cast of intriguing characters... Read More
It's clich?, but true-a picture does paint a thousand words.... Read More
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
Becoming an author is probably a lot easier than you... Read More
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a... Read More
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More
No matter what you are writing, the first priority is... Read More
Any article, report or book which is bought or sold... Read More
Paulo Coelho was born on August 24th 1947 in Rio... Read More
Finding the time to write a novel is one of... Read More
Want to write an article or book, but are stuck... Read More
If you think proofreading equals editing, then you're wrong! Editing... Read More
Golden Rules For New Writers - Things you need to... Read More
Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great... Read More
top rated cleaning service Des Plaines ..Remember back in the dark days of your school years... Read More
Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born in Chipping Sodbury,England in 1965.... Read More
When I asked new ezine subscribers, "What is your Number... Read More
No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
On my first newspaper assignment as a critic, I was... Read More
This is the ideal topic for us all to think... Read More
A book coaching client recently emailed me that she was... Read More
I love writing. I love the swirl and swing of... Read More
It's 6:00 p.m. You're dead tired, but instead of an... Read More
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More
I started writing as a way of keeping safe memories... Read More
What is a freelance grant writer? These individuals have a... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Whichever theme you choose, all the elements,... Read More
Be careful when you write.Words you use, sentences you phrase... Read More
If you're getting rejections from your submissions, please don't quit... Read More
Writing engaging articles and energizing ad copy takes... Read More
If you either want to write a book to help... Read More
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale... Read More
Is there a book inside of you? Yes? Then why... Read More
As a child, I loved to write. I can't remember... Read More
Q. My writing sounds stiff and stilted. Help!A. Memories of... Read More
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in... Read More
Writing |