Remember these?

Far removed from the days of typewriters, writers are faced with distractions right in front of their face as they write. The Internet.

As you are reading this right now, I bet many of you have multiple tabs or windows open in your browser.

Besides this one, I have eight other tabs open. Eight. Why?  I don’t know. I don’t want to miss out. I want to jump back and forth when there is an uncomfortable pause. Maybe an excuse to procrastinate. Let me check Facebook one more time.

Hold on…

Okay. Now, I only have this one open. Time to focus. I am quite sure I am not the only one that works this way. Many of us have SOS (Shiny Object Syndrome) in this digital age. We have to check our phones, our social media sites, the news, our tablets, and our email. Many, many times throughout the day. It is like our mind is not allowed to focus on one thing for more than five minutes.

Try it. For five minutes, stop multi-tasking.

Hard, isn’t it?

As a writer, this makes it difficult to get any writing done. It seems I can never get past the “research stage.” Well, when I am productive, I have learned some things that have helped.  Although I don’t stick to these things as I should, I am aware that they work.

1. Write when you first wake up.  

This is one of the most challenging. Because after eight hours in a restful sleep, the whole world went on without us. We HAVE to check our email and Facebook in case we missed something. I mean 8 hours is a LONG time to be away from electronic media. What if Kim Kardashian got married again or your ex-boyfriend emailed you wanting you back? Skip it – get to writing.

2. Disconnect.

This is another challenge. What do you mean, “disconnect?” Like the Internet, my smart phone? Yes. Use a blank screen. Remember Microsoft Word? Yep, you can still use it to type your ideas. For those who have wireless, this may be more difficult, but you actually can turn off the Internet. I know, shocking.

3. Only write when you are in the mood.

I don’t mean that you have to feel overwhelmed with creativity. We all know that inspiration comes when it is well and ready. However, you should be in the mood to sit down and put down your thoughts. All it takes is an idea. Your fingers will take it from there. Accomplishing things works so much better when you are in the mood for it.

4. Don’t neglect the rest of life.

When you stare at a computer screen all day, writing does not become easier. Sometimes, it can be counterproductive. Go for a walk, or a run, call a friend, read a book, watch the news. Go be social. Don’t get lazy and become a recluse. You still have to leave your house, pay your bills, and buy groceries.

5. Don’t stress about it.

I know many successful writers will tell you that you should write everyday. And maybe you should.  But there will be days you just don’t feel like it. Or you are busy with other things. For those who own a blog, this adds to the stress. You may think, Google will punish me if I don’t write in my blog everyday. Probably not. Don’t neglect it for weeks, but if you miss a couple days of writing, don’t stress. And remember, it doesn’t always have to be a masterpiece! Hakuna Matada.  Um, that dates me.

 It really is amazing at the results you will get when you try some (or all) of these tricks. All writers have their secrets of success. These are just mine. Find ones that work for you and follow them. As often as you can.

Related articles

• The productive writer… (andimarquette.com) Oh, yes!  Another productive tip – set goals.
• Not writer’s block, it’s an abduction! (lindacassidylewis.com) Yes, we all have days we rather being doing something else.
• Four Smart Writers to Learn from Today! (writeandgetpaid.wordpress.com). Listen to what successful writers and bloggers have to say about being a professional writer.
• How to Squeeze Writing Inspiration from a Stone (inspiredtowrite.com) Yes, more ways to get inspired when you want more than just a “writing session.”

As a freelance writer, you may feel compelled to write about any topic under the sun in order to get work or have enough material. You are not alone in this thought process.  I have to admit, I have been doing this for a long time, and only recently changed that strategy. But the truth is it just leads to having to spend more and more time researching each topic, wearing you thin. You also become a generalist.

As a generalist writer, you are competing with thousands of other writers. Places like eLance and oDesk are prime breeding grounds for clients looking for generalist writers. On the cheap. You may be a better writer than most of them, but you simply don’t stand out. One way to position yourself as a more competitive writer is to choose a niche.

Why Niche Writing Works

When you choose to write in a niche, you are presenting yourself as a specialist. What is so special about a specialist? Specialists are perceived as experts. Writers who focus on a niche tend to spend all their time, energy and attention researching and writing about their industry. To a potential prospect, this specialization matters.

It is a very simple concept when you compare it to anything you purchase as a consumer. When you want your dishwasher fixed, you call a plumber, not a general contractor.  If you are interested in buying commercial property, you would hire a real estate agent who specializes in commercial properties, not luxury homes.

There are hundreds of examples like these. The bottom line is for most large purchases, you would simply trust the specialists a bit more.  They know their stuff.

I understand this is not always the case. For certain items, you probably buy them at a super discount store. Think about why you do this. Besides saving time, you save money. Right? For shampoo and toilet paper, you are just looking for the best price. But these are not specialty items.

However, even at this level, people are still willing to spend more money on quality, right? Let’s take shampoo as an example. When consumers are looking to splurge, they still buy from a specialist, a salon quality product – Nexus, Paul Mitchell, Rusk, Sebastian, Redken.

In the writing world, many of these ideas also apply. As a generalist, you will attract many of the low-paying “budget” shoppers. For those who have a professional business and truly understand the importance of quality writing, they are willing to pay more for a writer who “knows” their business.

Your clients want to know that you specialize in their needs. Choosing a niche helps you build your business. It helps establish trust and credibility. Additionally, it makes it easier to justify higher fees.

Choosing a Niche

As a writer you basically have two choices. You can specialize in the type of content OR you can specialize in a specific industry. Alternatively, you can specialize in both. Here are a few examples.

• Content Type: Newsletters, eBooks, Sales Copy, Email Marketing, Brochures, Blog Posts
• Industry: Travel, Home Improvement, Real Estate, Financial, Business, Technical Writing
• Combination of Both: Financial Newsletters, Travel Brochures, Real Estates eBooks

How do you choose a niche?

• Your passions and interests
• Your knowledge and expertise
• Your experiences

First, decide what you want to do.  If you are not interested in the topic, it will be much more difficult to maintain your writing motivation. Maybe you prefer writing shorter pieces like articles and blog posts. Maybe you enjoy the process of crafting a catchy sales letter. Do what you enjoy!

Evaluate Supply and Demand

Evaluate both supply and demand. Ask yourself if there is a demand for that niche. Take a look at your competition and the market for your niche. If you are going to specialize in something, it is important that people are looking for content in that niche. It is also critical to examine your competition.

Do your research. One of my favorite tools to find targeted keywords is Market Samurai. I use it every time I create online writing products. It provides you with quick stats on competition, traffic, monetary value, and much more about specific keywords.

Try to go for a niche not over saturated in the market. You can still compete in a high supply niche, you will just have to market yourself more and focus on your Unique Selling Point (USP).

Many writers avoid choosing a niche. You may have these thoughts. Maybe you don’t want to feel pigeonholed or restricted.  Or miss job opportunities, pick the wrong niche, or burn out writing about one topic. All of these are valid concerns. However, just because you choose a niche doesn’t mean you will never be able to write on other topics. Of course you can!

But you should stay within the realm of the niche for your blog posts.  If you have a blog on dog training, writing a post on refurbishing cars will probably not be appropriate, nor will your readers care. But, be yourself and ALWAYS remember your audience, and what they might be interested in!

Choosing a niche simply helps you market your writing business more effectively. It helps you position your services and profit. Choosing a writing niche doesn’t limit your business, it elevates it.

As the end of the year draws near, it is common to start rethinking about your goals – your personal life’s goals, your fitness and diet goals, and your career goals.

In the career sense, I am always thinking about my writing goals, but often times, they seem to fall to the wayside. Each year, I vow to start new, with a new strategy for my writing content.  It begins with a plan and formulates into a planner. I write down my daily plans — i.e. write blog post on Monday, article on Wednesday, and market for clients on Thursday.

When I look back at the goals in my planner, around the January time frame, they are always lofty and filled with great ideas. Somehow, throughout the year, they get altered or forgotten. Why does that happen?

Whether you are trying to finish that novel, write a fantastic query letter, look for more clients, or maintain your blog, ask yourself – do you have a content strategy? Or are you like thousands of other writers and blog owners who just wing it or put is off for yet another day? Sometimes keeping up with writing feels like “work.” I mean actual work. I hate when that happens.  I write because I love it, and when it feels like work, I don’t love it.

One way to help is to not only make a plan, but stick to it! Consider creating a content strategy.

What Is a Content Strategy?

Content strategy is pretty much what it sounds like. It is a plan, or strategy, you create to develop, organize, and market your content for maximum results. This plan can start with an overall yearly plan, broken down into months, weeks, and days. I tend to work best with small goals.  Daily goals that I write down (actually physical put it on paper!) seem to help the best.

But you may work better if you have a content strategy for the entire year.  Find out what works best for you, and stick to it. Let’s see if we can make it through 2012 sticking to the majority of our goals.  Sure, there will be times we just can’t make it stick.  But we have to at least try.

Habits Make it Easier

Once you have a content strategy in place and make it a habit to stick with the plans, the process of writing becomes much easier.  Think of your goals as a boss you have to meet a deadline for.  When you are self-employed, it can be much easier to procrastinate, especially if you have income coming in elsewhere.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Once you get the hang of it and start earning more money from your writing, it may be time to delegate, or outsource some of your tasks. At that point, time may be much more valuable than money.

Think Strategically

Answer these seven questions when creating your content strategy.

1. What is the purpose for your content?

I think one of the first things you need to do is think about the purpose of this writing? To have extremely effective content you want to have a purpose in mind.

For example, are you looking for more traffic to your website? Are you interested in promoting an affiliate product? Maybe you want to share a great piece of advice with a reader. For offline writing, finishing a chapter in your novel or formulating a query letter to send to a magazine may be your goals. It helps to create purpose for all of your writing content.

2. Where will you publish your content?

This is another consideration. I have several blogs and websites, and I also write articles and guest posts. There is a variety of places you can put your content, including the your blog, article sites, newsletters, magazines, and more. Each of these venues have different styles and editorial requirements.

3. What types of content will you publish?

Some writers don’t want to have an overwhelming number of options on their agenda for this month or even year. Consider the type of writing you want to focus on.  Having a focus can really lighten your load and clear some of the projects off your plate.

Maybe you want to focus on copywriting or put all your energy into your blog. Other considerations include articles, reports, and email responders.  Consider your readers on your blogs. Include that in your plan.

4. When will you write your content?

This is a critical part of being a freelance writer. You need to figure out your sweet spot or the time your creative mind is most productive. This is when the scheduling comes into play.

Think about your week and what you have going on outside of writing projects.  Do you have to take your kids to school?  Are you signed up for a fitness class in the evening?  Work around those times.  Then, ADD IT TO YOUR PLANNER.  Think of  it like an appointment you can not miss. There is really no right or wrong way to do this, but you have to schedule it if you want the content strategy to work well.

5. When will you publish/upload?

Publishing is another consideration for your overall strategy. Some people say certain times are better than others.  Ultimately, it is what works best for you.  Publish when you are ready. The great thing about your own blog is you can post date your posts. If you have a bunch of blog posts that you have written, schedule them for future dates of publication. Always fit time in your schedule for posting articles or blog posts.

6. How will you market your content and your business?

Being a writer today means you have to be a marketer as well. Part of your strategy should include coming up with a marketing plan. You want your readers and prospective customers to see your content!  One simple way to do this is social media.

Some veteran writers refuse to get on Facebook or other social media site.  Times have changed and social media is a significant part of your writing promotions. Guest posts and article marketing are a couple other ways to market your website, articles, book, or blog. The more people who are aware of your writing, the more readers and traffic you will have.

7. How will you maximize your content?

Finally, think about you can repurpose your content and reuse it. One way to do this is tweaking the main focus and publishing in different types of magazines. Another way is to repurpose your blog posts and put them in a report you give away or sell to your readers. Plan ways to make the most of your writing. Your time and energy is important.

Writing can not always be scheduled as easy as a dentist appointment. I understand creativity does not follow the clock on the wall. But having something in place at least gives you goals to shoot for.  Once you are in the regular habit of writing, you will be surprised how much easier it gets to come up with ideas.

It is not always easy to come up with original, substantial content for your blog on a regular basis.  Life gets busy, other things may be pulling you in a different direction.  Keeping regular content on your blog is important not only to satisfy the search engines, but to keep readers coming back for more.  Fresh content helps build your business and attracts regular visitors. How do you find content when you are busy?

1. Look for inspiration from the water cooler.  What is everyone else talking about?  If you are stumped, look to see what other bloggers are discussing. Expound on your own comments or other people’s comments and turn it into a blog post.  You can also look into social sites and see what the big topic of discussion is.

2. Let someone else do the talking. If you find an interesting blog post or article, why not give some link love?  Instead of writing a full blown post saying pretty much the same thing, link to that article, add a few lines with your own opinion, ask for others to comment, and there you go – a new blog post.

3. Everyone loves resources. Find a topic that your readers will love, and write a helpful list of resources from other websites, articles, or blogs.   This is also a great way to get link love back if others find it helpful.  For example, if you have a blog that focuses on finding deals, create a list of top 10 websites or services that offer coupons or deals.

4. Guest Posts!  Posting guest posts is a great way to keep the conversations going.  If I am going to be out of town or busy on another project for a week or two, I will plan a bunch of guest posts.  This will alleviate some of the pressure to try and get online and post when you are busy doing other things.

5. Bring up past highlights. Highlight all your favorite or popular blog posts from the last month or year.  This can be based on number of comments, visits, or centered around a topic. For example, “Top Ten Blog Posts About SEO.”

6. Share a photo. This is one I have not tried, but is a great idea when you are short on time or creative words.  Post a picture and ask readers to create a caption. Photos do speak a thousand words, why not ask readers to share some of their own words?

7.  Talk about the current news. This will depend on the topic of your blog.  If you have a political blog, discuss the latest headline on politics.  If you blog is more in the fashion niche, look for news on fashion. Grab a headline from the news and expound on it. Share your opinion and ask others to share theirs.

8. Quotes to the rescue. If you really are looking for inspiration, share a quote that inspires you, makes you laugh or is relevant to your niche. Often times, just reading a quote can lead to a quick blog post.

Having your own content and ideas is an important part of being a blogger, but when time and inspiration are lacking, mix it up with some of these ideas.

Working as a freelance writer can be an incredibly rewarding career for anyone who is creative, likes to find out new snippets of information and enjoys the freedom of being in charge of their own work.

However, as it is a career which attracts a certain type of person I think that probably means that we all repeat the same sort of mistakes as each other. I have noted down a few of the errors I had found myself committing or which other writers have warned me off.

1. Taking on too much work. This is a really difficult one to avoid. We all know that working on a freelance basis means desperately grabbing any sort of work whenever we can get it, doesn’t it? Well, this actually doesn’t have to be the case at all. I have found out the painful way that having a huge pile of work to do just causes stress and delays, while annoying the people who are sending you articles to write. The solution isn’t easy but slowly and thoughtfully building up my list of clients is the way I managed to grow my income in a fairly sensible way.

2. Not being organised. I usually have jobs on the go for about 6 or 7 different people. At first I tried to keep them all in my head or rely upon which of my email messages were still showing as unread. I then came up with the simple yet cunning idea of buying a big diary which has a full page for each day. As work comes in I slot it in here and watch as the days fill up. I never forget about a job this way and I always know whether I am behind or ahead of the game.

3. Not getting the quality right. Have you ever spend ages on a job which just wasn’t worth it? Before you start a task it is a good idea to work out the level of quality they want. Do they need a high quality, attention grabbing blog or pretty bog standard SEO articles? The amount they are paying should give you an idea, and whether it is going on the client’s own site or not is another indicator to use.

4. Not treating it as a real job. I used to put on a suit and travel an hour to an office. Now I put on my pyjamas and walk down the hall. This doesn’t make it any less of a real job in my book. If you don’t treat your work seriously then you won’t progress as much as you could. My first step was to impose some sort of working hours rule on myself. I still enjoy taking the odd break for a stroll in the garden to help my thinking juices but I am always aware that I am working, even if my hair is still standing on end by midday.

5. Not meeting deadlines. Just as you treat your work as a real job so do the people who pay you to do it. If you can’t meet a deadline for any reason then you should tell them this and try to give your client an amended deadline.

Whoever said that freelance writing is easy obviously hasn’t tried it. There are certainly some great benefits to be had from this career but you will definitely pass for some difficult moments as well.

There is no secret recipe for getting through the tough times, or if there is no one has told me about it yet. However, I have developed a few strategies for dealing with losing a contract, getting bad editor feedback or simply not knowing what to write about. Here are three of my favourite ones I would like to share with you.

Go For a Walk

For me, there is nothing like talking a stroll to let my worries disappear, even if I don’t have anywhere to go. I am lucky enough to live in South America, where a simple walk down the street lets me bump into colourful street markets, unidentifiable food, strange smells and locals keen to speak to me and laugh at my accent. It is very rare that I get home from one of my meandering adventures with anything other than a lighter heart and a clearer head.

Read a Book

I must confess that I only really use the internet for work purposes. When I want to get inspired or simply read for pleasure I reach for one of those papery things with lots of words in them.  This might not seem like a great way of winding myself up for writing articles about mundane things such as suitcases and pool tables but it seems to work and sometimes gives me a few ideas as well. I once even managed to turn a quote from Frankenstein into a feature about learning Spanish, which I was disproportionately proud of.

Remember the Good Things and Bad Things

A while back I got stuck in a rut with my writing jobs. I had several low paid jobs which were really dull and were taking me ages to write. I started getting cheesed off with the work and even began to wistfully reminisce about my old job in the bank.  I snapped myself out if by reminding myself about those long hours of clock watching, the boss who was a few brain cells short of being a half wit and the never ending monotony of being in the same job for years on end. Don’t get me wrong, writing can be monotonous at times too, but if I start to feel down again I know that I can just switch off the PC for a while and do something more exciting. I can then go back to doing the job again in the middle of the night or whenever the mood strikes me.  

In the end, I think every copywriter develops their own strategies for dealing with feeling low. It is also something which never ends, as you can constantly come up with new ideas. For example, I change my working hours every month to keep my spirits high. At the moment I have the mornings completely free and next month I might work three days solid and then take the rest of the week off. If something works for you then go ahead and do it.

Writer’s block can be a frustrating experience for a writer.  There are also times writers simple are not inspired to write!  Most writers have encountered some form of writer’s block or just lack of motivation at some point in their career.

Whether you’re trying to write an book, a chapter, an article, or just content for your blog, often times it is quite easy to get distracted and find other things to do. But remember, the quicker you can get through the writing, the quicker your product will be finished! These 5 tips can help you get on the path to finishing your writing project.

1. Set A Timer

If you are on a deadline, consider setting a time.  Even if this timer helps you with mini-goals, it helps keep you focused knowing there is literally a race against time.  Set the timer to 15 minutes, 1 hour, whatever you prefer, and just write until then. If you don’t have a egg timer, use your cell phone or watch.  There is even software out there if you need it.

2. Take Hours or Even Days Off

You’re going to need time off from writing. In theory we can all plan to work on a task each and every day for a month, but in reality we’re going to find ourselves resenting that task. This will differ from person to person. For example, if you’ve set a 7 day challenge to finish 10 articles, then you probably will want to write everyday. But if not, you need take breaks!  Even of you don’t want to take days off from writing, at lease take off a few hours or you will get burned out!

3. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

This is probably going to be the hardest advice to follow out of everything I’ve said! But I understand what it’s like to beat yourself up when you’re not getting any words written. Cut yourself some slack and realize creativity is not something that is available every single day.  Some days you might have to admit defeat and vow to make it up in the following days. Sometimes a day off is what you need to clear your mental block.

4.  Think About Your Goals

Goals are important for any long-term plan or career. I recommend that you always think about your goals as you are writing. Keep a planner handy and plan your weeks, months, and even year with goals you will meet along the way. Imagine how happy and proud you will be as you check off those goals. That helps keep you motivated.

5. Find Your Natural Rhythm

Find a time you like best for writing and focus your energy into that time period. Get a routine going and soon you will discover a natural rhythm to your writing. For some people, that may be first thing in the morning.  Others work best at the end of the day. Find a time that works for you and stick to it.

One last tip I recommend is rewarding yourself when you meet certain goals. Do this by allowing yourself a healthy break from writing – a movie, a dinner with a friend, a new outfit.  Whatever you choose, make it an enjoyable reward for accomplishing a writing goal.  Now get that writing done!!

Related articles

• 7 Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block (inspiredtowrite.com)

Motivation

For all you experienced freelance writers out there, you may have noticed times are tough for finding the high paying jobs you may have once held. While I have come across a few freelance writers who are still doing well, a larger percentage seem to be struggling to find decent paying writing jobs.

Why Have Rates Changed?

Due to the economy, cheap outsourcing, and the additional people trying to make it as freelance writers, decent wages are diminishing.  There’s a great post on LinkedIn with over 650 comments about the struggle to find high-paying freelance jobs. The consensus is that times have changed, but there are still high-paying jobs out there. It is just more of a challenge to find them.

1. Google Panda. For those who focus their writing on content sites to earn a passive income, there has been a huge drop in earnings and traffic on many of those sites since the Google Panda update several months ago. I don’t even consider earnings from those sites of much significance in my overall writing income. Develop you OWN site and freelance business if you want to make a real full-time living.  Or you can continue to churn out hundreds of articles just to earn a $100 a month.

2. Low Earners to Compete With. Others may be competing with low-paid writers who are willing to write for $0.02/word or LESS.  This is a big complaint from many of the long-term freelance writers.  Many new writers sell themselves short and accept jobs for a little more than minimum wage (for U.S. standards).  A quality 500 word article with the required research typically takes about 45 minutes to an hour (unless you know the topic flat).  If you are getting paid $10 for that article – you are comfortable with pay that is only slightly more than someone who sells fast food burgers.

3. The Economy and Decrease in Print Publications. Magazines have significantly lowered their rates for writers.  When at one point several years ago, $1.00/word was common, now those jobs are more difficult to seek out.  This is probably due to cutbacks on magazines, the decrease in print publications, and the overall economy.

4. The Internet Changes Everything. In today’s world, everyone has a website, or a blog they want to fill with content.  So, there is a large demand for writers. At the same time, there are many people trying to jump into freelance writer as a way to make money online.  So, there is a supply. A supply of people willing to work for low rates.

Yep – a simple marketing term: supply and demand.  With the Internet, it makes all of this work so much, much easier.  It allows global access.  Meaning, anyone at anytime in any part of the world can supply writing content to meet the demand of website owners.  This is probably the biggest contributor to low-paying jobs – easy access to multiple content writers.  It has become more about quantity and less about quality.  Mass production.

How do you Stay Motivated?

With all these low paying jobs out there, how do you stay motivated as a freelance writer in today’s world?  I have found answers on both sides of this dilemma.  I recently write a post titled, Do You Write as Job or a Hobby? The answer to this question may determine your level of frustration or struggle with motivation.

If you write as a hobby only, then you are immune to the challenges in finding decent paying jobs.  You may even feel lucky to get paid at ALL for something you love – even the $10 articles get you excited!  Many of my readers here are hobbyists, based on a writing poll I took several months ago. However, for those of you who are on the opposite end of that spectrum, your level of frustration is probably much higher.

However, I know there are others who take thier job seriously and are very frustrated with the low-paying jobs. What people forget is that freelance writers still have to pay taxes on those wages.  We have to supply our own computer, printer, Internet service, office, etc.  There is no sick or personal pay for freelance writers. No insurance, benefits, perks, etc. Even some minimum wage jobs give you some of the above tools required for the job.

There are a few others who claim their freelance writing business has not been affected at all.  They are still reporting that they are getting the $1.00/word plus jobs on a consistent basis. They consider writing a job, and they will only work for wages appropriate for their skill level.  Just like a high-level manager or CEO would not take an entry-level position, many of these writers feel the same way.  And it works. For them. What about everyone else?

Maybe that is not a bad mindset.  If you don’t care about the money and are a hobbyist, this does not apply to you.  For the rest of us, if you start compromising, you will start to lose your motivation.  Once you realize you are working all day long to produce enough income to maybe make a car payment that month, it will become demeaning and exhausting. You may as well flip burgers.

Should we compromise just to get work or stick to our guns are work for pay we deserve to get?  I say the latter.

Related articles

• Patience, Perseverance, and Passion are Main Adjectives to Describe a Writer (inspiredtowrite.com)
• The 5 Worst Freelance Writing Pitfalls – and How to Avoid Them! (inspiredtowrite.com)
• 3 Ways to Boost Your Income as a Freelance Writer (freelancewritingprofessional.com)

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Danielle Lynn.  Please read more about Dani in the bio footer!

Freelance Writing

You have to be responsible for getting clients, setting your rates, managing yourself and your work, scheduling – it’s no wonder the freelance path seems daunting!

The key to being a successful freelance writer is not to fear these obstacles, but to identify them and know the best ways around them. To help you get prepared, here are the 5 worst freelancer pitfalls – and how to avoid them!

1. Getting emotional.

You have a client yell at you over the phone. You suffer from writer’s block. Things just aren’t going your way that day. One of the worst things you can do is get emotional about it. Remember that it’s just business. Even though it’s easy to take things personally, keep in mind that people are often caught up in what they’re doing and just trying to reach their own goals. Manage your freelancer anxiety and approach your problems with a sense of ‘overcoming a challenge’ not with tears.

2. Getting stiffed.

You toil over an intense writing project, send it in… and the client doesn’t pay you. It’s a frustrating experience. You invested your time into creating the project and get nothing in return. To prevent this from happening, make sure you ask for a deposit upfront, and only deliver drafts when the remaining balance is paid.

3. Working for less than minimum wage.

This one can be tricky to avoid when you first start out. It’ takes a while to master the ability to quote accurately for projects. Even then, you can’t always predict extra obstacles that may sap away time and extend a project’s length. This isn’t a huge problem if you’re billing hourly, but be careful when you bill by project. If you quote someone $100 for a project, but it ends up taking you m ore than 20 hours to complete, you’re earning only $5 an hour. You’d be better off flipping burgers at that rate! So make sure you quote according to how long it will take you times your hourly rate. Remember, you need to factor in taxes as well.

4. Not constantly marketing yourself.

Even if you have a lot of clients now, never stop marketing your services. It’s better to have clients constantly knocking down your door than struggle to find even a tiny job. If you keep marketing yourself, you’ll ensure you’ll never worry about a dry spell. Post ads for your services on forums or in local papers. Send out query letters to editors. Post to your writing blog. Just stay busy!

5. Poor time management.

You check Facebook. You watch a cute kitten dance around on YouTube. You catch up on emails. These are all great things to do – if you want to kill time. Unfortunately, time does equal money. Instead of frittering away your time, make a list and keep to it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take breaks – just make sure you schedule them in and stick to the times you set for each task.

However, if you can overcome these common mistakes freelance writers run into, you’ll find your freelance path a pleasant one, filled with it’s own challenges and rewards. And above all else – never get discouraged and give up!

Now go out there and strive for that sacred ground all aspiring writers dream of reaching; being a self-sufficient, self-employed master of the written word.

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• What are You Worth as a Freelance Writer? (inspiredtowrite.com)

In the ancient world writers had it easy. Accompanied by their Muses – scantily clad young women who were just full of ideas – they wandered around eating olives and drinking wine on fragrant sunbathed mountainsides. Feminism has put an end to all that. These days scantily clad young women have careers of their own and haven’t even got time to tell you where you left your keys, never mind provide desperately needed inspiration. No, a writer’s life is not an easy one.

The Writers Nemesis – The Blank Page

So, while the muses are off carving out independent careers – some of them in writing would you believe it – where do you find inspiration? One problem with inspiration is that while you are waiting for it to hit statistic suggest that a bus will get you first. Inspiration – whatever those ancient Greek and Roman writers might have led you to believe – does not just arrive out of the sky. It’s also a particularly difficult concept to pin down. Some mornings you wake up after a highly eventful dream and realise that could be ‘material’. Others you wake up and find yourself starting at the nemesis of all writers: The Blank Page.

Frightening the Blank Page

There is a way of dealing with Blank Pages. Fill them up. If you are feeling a bit sensitive and experiencing writers block, this can seem daunting. However, like Fight Club, writing really only has one rule: there are no rules. There are rules when it comes to editing and proofreading, but there is no need to apply them to first drafts. If the blank page is getting the better of you, throw any rules you know out of the window. Forget grammar, forget spelling, you can even forget making sense.

If you can’t think of anything else to write, simply write ‘I can’t think of anything to write’. But don’t stop there. If another sentence refuses to appear, repeat the phrase over and over again. Suddenly, much to your surprise – it still surprises me and I do it all the time – you’ll discover that you are writing about why you can’t think of anything to write.

If you’re lucky – and this happens more often than you might imagine – you will also find that you are having a good old rant about the project you’re supposed to be completing and why you hate it so much. When you’ve finished you might even find you’ve actually just written it.

Take Note

So, that’s the blank page well and truly put in its place. By this point it should be more frightened of you, than you are of it. It is now that you might want to go back to the rules – if you are planning on selling the piece. Spelling and grammar can be sorted out with a good proofread.

You can even organise the material, by editing it, so it makes sense. The point is that by this stage you will have some material to work with. Material comes from all sorts of sources, and this is where the second non-existent rule of writing comes in. Go nowhere without some kind of notebook.

For the techie type this can be something electronic which also makes you look a bit cool. For the rest of us a pen and paper does the trick. A notebook of some kind is something that no writer should be without. Personally I have developed a complicated system of notebooks.I have a diary, which I write when I’ve ‘finished’ work for the day. I have a pocket notebook that never leaves my side – even when I’m asleep – and a bigger notebook where I jot down the material from the pocket notebook.

It tends to get translated into a few categories – fiction material, copywriting material, notes from books I’m reading or notes from books I want to read and programmes I want to re-listen to. It sounds complicated, and it probably is, but usually when I’m stuck for ideas, I can find something in there.

Weapons for a Muse-less Age

Most of my paid work comes from being an SEO copywriter, so I haven’t a lot of time to spend drinking wine and eating olives on sunbathed and fragrant mountainsides. Equally, I don’t frequent the sort of clubs where scantily clad young women can be found in droves, so my sources of ‘inspiration’ have to be found elsewhere.

Spending time waiting for inspiration to hit is never an option, so keeping your eyes and ears open, having a notebook to hand and learning never to be afraid of a blank page are weapons all writers in this Muse-less modern age should find indispensable. Whether you’re a novelist, a copywriter a journalist or just an inveterate scribbler, pick up your pen and forget about inspiration, it doesn’t come to those who wait.

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