No matter your career, 2010 is a time to start fresh. If you are a freelance writer this definitely holds true. Did you have a good year in 2009? If so, next year you should be looking for more of the same. On the other hand, if you did not meet all your goals, 2010 is a time to turn the page and get on the right path.
Of course, there is a lot that goes into starting fresh. In other words, you cannot simply say that things are going to be different next year. You need a plan for making things better. And once you have a plan you need to be willing to work through each detail to ensure success.
Although it does not take a new year to make changes, for many freelance writers this is the best time to tweak their career. There is something about a new year that makes you feel that everything is equal once again.
This post is meant to get you in the right frame of mind. If you begin to think about your goals and aspirations for 2010 in February you will have already missed a large chunk of the year. A fresh start is not something that you want to waste. Now is the time to think about what direction your career is headed in the new year. Are you ready for bigger and better things in 2010?
How do you feel about your freelance writing clients? Just as they have an opinion of you, you probably have some thoughts of your own. How you “rate” clients is ultimately your decision, but the following details should definitely be considered:
1. Rate. How much money are you getting paid? Even though this is not the only thing to consider, most freelance writers love clients that pay at or above the industry average. Just like all of us, you surely have a few clients that pay better than the rest.
2. Quantity. How much work does the client send your way? You definitely need to consider this when rating a freelance writing client. If you are earning a good rate but never receive new projects, in the long run you are not making any money.
3. How do they treat you as a person? The highest paying client in the world can get annoying if they do not know how to treat people. Do you get along with some clients and not others? You definitely need to think about this when you are rating the people that you do business with.
4. Future. What does the future hold for your writer – client relationship? Do you believe that they will keep you around for the long haul? Or are you just going to do one or two projects and then be kicked to the curb? It is important to value relationships that are going to last a long time.
When rating a freelance writing client consider the four details above. They will help you formulate a clear picture of how things have progressed to this point and where they are headed in the future.
Just like many freelance writers, I had every intention of working on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, I got very sick and it was soon obvious that getting any work done was going to be next to impossible. This does not happen to me very often, but I learned once again that you never know what can up and how it will change your schedule.
There is nothing wrong with taking a day off as a freelance writer, even if it is not planned. Just like any other job, you need to be willing to take time off if you are sick. If I would have worked on Christmas Even two things would have happened: 1. I would have worsened my situation and prolonged my illness. 2. My work would have greatly suffered. With both of these details it is easy to see that nobody was going to benefit in the long run.
One of the biggest benefits of being a freelancer is that you can take off when you want and work the schedule that you set, for the most part. Although I had to take time away when I wanted to work, there was no “calling off” or having a boss mad at me. Instead, I will simply catch up this week and all will be good.
Freelance writers get sick too! If something unexpectedly comes up and you need to take a day off, so be it. You may have to work hard in the days to come to get back on track, but this is much better than putting your health at risk while also jeopardizing the quality of your work.
As a freelance writer I communicate with clients day after day. Some days I only send emails, others I spend a lot of time on the phone. And from time to time I even meet with clients in person. What does all of this mean to me? Simply put, effective communication can go a long way in avoiding trouble with clients. This is why I strongly suggest to every freelance writer that they make themselves available to clients through various communication methods.
You don’t like talking on the phone, right? I get this a lot from aspiring freelance writers. They prefer to talk with clients via email if at all possible. While email is a great way of communicating with clients, keep in mind that sometimes it just doesn’t cut the slack. You can accomplish more in a quick phone call than you can in a long email chain. On top of all this, there are some clients who will simply prefer to talk on the phone. So if you want to keep the gig you do not really have a choice.
When you effectively communicate with clients you can avoid a lot of trouble. For instance, if you are going to miss a deadline you need to let the client know as soon as possible. Or if you run into a problem this is also something that you should communicate. It is better to get in touch and stay in touch than to disappear and only talk when the job is complete.
Over the years I have found communication to be a very big piece of the freelance writing puzzle. Many people think that being a freelance writer means hiding out, completing jobs without guidance, and moving onto the next task. While some of this is true, communicating with clients is also a very important part of your job description.
If you are open to communicating with clients in many ways you will find yourself running into less trouble. In turn, you will have happy clients that pay on time and send repeat work.
This is a difficult topic to approach because every freelance writer is different in their own way. One person may be able to build their freelance writing career for many months before moving onto something else. Another may only have a couple weeks to get up and running. How long you should stick with your freelance writing career is up to you and you alone. That being said, I want to give some basic advice to ensure that you do not give up on yourself too early in the process.
First things first, you need to be realistic when starting your freelance writing career. If you go into the process hoping to make $10k/month right away you are going to be disappointed soon enough. It is important that you set realistic short term goals, as well as long term goals that will keep you working day after day.
Before you give up on your career as a freelance writer you need to ask yourself one question: why am I doing this? If you do not have a good reason you may be making the wrong decision. For some, giving up on freelance writing is a necessity because they need money now. For others, giving up is a result of not liking the work they are doing. If you have a good reason you can at least be confident that you made the right decision.
In my opinion, entirely too many people give up on freelance writing too soon. During my first month as a writer I earned $52. While it would have been easy to give up at that time, I forged ahead and everything quickly settled into place.
Only you know how long you are willing to stick with your freelance writing career. Just remember that quitting too soon could end up being a decision you regret.
Over the years I have found that many people don’t become freelance writers for the same reasons. These “freelance writing fears” are not always easy to overcome. In fact, some people don’t even try. Instead, they decide that becoming a freelance writer is not worth it and they in turn put their career on the back burner.
If you want to overcome your fears you have to face them head on. Some that you may run into when trying to become a freelance writer include:
1. General fear of the unknown. Anytime you start a new job you are sure to be a bit scared. Not only will you be scared of what the future holds, but you may also be worried that you do not have what it takes. This is something that all aspiring freelance writers face. Fortunately, once you settle in you will realize that there was nothing to worry about in the first place.
2. Not earning enough money. There are a lot of myths surrounding the freelance writing industry. One of the most common is that freelancers cannot make as much money as those with a more traditional position. This is not the truth now and never will be. You may not have a steady paycheck, but as a freelance writer there is a lot of potential to earn big money.
3. Others will talk about me. Believe it or not, I have heard this “fear” many times over the years. Some people want to please everybody around them, including friends and family. They are afraid of what others will say about becoming a freelance writer, and for this reason they never move forward. You should never feel like you have to please people in your life. Do what is best for you right now. If your friends and family truly care for you, they will support your decision.
If you are worried about becoming a freelance writer you are not alone. The above fears are common, but none of them should stop you from reaching your goals.
Although working on the weekend is not a habit that you want to get into, a few hours here and there, if available, will not hurt too much. With 2010 closing in, now is the time that you need to create a business plan. You may want to keep with the same schedule and clients for the new year, but it is safe to say that you probably have some new ideas that you also want to work in. To make this happen, you need a solid business plan.
I usually don’t have tons of time during the work week for miscellaneous tasks, such as creating a business plan. This is why I put myself to good use on the weekend. Since it is my own project, I do not have to worry about getting everything done on schedule. Instead, I work at my leisure and have a good time along the way.
If you are free this weekend and have yet to create a business plan for 2010, you should think about getting this done. Before you know it New Year’s Eve will come and go, and January will be upon us. At this point, you either have your business plan in place or you don’t. It is better to get this out of the way when you have the chance than to find yourself scrambling at the end of the month.
It is sure to be a busy weekend for many of you, but if you can find anytime to prepare yourself for next year you should take advantage.
At some point in your freelance writing career a job will turn into a disaster. This may happen today, tomorrow, or not until next year. Or maybe it has already happened to you more than once in the past. While nobody wants to run into this problem, it is something you should expect. Everything cannot always go smoothly.
A seemingly good project can go wrong for a number of reasons. For the sake of this post, and the following information, let’s assume that the client did not approve of the end result. In this case, there are three things you can take away:
1. You can look back and see what went wrong. Maybe you will realize that it was your fault, maybe you will see that the client did not give you enough direction. No matter what you find, make sure you go over each and every step and detail with a fine tooth comb. It is good to know what went wrong, even if you are partly at fault.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. There is nothing wrong with asking the client, even if they are upset, for further information. Feedback, good or bad, can benefit your business in the long run. If you did do something wrong the client can tell you, and in turn you can avoid the same mistake in the future.
3. It will make you more grateful for other clients. Sometimes it takes a horrible client to make you realize what the good ones mean to your business. You should never take a client for granted – especially if they are easy to work with and treat you with respect.
The next time a job goes terribly wrong, use the three points above to learn from the experience.
With the holiday season right around the corner it is safe to say that you have a lot on your plate. You have to go shopping, spend time with family, cook, and much more. On top of all this, freelance writers need to answer one very important question: when will I be working?
Over Thanksgiving I received many emails asking how much I work on the holidays, whether it is a good idea, etc. It is simple for me to answer this question from where I stand, but just because I am doing something this holiday season does not make it right for everybody else.
Whether or not you work over the holidays is up to you. If you have the time to do so, and don’t mind sitting down at your desk for a while, I urge you to work. After all, anytime you can make a few bucks and keep clients happy you are making a good decision. Of course, you have to draw the line somewhere. Working on Christmas morning while your kids are opening gifts does not make much sense – you will regret decisions like this in the long run.
In the days to come I plan on writing more about how freelance writers should handle their workload during the holiday season. Hopefully you have a plan in place already, but if you don’t, stay tuned for some sound advice. It is not always easy to decide when and how much to work during the holidays. But as you know, soon enough you will be faced with this situation and a decision will need to be made.
Before I go any further, I want to say one thing: as a freelance writer you need to take breaks. This helps to keep both your mind and body fresh. That being said, you want to avoid long breaks during your workday. This way you do not lose track of what you are doing and find yourself having to “start back up” time after time.
How long is too long? Only you can answer this question. I like to take a small 15 minute break in the morning for breakfast, a bit longer for lunch, and maybe a couple minutes in the afternoon. Of course, there are days when I have to leave the office for a client meeting, to cash a check, etc. When this happens, it goes without saying that I am away from my desk for a longer period of time.
The problem with long breaks is that they get you out of the groove. Just as you are settling in and getting a lot of work done you are pulled away. When you finally return to your work you find that you are off track and struggling to pick up where you left off.
No matter how long of a break I am expecting to take, I never leave in the middle of a project. Instead, I like to finish the task at hand before leaving my desk. This makes things easier upon my return.
For me, long breaks are a detriment. This may be different for you. If you are struggling with how long your breaks should last, experiment a little bit here and there. Soon enough you will find the schedule that works best for you.
