Freelance Writing

Bad Experiences can teach you a lot

It would be nice if every experience was a good experience. But of course you cannot expect this to be the case if you are a freelance writer. There will be times when you have good experiences, as well as times when it seems as if everything is going against you. Believe it or not, you can learn more from bad experiences than any others. If you are not learning, no matter the situation, you are making a huge mistake.

Take for instance a bad experience such as a client stiffing you for a large sum of money. This is something that happened to me twice during my first year as a full-time freelance writer. While both experiences were annoying I only had two choices: 1. sit back and pout because I got scammed out of several hundred dollars. 2. Learn from this experience to ensure that it never happened again. I chose the second option and in turn implemented a plan in which I ask for payment upfront with new clients. In turn, I have not run into this situation very often, if at all, over the past couple of years.

It is a shame, but bad things will happen to you during your career as a freelance writer. This can range from not receiving payment, as noted above, to losing clients and much more. It is how you deal with these experiences that will define how you move forward. In my opinion you can always find a silver lining even if the entire situation seems horrible.

Do yourself a favor and learn from both the good and the bad. By doing this you will ensure that you don’t repeat the same mistakes, and that your career is moving in the right direction by learning from every situation.