If you work as a freelance writer long enough you will eventually have a client go missing on you. They are here one day, asking you questions and communicating, but gone the next. While this is not very common, I have faced this situation a few times in the past.
When a client goes missing it can be very frustrating. This is particularly true if you are in the midst of completing a job for them. For instance, you may be halfway through a task and looking for some final direction before finishing things off. Worse yet, you completed the entire task, sent it off to the client, and are now looking to get paid.
The best thing you can do is attempt to contact the client the same way you always have in the past. If you usually communicate via email, use this method; the same holds true for making a phone call. Of course, you may have to change your contact strategy if it is not working. There is nothing wrong with checking in with a client on the phone if they go missing. After all, you are doing a job for the client and need them to be accessible.
Unfortunately, there may come a day when a client goes missing and never returns. In my experience, if this is to happen it will be when payment comes due. I completed a feature article for a client in early November 2009, but have yet to hear from him since. This is despite the fact that I have called and emailed several times.
When a client goes missing there is not much you can do. Just hope that they are temporarily out of communication, as opposed to gone for good.
There are a lot of people who want to get involved with freelance writing but have an extreme fear of failure. Unfortunately, this is not something that is easy to help with. I would love to be able to show all these people the way, but fear is something you must conquer on your own. If you are scared about jumping into the freelance writing industry you need to take the time to pinpoint the problem and work on a solution.
For many, fear stems from the potential of failure. In other words, those who never get started with freelance writing are worried that they have no chance of success. In turn, they think about this career all the time but never make any progress. There are definitely going to be bad times as you are getting your freelance writing career up and running – this is to be expected. But can’t the same be said for every career?
To get over your fear you must first know what the problem is, and then begin to look for a solution. For instance, if you are worried about your lack of experience you can start writing part-time as a way of gathering clips and learning more about the industry. This way you will be more prepared when it comes time to transition into full-time writing.
Remember this: no matter what fear you are facing there are ways of dealing with it. Take your time when searching for a solution. There is nothing wrong with being scared about jumping into freelance writing. But there is something wrong with letting this fear get the best of you. Every freelance writer had to take the leap at some point. When are you going to gain enough confidence to do the same?
If you are a freelance writer you know exactly what the title of this post means. Simply put, you have “stuff†that you need to get through the workday. It may not be a lot, but no matter who you are there are probably a few things that you rely on.
I realized just how important my stuff is over the past week or so. I am in the process of moving into a new home. As I was packing up my office this weekend it was easy to see that there are a few things I rely on as a freelance writer.
No matter what, I need my computer. While this is true for me, most other freelance writers feel the same way. If I don’t have my computer there is no way to get work done – it is as simple as that.
Along with my computer, I also need my paper files, USB drives, and to-do/goal lists. The nice thing about all this is that it can be nicely packed into a couple of boxes. This just goes to show you how easy it is to be a freelance writer on the move. I don’t have any inventory or an advanced system holding me back. Instead, I can take my business anywhere and have it set up in no time at all.
The point of this post is to make you realize how important some of your stuff really is. While you need to keep all of your belongings in a safe place, there is no denying that some things are higher priority than others.
Do you have all of your stuff organized so that you can easily get at it when need be? If not, try to get better organized today. My past move made me realize just how important some of my stuff is to my success.
