One of the main goals of this blog is to help other freelance writers solve their problems. While I don’t know everything (far from it) I have faced many situations in the past. So, when you have a problem there is a good chance that I have dealt with it myself.
Of course, I cannot read minds. Most of the time my blog posts are based around a personal experience, or a question/comment that is sent by a reader. If you are facing any problems, I would love to hear about them. This can be anything from a small issue on how to get started to something more advanced concerning a client.
Feel free to leave a comment or email me direct. Either way, let me know what type of issue you are facing and the steps you have taken thus far to deal with it. From there, hopefully I will be able to help. Along with this, I may even be able to turn your problem into a blog post so that we can all learn from it.
I hope to hear from many of you in the near future!
How much writing experience do you have? No matter who you are, there is a very good chance that you have had to write content at some point in the past. This includes anything from an essay for a college course to a sales letter for your job and everything in between. While this may not be exactly the same as the writing you will do as a freelancer, there are some similarities. After all, writing is writing no matter if you are keeping it for yourself or selling it off to a client.
The point of this post is to let you know that you don’t have to be experienced to become a freelance writer. I receive so many emails from aspiring writers who feel that they have no chance of success because they have never freelanced in the past. This is silly if you think about it. Did I have freelance writing experience when I first started? Of course not. Remember, everybody has to start somewhere. Everybody has to take on their first freelance writing gig at some point in time.
Don’t let your lack of formal freelance writing experience hold you back from making this your career. As noted above, you probably have some level of writing experience – even if it is only basic. This is all you need in order to make the transition to the freelance industry.
It is a shame that so many aspiring freelance writers are stopped in their tracks because they feel they are not experienced enough. Don’t let what you have (or haven’t) done in the past stop you from reaching your goals in the future. Chances are that you have enough experience and skills to try your hand at freelance writing.
Do you take regular phone calls from your clients? Do you enjoy this? Do you despise it? Every so often I feel like I should touch on this topic. The reason for this is simple: I am always getting questions about how to best communicate with clients. Along with this, you may be surprised at how many freelance writers hate using the telephone.
Personally, I believe that you should be open to taking phone calls no matter what. This may be a big change for you, but in the long run it is one that will help immensely. Simply put, some clients are more interested in speaking on the phone than using email. Is there anything wrong with this? Not in my book!
So, what is the problem? To start, some freelance writers are terrified at the thought of speaking on the phone with clients. They never liked doing this in past careers, and will continue to avoid it at all costs. It is essential to realize that some clients will only want to communicate via phone. If you don’t agree to this you are going to find it very difficult to keep them onboard.
The other issue is that phone calls to take up a lot of time. I totally agree that this is something to be worried about. The last thing you want is to spend so much time on the phone that you are not getting your work done. To avoid problems in this area, you can do a couple things:
1. Set aside certain times of the day to contact clients and/or return their phone calls. This way you are working on your own schedule.
2. Let your clients know when you are best available via telephone. While this does not always work, it will help cut back on the number of calls you receive when trying to write.
To become a successful freelance writer you need to be willing to speak with clients on the phone. This may not come up very often, but when it does make sure you are ready!
