How To Stay Motivated As A Freelance Writer

by Dusten Carlson

October 7, 2019

Ask a professional how to stay motivated as a freelance writer and a variety of suggestions will surface.
Often repeated will be the importance of setting goals, staying focused and, believe it or not, getting away from writing (at least for short periods).

Setting Goals

It’s imperative as a freelance writer to remember that unlike a regular job, no one is watching that tasks get done. Since freelance writing puts that burden on you, it is helpful to start each day (and week) with goals to shoot for.

Keep a list of deadlines for each day, and the days following, and use it to plug away at assignments.

Goals, by the way, can include setting a certain number of new-business pitches each day or week – a different kind of writing that can break the monotony from assignments like writing blogs.

Tips For Staying Focused

Working off a checklist helps establish a routine and a focus on what needs to get done.

When your focus feels like it may be blurring, set reminders about why you’re freelance writing in the first place. Place inspirational quotes or slogans around the workspace; set up alerts to be emailed or texted to yourself. Whatever it takes to establish and maintain that drive that is needed to succeed on your own.

Engaging with other writers can be quite helpful, too, to pick up motivation tips and just for general support.

Self-Care

Supporting your mental and physical health as a freelance writer is a third common denominator to surface when asking someone for freelance writing motivation tips.

Once again consider a routine, such as turning off the mobile phone or other electronic gadgets while you write.

Health-wise, be sure to get enough exercise as doing so forces you to get away from the keyboard and let your mind “recover” from an overflow of word production that freelance writing can cause.

Force yourself to take breaks from writing, such as attending social events are just scheduling a 30-minute walk each day, to get fresh air, rejuvenate your mind, find inspiration for writing topics or to simply break from thinking about writing all the time.

Writer Tip

3 Essential Skills For Full-Time Freelance Writers To Master

by Dusten Carlson

September 30, 2019

In the 21st century, many professional writers are turning to freelancing as a full-time occupation. While being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and choosing your own clients may sound like a dream, freelancing isn’t as simple as it sounds. It’s necessary to develop a handful of unique, well-refined skills, both in terms of writing and personal management, to succeed as a freelancer.

These are three essential skills that full-time freelancers must master in order to thrive in the field of freelancing.

1. Become a dynamic writer.

If you plan to freelance long-term, becoming a dynamic, adaptable writer is essential. You may feel that your niche is in a particular area of writing. However, breaking personal rigidity and becoming flexible enough to write in multiple writing styles can open you up to a variety of new clients.

What types of writing styles are most important to master?

Lifestyle writing and formal writing are two of the most widely-utilized writing styles in freelancing. Lifestyle writing tends to be amusing, engaging, and entertaining, utilizing an informal tone, casual wordplay, and humor. Formal writing tends to be educational and informative, utilizing an authoritative tone, calculated word choices, and formal stylistic choices. The ability to write both lifestyle and formal pieces is indispensable when it comes to acquiring a more diverse selection of work, and, in the process, more clients.

2. Know how to manage your time.

The importance of time management cannot be emphasized enough. As a freelancer, you serve as your own boss, so your entire schedule is in your hands. This means that you decide both when you are going to work and how much you are going to work. If you don’t know how to manage your time properly, your productivity (and your income) will suffer.

What are the best ways to manage your time as a freelancer?

As your own boss, you should strive to construct your own work schedule. This means setting aside specific hours of the day/days of the week to focus solely on your work. If you’re a workaholic, scheduling in breaks is important, too. Overworking yourself is just as unproductive as underworking yourself, as you will burn out and begin to produce sub-par work. It’s essential to understand your workload, your deadlines, and how to produce quality work with quick turnaround times to keep yourself and your clients happy.

3. Develop your own editing skills.

Many traditional publications have upper-editors that browse your work for errors and inconsistencies. However, when it comes to freelancing, you must typically serve as your own editor. Learning to properly revise your writing is as important as writing the piece itself.

Why is editing your own work such a significant skill?

Proper editing is essential for turning a good piece into a great one. Being able to view your writing with a critical eye can help you consistently produce high-quality final drafts. The ability to spot typos and grammatical errors, inconsistent tone, confusing wording, unfocused content, and other issues in your work is invaluable. Learning to correct issues and do so with ease is what separates a talented writer from a skilled one.

Writer Tip

How To Create A Writing Routine As A Freelance Writer

by Dusten Carlson

September 23, 2019

At first glance, a writing routine as a freelance writer may seem superfluous, or just flat-out unnecessary. But take a closer look and the freelance writer can discover multiple advantages available by establishing simple repetition.

Figure Out When You’re Most Productive

As with many endeavors, it’s probably best to begin with what works best. That said, think about starting by determining your best time to write.

Many writers perform best in the morning, others at night, some in between, even others in bits and pieces. Most established writers will know, and focusing on working during those optimum times is vital.

Write Every Day

Once the best time to write is set, get in the practice of writing every day, no matter what. Besides meeting client obligations, this helps train the mind to best switch gears into writing mode, much like elite athletes get themselves into the “zone.”

Over time this makes it easier to execute writing assignments – and may even allow you to complete more tasks overall.

Think of it the way athletes consider practice: it develops and hones skills, which only can help.

For writers, this could be as simple as an extended Instagram post, a marketing-related email message, blog writing or writing pitches for more content marketing work.

Guard Your Time

Finally, establish times just for writing, and protect it.

That is, set a schedule, stick with it, and don’t let outside influences like text messages or email inboxes distract. Even use a digital calendar (such as those on smartphones) to hold writing time – and even text or email reminders to yourself to get to it.

Key Takeaways For Writers

These four things – determining the best time to write, writing daily, and scheduling and protecting writing time – are the base for creating a solid writing routine for a freelance writer.

Using this foundation should free more time for associated activities like coming up with new content ideas, marketing yourself, or planning ahead with outlines or a looking-ahead calendar.

All together, these things can only lead to success.

Getting Started

Three Proven Tips To Help You Start A Freelance Writing Career With No Experience

by Deborah Cameron

September 18, 2019

Are you looking to write professionally but don’t have formal, paid experience? Believe it or not, there are proven steps that beginning writers can take in order to build their client base.

Freelance careers aren’t created overnight. They’re made with determination and a willingness to use feedback to hone their craft and serve clients better. Here are some of the first steps you can take to get going.

Develop A Regular Writing Schedule

If you’re planning to earn serious money from freelance writing it is best to treat it like a regular job with consistent hours. The choice for the hours can depend entirely on your schedule and work habits. If you have more time to work on weekends then go for it. If early mornings are your thing, do that instead. You get the idea.

The key isn’t when you write, it is working at it regularly and communicating with clients reliably. Ultimately, that kind of writing discipline will go a long way towards building solid, lucrative client relationships.

Build And Prove Your Skills

Identify outlets for your writing that will help you improve your skills and show others what you can do. Initially, if these outlets pay anything at all it won’t be much. And they’re not likely to have a byline. But they will help establish your solid reputation.

Ideas for places to prove yourself are plentiful. They include starting your own personal blog, participating in a writing internship, looking for beginning writer jobs on online job websites, and offering to barter your services to other small businesses.

Once you have solid examples of your work, add them into an online portfolio so you can show off the experience you’ve gained.

Pay Attention To Feedback On Your Work

Wherever possible, try to get unbiased feedback on your work. Some websites for beginning writers may even have formal feedback processes. Thoroughly consider any feedback you receive, especially if the person providing it has professional writing experience. This will help you build your skills and serve clients better as you grow your freelance business.