10 Steps to a Freelance Writing Career

One of the keys to freelance writing success is finding the right market for you. Developing a writing specialty that is both enjoyable and profitable will bring you long-term success as a writer. You don’t have to limit yourself to a single market. You should find and exploit your strengths in as few or as many areas as you feel comfortable working in. Below is a ten-step plan that outlines how to find success as a freelance writer though specialization.

Step One: Analyze your Strengths as a Freelance Writer

Make a list of subjects that you both know about and feel you would enjoy writing about. Ask yourself:

• What do I know that others either don’t know or don’t understand?
• What am I educated in?
• What work experiences do I have?
• What would I like to learn more about?
• What am I passionate about?

Don’t just ask these questions in your mind. Write down your answers. You will need them for later steps. Don’t be afraid to get specific. “I like to write about psychiatry” is a valid answer, but “I like to write about healing children who have been through psychological traumas” is a much more specific answer that could lead to articles or even books.

Write down all of the jobs you have held and classes or other educational experiences you have had. Even if you don’t plan to write about them right away, you may find that they can add unique twists on article ideas. Sticking with the psychology theme, if you once held a job as a florist, you might decide to write an article about the psychological effects of flowers on trauma victims.

For more information try 6 Freelancing Lessons from Tony Stark, aka “Iron Man” and Do Interesting Things.

Step Two: Analyze the Freelance Writer Markets

There are many markets for your writing. From print magazines to blogs to web content providers to small and large businesses. Don’t limit yourself to the publishing giants. The competition is steepest there, and unless you have a solid reputation and some good connections, you will find it very hard to crack those publications. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to crack them, but don’t make that your primary focus or you are likely to spend a lot of time waiting for assignments rather than completing assignments and getting paid.

Some markets to consider: consumer magazines, trade magazines, professional journals, newsletters, local and regional publications, electronic publications, textbooks, and corporate publications. This is by no means an exhaustive list of publishing opportunities but it should give you an idea of where to start.

Use your Internet resources. Search for sites that deal with your areas of interest. They can be both publication possibilities and research resources.

For more information try 40 Freelance Writing Markets Paying $100 or More (Much More) and The Monster List of Freelancing Job Sites.

Step Three: Pick Your Initial Freelance Writing Specialties

Not every specialty you have is going to be highly marketable. There are many factors to consider when picking your initial specialties:

• The number of potential clients (Publications, businesses, people) who may be interested in your specialty.
• Whether or not you have something new to add to the area of knowledge in that specialty.
• The potential profitability of writing in that specialty.
• How long you feel you can write in that specialty without becoming bored or running out of things to say.
• Do you have equal credentials to the people publishing in the field? If not, can you find a co-author who does?

Analyze your list of specialties and decide for yourself which ones have the greatest chance for success. Pick specialties for which you can both find markets and maintain your motivation. Generally, you want to start with from one to three specialties. The list of specialties can grow over time, but don’t spread yourself too thin at the beginning.

For more information try Should You Specialize in Website Content? and The Freelance Copywriter’s Unfair Marketing Advantage.

Step Four: Find Freelancer Allies

Even before you start sending out queries, you should start making contacts. This requires research and bravery. You need to find professional organizations, clubs, support groups, special libraries, experts and any other resource that will help you succeed in this specialty. Don’t settle for just knowing where, what, and who these resources are. Contact them and establish a relationship. You will need them for more than article research.

Knowing all of the people within a certain field will result in assignments and other opportunities. In addition, you may find that one or more of the “experts” in the field are looking for co-authors or ghostwriters to help them become better known. Just because a person knows a subject, doesn’t mean they know how to write about it. Also, look for other writers who are writing in your field. Contact them. Try to convert them from competition into allies. Sometimes, other writers are so swamped they might forward opportunities to you. Someday, you might be in a position to do so yourself.

For more information try Let me Show You Inside a Secret Blogging Alliance and Are You Forgetting to Network With Your Friends?

Step Five: Start the Query Process

Make a list of ten or so publications or clients that you want to query initially. Analyze their needs. Read back-issues and Internet pages of publications. Look at the past publishing history of business clients. Contact publications and ask for their submission guidelines. Many major publications will not accept blind submissions. If your heart is set on them, you will have to find a way to develop a rapport with the editor.

Try for a variety of prospects so that there is as little overlap as possible. Try different types of publications, different regions, different companies and so forth.

Querying is, of course, an ongoing process. When your first round of queries is out, you will want to be researching your second round. Don’t just wait for opportunities. Be proactive.

For more information try 7 Steps to a Successful Freelance Query and How to Write a Query Letter.

Step Six: Gain Something from each Freelance Assignment

You may find that your initial assignments don’t pay as much as you would like. Sometimes, they may not offer any money. Chances are, you will not start off at the top of the pay bracket unless you happen to be well-known in your field. The key is to work your way up that pay scale at a speed that is acceptable to you. To do this, try to gain something from every assignment. Much like an athlete or a musician, your initial aptitude and ability will only get you so far. Experience, research and coaching are needed to get you the rest of the way. Here is a partial list of ways you can improve your writing:

• Find at least one new source (Person, book, web site, article) for each article you write, even if you have covered the territory before.
• Write each article with the intent to improve one aspect of your writing skills:(To write more quickly, to make less initial errors, to improve your editing)
• Do everything you can to meet every requirement your client has set (Subject, sources, length, supplemental materials, and of course, deadline.)
• Improve your relationship with the editor or client. Sometimes you can get to know them as a person. The busiest ones will not be as open to talks, however, even if they like you. Don’t take it personally and don’t be an annoyance. At minimum, ask a client what else they are looking for and follow up with another query. Remember the first part especially. Often, editors already have ideas. All you may need to do to get an assignment is ask.
• Develop a circle of mentors or peers. Join a writing group. Email a blogger. Form individual relationships. Find people who can help make you a better writer and a better freelancer.

For more information try 5 Things You Never Say to an Editor and Proofreader’s Marks.

Step Seven: Develop a Clipping Library of your Freelance Work

Keep all of your published materials. Keep your initial computer files and keep any print versions of your work. A clipping library will come in handy in many ways. You can use the information as sources for new articles, to refresh your knowledge of something you’ve covered, and to send out as samples to new prospects. Organization is not always easy for writers, but an efficient filing system can do wonders for your projects. In effect, you become your own research library. This will come in handy when it is time to recycle and reuse.

For more information try Quick Guide to Creating an Efficient File System and Getting Things Done: How to Take Control of Life.

Step Eight: Recycle and Reuse your Writing Work

One of the great advantages of having a specialty is that you can constantly reuse your work. Here are just a few examples:

• If you have retained the rights, you can resell articles as reprints without changing a word. That means you can get paid two or more times for the same exact article.
• You can repurpose an article. For example, an article about preventing heart attacks can be rewritten slightly for sale to a fitness magazine, a business management magazine and a senior citizen’s magazine. A new introduction and the personalization of a few items might take an hour, and the new sale might pay the same as the initial article or even more.
• You can combine pieces of more than one work into a new, different article.
• Once you have written a number of different articles about a subject, you can consider combining them together into a book. Publishing a book on a subject is a great way to generate new prospects and to be recognized as an expert in the field.
• You can give lectures based on your articles. Depending on the subject, lectures can pay quite well, and they further establish you as an expert in the field.

For more information try Repurpose or Reprint? What Do I Do With My Articles Now? and How To Repurpose Your Articles.

Step Nine: Work on Your Writing Credentials

Anything you can do that builds your reputation as an expert in a field will improve your opportunities. Here are a few ways you can work on your credentials:

• Take classes in your specialty, and if possible get a degree or a certificate.
• Teach seminars or classes or give lectures in your specialty. This is much easier to do than it sounds. Provided that you don’t have a fear of public speaking, you can almost read straight from your articles. The best part is that these opportunities don’t just improve your standing; they are generally paying opportunities.
• Be available for interviews. If someone else wants to quote you as an expert in the field, jump at the opportunity.
• Attend conventions and other gatherings of people in the field. Even if you aren’t giving a presentation, you can still introduce yourself to people and tell them you write in the field.
• Write a book or an eBook. There is no better way to establish your credentials than to write a book about your hey subject.

For more information try Thirteen Steps to Write and Publish a Free Ebook In Thirteen Hours and How to Become an Expert on Nearly Any Subject.

Step Ten: Learn When to Say When

As stated earlier, you can continually expand your specialties. You might start out writing about two subjects that may or may not be related. For example, you might start out writing about the Russian economy and about model trains. After a year, you might find that your interest in the Russian economy has lead to an interest in Middle Eastern business practices, and that your interest in model trains has either vanished or is failing to generate the business to make writing about it profitable for you. You can always drop or cut back on one specialty to pursue another or to concentrate on your remaining specialties. You can also go back when and if you feel it is time for another try.

For more information try How to Defeat Burnout and Stay Motivated and Are Your Stuck?.

Site Review: menwithpens.ca

It’s hard to believe that Men With Pens is only about a year and a half old. They have put out such an enormous volume of useful articles that it seems like you can spend a whole year just reading them. It helps that they have two “men”, no wait, three men, no wait, four men and one of them is a woman. I can’t keep track. If someone told me there was a fifth I would have to believe them.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should say that MWP used to be an advertiser here and I would gladly have them back. They are easy to recommend and they pay good money. I like that in an advertiser. At the moment though, no money is coming my way so I am relatively bias-free.

Also, in the interest of being well-rounded in my review, I can say that I don’t really like their most recent site design. I’m really not a fan of sites with dark backgrounds. Furthermore, their blue highlight color doesn’t look good against the gray and black background. It kind of hurts my eyes. I should also mention that MWP is a business first and a blog second. They don’t force their services down your throat, but they do want your business, so keep that in mind.

I have come to praise MWP though, not to bury them. On the Internet, content is king and they have content coming out of their ears. MWP focuses on site design, content development and freelancing. There are also a substantial number of articles about writing fiction and inspirational articles about writing in general. They have an active comment community that adds value to almost every post. Overall, this is one of the best sites for writers on the web.

Their archives are great, but they keep coming out with great new stuff too. Just this week they published Do You Have a Magic Ring?, which had a great productivity idea. The idea is to wear a reminder on your body (a ring, a necklace, etc.) and every time you think of that object you have to do the task associated with it. For example, every time you touch or adjust your ring, you have to write for ten minutes. It is a great idea. Here are some other past articles I would recommend:

Are You Losing Faith in Your Writing Dream?

An inspiring prompt to get you going again.

The Single Freelancer Policy that Saves Your Soul

Great advice about setting up a revision policy if you are a freelancer

Build it from Scratch or Customize a Template?

Tips about when to consider (almost never) builing your Wordpress template from scratch.

Four Choices To Brand Your Online Business

Site branding is often misunderstood and poorly executed, this article offers good basic advice.

Why Your Website Content Loses 7 Percent of Customers

Every time someone is expected to make a click, you can expect to lose 7% of your readers.

Should You Tell People Their Blog Design is Ugly?

Yes you should, and they do…

Drive-by-Shooting Sundays: Simplistic Thoughts

One of the many site reviews (emphasizing design) that MWP has posted over the past year. These articles are priceless if you are starting a new site and you want to figure out what to avoid.

How to Write Quality Query Letters: Give yourself credit

A great article idea is the most important aspect of a good query letter, but it isn’t the only thing that matters. You don’t just need to sell the publication on your idea; you need to convince the publisher that you are the best person to write the article. Part of this process has to do with your overall writing style and the professionalism of your presentation. The other part is your discussion of your experience, writing credits and other qualifications. You need to show your potential publisher that you are a great writer. This is not the time to be humble. This is the time to brag a little about your abilities and experience.

Before I discuss what you should tell a potential publisher, I should make sure you know what you should NEVER tell them.

• Never tell them that you are a first time writer who is looking for a break
• Never tell them about your personal or money problems
• Never tell them you don’t know the subject well but are looking to learn more

Publications don’t care about your problems. They are looking for good writers. The last thing a publisher wants is to take a chance on someone who may not be able to deliver what they promise. Your goal should be to fill the publisher with confidence, not pity.

The best spot to discuss your qualifications is just before the concluding paragraph of your query letter. You don’t want to waste time or space, so limit the discussion of your qualifications to those that are most relevant to the article you are proposing. For example, if you are proposing an article about the financial impact of divorce, it is relevant to mention that you are a financial advisor and a divorcee, but those same facts would be irrelevant in a query for an article about living with chronic back pain.

You will want to mention a few of your past article credits. Again, they should be the most relevant credits you have. If you have nothing relevant, go with the most prestigious credits that you have, but relevancy trumps prestige. If you are employed as a writer for a particular publication, be sure to include that. If you have very few credits, just include the best that you have and don’t apologize for them. Just put them in and move on. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Here is a sample paragraph from a query letter:

I have been a professional investment counselor for the past fifteen years and was one of the earliest adopters of Internet trading. As a former state representative, I authored several investment fraud bills that are still on the Arizona law books. For the past two years I have written a weekly investment article for Phoenix Business Insider. I have also published investment-related articles in Worthwhile Investor, Smart Stock Analyst and Fund Advocate.

Finally, you should include, along with your query letter, from one to three writing samples. If you are emailing your query, it is acceptable to include links to articles, but if you are sending a query by regular mail, you need to include the actual articles. Remember that you want to include whatever samples are most relevant to your query.

How to Write Quality Query Letters: Be real, specific

When a potential publisher reads your query letter, you want to excite them, but don’t promise something you can’t deliver. Not only would this make it difficult for you if you did get the assignment, but a good editor can easily spot ideas that are too broad or unrealistic to make it into their publication. The best query ideas are specific and achievable. For example, if you were pitching an article for a men’s magazine, How To Make Any Woman Go Home with You is general and unrealistic (not to mention creepy) but Six Pickup Lines that Won’t Make You Look Like a Jerk is a little more specific and a little more realistic.

There are two advantages to pitching very specific subjects. The first is that it makes you look more knowledgeable. Specificity and knowledge go hand in hand. Anyone can pitch an idea about picking up women. Even “six pickup lines” is general. If you dig deeper, you might find a more unique perspective. For example, if you have studied linguistics, you might pitch, Why Your Pickup Lines Don’t Work, Six Tips from a Cunning Linguist. If you used to be a bartender you might pitch, The Bartender’s Guide to Picking up Women: Six lines that never work (and three that do).

The second advantage of specificity is that it reduces the risk of you pitching the same idea as someone else. The last thing you want is to pitch a topic your potential publisher has seen (or even published) before. There are limits to how much research a writer can do into the past topics at a magazine, especially if you want to spend more time writing articles than pitching them. Specificity gives you the best chance at originality.

Realistic ideas are the other side of that coin. If you don’t know anything about pickup lines, don’t pitch an article about them. Your query letter should start with some flash, but the body of your letter is going to have to back up that flash. You will need to give examples of what you intend to write about. You not only have to convince your potential publisher that your idea is perfect for them; you have to convince them that you can turn that idea into a great article. If you can’t convince them you are the right person to write the article, your great idea won’t help you.

How to Write Quality Query Letters: Write a Great Headline

The first line of your query letter is the most important line you’ll write. If you capture the reader’s interest with the first line, your chances of selling your article will improve dramatically. Every writer should take at least a little time to study copywriting and sales letters, because a query letter is essentially a sales letter. You are attempting to sell an article by writing a custom sales letter to a single potential publisher.

The best way to start off a query letter is to treat the first line like it was the headline for your article. Center it above the rest of the text and make it as provocative as possible. Try to match the style of your target publication when you write the headline. Cosmopolitan and Woman’s Day are both publications aimed at women, but their style and content are different. In most cases, you would want to write a different headline for your query letter if you were pitching it to one magazine rather than the other.

Beyond being provocative, the headline should give the editor some idea of the format and style of your article. For example, “Ten Ways to Smash Christmas Debt” would clearly be a list article while, “Do You Blow Your Christmas Budget?” could be a list but sounds more like a quiz or a series of questions and answers. Here are some provocative headlines from recent articles on the web. Note that the style of headline matches the style of the publication. Also remember that I am discussing the headlines, not the content of the articles.

• Beat the Holiday or Financial Blues: 9 Tips for Making Yourself Happier in the Next 30 Minutes — Zen Habits
• How to Deal with Cranks, Flamers and Trolls — Men with Pens
• I Got Off My Ass and Did It –  Someday Syndrome
• What Freelancers Can Learn From The Dog Whisperer — Beyond the Rhetoric
• The 10 Free Resources Every Writer Needs — Write to Done
• When witnesses take over the news — BuzzMachine
• Doctors Observe First Known Case of Sleep E-Mailing — Techcult
• What Do Prostitutes and Rice Have in Common? — Freakonomics
• Social Media Bought My Car — Remarkablogger

After your headline, consider writing a subhead that provides additional information and clarity. A headline that is meant to attract attention is not always as informative as it is provocative. The subhead gives you a chance to explain the content of your proposed article. You want to capture the editor’s attention, and then you want to give them the essential flavor of your article before you move on to the meat of your query.

How to Write Quality Query Letters: Offer them what they don’t have

The best way to convince a publication to purchase an article from you is to offer them something new and interesting. If you pitch them an article that sounds similar to a previous article in their publication, or something similar that ran in a rival publication, you probably aren’t going to make the sale. Most publications aren’t in the business of repeating the same material over and over again.

It can be difficult to come up with truly original ideas, especially when you are dealing with a publication that caters to a narrow topic. A magazine about model trains or a web site about search engine optimization doesn’t have much new ground to cover after a while. Still, if you consider yourself a knowledgeable writer about one of those subjects, you should be able to find a fresh approach to the material. You may not come up with an idea that has never been used before, but at least try to find a new way to present the material. Often, it is a good idea to get more specific. There may be many search engine optimization articles about using keywords, but if you take the time to discuss a small part of a specific technique, you might find some ground that has not been covered.

When you do have a new idea, or a new take on the subject, make sure that you emphasize that early in your query letter. The fact that you aren’t offering the same old story should be one of your key selling points in your query letter. Your goal is to stand apart from everyone else. It is worth spending a little extra time thinking about how to make your idea original. Another good way to do this is to add a little personal experience to your pitch or to pick an overriding metaphor that hasn’t been used before, such as comparing model train enthusiasts to politicians. No matter how you go about it, find something new to say if you want to make a sale.

How to Write Quality Query Letters: Do your research

A good query letter can mean the difference between a rejection and a sale. In the days of email and web clients, many writers have lowered their standards. They dash out quick notes rather than make formal queries. They use casual language and give only brief explanations of what they plan to do. For some people, this works. Two dozen quick, badly written queries may be more cost effective than one well-crafted query. If you do care about quality though, and want to show that you are a quality writer with a solid idea, than this series is for you. Part one is all about getting to know your potential client. 

Look for submissions guidelines 

A magazine or web site’s submissions guidelines are the best advice you are going to get about how to approach the potential client. They may have a format they prefer, or they may let you know what topics they are looking for and what topics to avoid. They might also tell you what they pay, who the appropriate editors are, and what lengths are preferred. Some magazines may still prefer printed and mailed submissions over email. Whatever the case, the submissions guidelines are your first, bet advice about how to approach your potential client.

Read the articles 

You need to get to know your potential client. Read through their articles. For web sites, it is generally easy to find archives and review past articles. For a magazine without a web presence you may need to pick up several issues and examine them. You don’t have to read every word of every article, but you want to familiarize yourself with the writing style and the sorts of subjects they write about. You also want to be sure that your idea won’t be identical to something they have published recently. 

Figure out who is who 

You need to identify the appropriate person to receive your query. Sometimes you can get this information from the submissions guidelines, but in many cases you are going to have to actively look for the appropriate person. With magazines, there is generally a masthead somewhere in the publication. The masthead is a list of all the relevant people at a publication, from the publisher to the editors to the writers. You want to look for the editor that best seems to match your submission. For example, if you wanted to submit an interview with an artist to a regional publication, you would look for the arts editor or perhaps the lifestyle editor. 

When searching a web site for the appropriate person, the best places to check are the “about” page and the “contact” page. If you cannot find an appropriate person, it is acceptable to email the publication and ask for the name and title of the person who can review your submission. Using the correct title for a person is important. Identifying a person by the wrong title is bad. If you are unsure, just use their name.

Will The Recession Hurt Your Writing Career?

The recession is starting to get painful

I know that there are some people out there who don’t think that we’re in a recession. Some of those same people believe that a 700 billion dollar bailout of the financial caretakers who made bad bets with our money is a good idea. What I know is that my 401k is down 18% over the past year and it wasn’t due to me taking a whole bunch of chances. I chose the most conservative portfolio my company offered. I know that my company’s stock value, despite the company making its financial projections, is down by half. There haven’t been any layoffs in the past year, but hiring at the company has become anemic. They aren’t replacing the people who leave unless the absolutely have to.

As a person who posts job openings across the writing industry on my site, I know that it is getting harder for me to find good jobs to post.  I know that at least one writing career path, newspaper reporting, is experiencing a record number of layoffs. Take all that together and we’ve got trouble. If you don’t want to call it a recession, or a “slowdown”, feel free to call it “that lack of jobs thing” or something else that makes you comfortable.

Whatever the case, it is time to look at where the jobs are and where they aren’t, at least from what I have observed so far. Let me clarify that I base my opinion on three things: articles I am reading, trends I have observed as someone who posts jobs, and conversations I have had with other writers. This is not a newspaper report, it is my view of the situation. Call me a pundit, if you will.

Newspapers are doing badly

Newspapers, of course, are the hardest hit employers of writers. Their industry-wide payrolls were declining even before the general economy went into the tank. Newspaper circulations have been down for years. People don’t read the newspapers as much as they used to, and when they do, they generally read them online where revenue is tough to come by. Poor circulation reduces both newsstand income and advertising revenue. Now that the economy is bad, advertising income is dropping even more sharply as companies cut their advertising budgets. In the United States, the election season is helping offset some of those losses, but after the first weekend in November, that income will dry up. This is a terrible time to be looking for a newspaper job, there’s no way around that. Other media outlets such as television and radio stations are also feeling the pinch, but to a lesser extent. Their markets aren’t on the ropes the way the newspaper market is, but they are experiencing the same downturn in advertising as the newspaper industry is.

Copywriting isn’t too strong either

The copywriting industry is experiencing the slowdown as well. When companies cut their advertising budgets, it hits the people who create the advertising. There are some layoffs and a significant reduction in hiring. I’ve noticed a definite drop in the number of positions being advertised in this field. The only area that seems unaffected so far is direct mail, which still seems to advertise for writers at about the same clip as they have for the past three or four years.

Technical writing is still holding up

Technical writing and information development positions have stayed relatively stable so far. While there are technology companies that have had to cut their budgets over the past year, I am still seeing plenty of new positions opening up and no reports of layoffs. If the recession gets worse, which I suspect it will, then you can expect that this field will dry up too. Most companies view documentation as a “nice to have” rather than a “must have”, so if the cuts start to get severe, you’ll see this job market go down as well. For now though, it is healthy.

Proofreaders and editors have their own problems

Proofreaders and editors are facing hiring slowdowns as well. Magazines have been failing frequently over the past year, due in equal parts to reductions in advertising and increases in both paper costs and mailing costs. On the plus side, many of them are converting to web publications, but that generally means lower paying jobs for writer, proofreaders and editors alike. Medical and legal proofreaders are still getting steady work because neither of these areas has been hit by the recession yet and there is no major expectation that they will be hit.

There are some bright spots

If you are looking for some bright spots, resume writing is always a good place to find work during a recession. More and more people need good resumes as they look for work and if you know how to write resumes, you can be very helpful either as a freelancer or working for an employment agency.

In general, because it is such a low-paying industry, finding work writing for web sites isn’t difficult if you know what you are doing, it just doesn’t pay very well. Freelance copywriting is also still providing steady work as companies look to bypass agencies or internal writers and find lower-priced options for their copywriting needs. In general, freelancers tend to do well during a recession because many companies need things done but don’t want to hire someone permanently or go through a high-priced agency. The down side is that as people lose their jobs, more and more of them turn to freelancing so you competition increases.

Bad but not terrible, yet

So far, most of the writing fields are feeling the slowdown, but only newspaper writers are at a crisis point. The next year may lead to more widespread problems. The economy isn’t going to magically turn around any time soon. Next time, I’ll discuss some strategies for surviving as a writer in a down economy.

Why Writing Deadlines May Be (Almost) As Good As Money

Article by Karen Zara

As much as we all like and/or need money, getting paid may not be enough to keep a writer motivated. Deadlines often are just as important. Although some of us fear — or even hate — them, the truth is that without them many of us simply wouldn’t write anything. And you can count me among those many.

My Story

I devote the entirety of my writing time to non-fiction pieces. However, I am and will always be a fiction writer at heart. I do like writing non-fiction, but fiction is my dearest passion. You might ask why I devote my time to non-fiction then. Some of you probably think that it’s just because it’s easier to earn a living from it. But that’s not the case. Of course non-fiction writing helps me pay the bills, but I could certainly save some time for my novels and short stories. The main reason why I don’t do it is lack of pressure.

When I have to write an article for a client, I am supposed to meet a deadline; otherwise I will lose money — and credibility, which is even worse. When I want to continue a novel or start a new short story, there’s no one telling me that I should get everything done within 48 hours. What type of writing do you think I will prioritize?

Blogging For Money… and Deadlines

I don’t see why a writer wouldn’t want to have a blog nowadays. It’s so easy to use blogs to showcase your talent and display samples to potential clients, that you’d be really missing a lot if you didn’t make use of those powerful tools.

Nonetheless, when you keep your own blog you may end up neglecting updates. On the other hand, when you’re hired to update someone else’s blog, you will have to sit down and write those posts. And your boss will certainly have told you which days of the week you should never skip. No excuses will be tolerated. You won’t be able to wait until you find the perfect blogging idea.

Using Deadlines to Strengthen Your Writing Career

Would you like to speed up your dwindling writing career? Do not waste your time telling yourself that someday you will query that magazine’s editor or pitch a guest post to that famous blogger. “Someday” is just too vague. What you may need is to put some pressure on yourself. And the first step is to search not only for money or fame, but also for tight deadlines.

Let’s see if that would work for you.

Just for a few months, forget about your beautiful writing dreams. Try to be more practical. Visit a good writing job board — you’ll find one right here at PoeWar — and don’t pay too much attention to the highest pay rates (I know that’s really hard to do, but…). Instead, apply for jobs that demand a fast turnaround. The faster, the better. Bonus if the topic you’ll have to write about requires some research.

The idea here is to be bold. Of course, you should never exaggerate. Don’t apply for a job if you feel that it’s really beyond your forces and ability. But don’t be too nice to yourself either. You must get used to challenging yourself and writing as quickly as possible, without sacrificing your piece’s quality. At the end of the process, you will have a happy client, some money in your pocket and renewed motivation to move your writing career forward. Now rinse and repeat.

Put your limits to the test, get those tough jobs done and see how good it feels when you realize that you can be a productive writer — and get paid for it.

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Karen Zara is a writer who dislikes working under pressure but does it all the same, because she knows it is good for her. What happens when she doesn’t have an approaching deadline to meet? She tries to update her blog Abaminds, which you are kindly invited to visit.

Seven Powerful Tips for Maximizing Your Freelance Writing Business

Article by Meryl K. Evans

You’re on your own. Mama ain’t around to remind you to get your homework … err… writing work done. If she is, you’re an exception to the rule.

Ahh… the freelance life. The living is easy, the cotton is high. No, wait. Porgy and Bess‘ “Summertime seeped” into this post. Shoo.

The internet overflows with freelancing and business management advice. These seven tips comprise the biggies that ensure you run a successful and smooth freelance business.

Motivate yourself

When you’re on your own, no one will push you to get things done and on time. Well, sure the client will remind you or ask you, “When will I get this from you? Didn’t you said you’d have this to me yesterday?” Be proactive. Get it done before the client starts asking. Also, let the client know up front when you’ll have the work done.

Balance email and social networking

I’m an e-mailoholic. I click “Get mail” way more than I should. I’m lucky this bad habit doesn’t interfere with my work. Some folks get stuck Twittering, Linking in, Facebooking, and other social mediaing take up too much of their time. Social networking is valuable to freelancers, but not when they steal too much of your time. Hey, this can become a habit — twice a day? Once a day? Make a rule and stick with it, which brings us to …

Keep a schedule

Freelancing means flexibility. You’re a night owl? Set your hours 10am to 7pm. Early bird? 7am to 4pm. Whatever works for you as long as you keep a schedule. Do you blog? Make it a habit to blog first thing or last thing. Once something becomes a habit, it becomes easier to do it regularly.

Play nice

Some clients will pull almost every nerve in your body. Don’t let the nerves take over and tempt you into saying or doing something you regret. Stay amicable. When the other person decides to burn bridges, bite your tongue as lashing out would do no one any good.

Go the extra mile

This goes along with “under-promise and over-deliver.” You don’t want to make promises you can’t keep. Instead, be consistent and aim a little lower. Also make an effort to “surprise and delight” the client where possible. It may have nothing to do with writing. For example, I’ve sent relevant articles to clients, let them know about a relevant blog entry in which they might want to leave a comment, give them names of people when they need a resource, and sent them relevant reporter leads so they can contact the reporter to help out and maybe be quoted in the story.

Make marketing a regular part of your job

Just like you have to manage your money, you also have to keep marketing. Businesses go bankrupt, budgets get cut, companies drop freelancers, and projects end. Social networking can help a lot. Most of my freelance projects come from referrals. You might gain most of your business in another way such as querying. If that’s the case, set a daily query goal. That’s your marketing tool.

Manage your money

It helps to include late payment in your signed contract or document it somewhere that the client will pay a penalty for late payments. This shows you’re serious about your business and that you don’t tolerate late payment. Most of the time when they see this, they pay on time. Invest in bookkeeping and invoicing software or services like QuickBooks, SimplyBill, Blinksale, Freshbooks, SimpleInvoices, LessAccounting, etc.

Freelancers also have to deal with the yucky part — paying taxes. Not all clients require W9s. I pay quarterly taxes (1040-ES estimated tax for individuals PDF file) through EFTPS. The form looks more complicated than it is. When it’s time for a quarterly tax payment, add up what you’ve earned and multiply that by .15, .25, or whatever you need to take out based on how much taxes you paid last year. An bookkeeping application makes it easy to figure out what you need to pay. Of course, I’ve only taken half a semester of accounting and am more of a novice, so please consult with a professional accountant on this.

All dream jobs come with a downside (I’d love to hear about one that doesn’t). Baseball players deal with getting hurt, striking out, and having public lives. Best-selling authors deal with the pressure of coming out with another hit, writer’s block, and unruly agents, editors, or other staff.

Freelance writers know that they have to do things they don’t enjoy. They also know doing the blechy stuff is worth it to do their first love and passion: Writing.

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Meryl K. Evans
Content Maven for Hire
Writing :: Editing :: Research
Web site: http://www.meryl.net/
Author: http://www.meryl.net/shorty/outlook_book/

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