Why Persistence Means More than Talent

I know quite a few people who can write well, but aren’t writers. They have the skill to write, but they lack the persistence to make it a career. Writing is a skill that most people have to some extent or another. There are plenty of people who don’t care about writing at all that can still do it well. They had good teachers in school and the learned what they were taught. That doesn’t mean they want to do anything with writing specifically.

It takes more than desire

The more problematic set of people are the ones who want to be writers, but don’t write. They like to read books and think about writing one. They like to watch movies and think about being a screenwriter. They have the desire, but they do nothing with it. Even if they do write that novel or screenplay, they don’t really see it through to completion. They don’t edit it until it is perfect. They don’t write a second one to build up their skill. They have enough willpower in them for one work, but not enough to make writing a career.

Easy isn’t always good

Willpower and persistence matter more than talent in most fields, and especially in writing. In fact, having a natural skill can sometimes be a hindrance. When a skill comes to a person naturally, that person often has less desire to improve. When I was in elementary school I was a math wiz. I could add, subtract, multiply and divide in my head easily and always got the best grades. When it came time to take algebra though, math suddenly became hard for me. At that point, I needed to try much harder, but I was used to not having to make an effort. I got average grades and moved on to other things. I wasn’t looking for a challenge. I just wanted to be good at it.

Sooner or later it gets tough for everyone

The same is true of people who are great at the basics of writing. A person with perfect grammar and an excellent vocabulary can write well, at first. It gets hard for them though, when they actually have to put 70,000 words together into a novel that makes sense and engages the reader. It gets hard when they have to write a heartfelt poem. It gets hard when they have to write a direct-mail advertisement that brings in customers. It gets hard when they have to write a one-hundred page guide to using a piece of software. People who have had to work at their writing though, and know they need to improve, are more likely to be up to one of those challenges. They know going in that it is going to be hard.

Writing is only the first hard step

To embrace writing as a career you need to be persistent. The pay isn’t always great and the work isn’t always interesting. Writing 70,000 words is hard. Editing 70,000 words is excruciating. Having somebody tear apart those 70,000 words and tell you it is not good enough is devastating. The career in writing belongs to the person who gets up the next day and gets back to work, either improving what they have or creating something new.

Building a writing career

If you want a career as a writer, you need to push yourself. You need to write when there are a dozen distractions, both pleasant and unpleasant. You need to see projects through to completion. You need to bounce back from criticism and even learn from it. You need to care about writing enough to stick with it through a hundred bad times, or you need to let it go. There is no shame in writing strictly as a hobby. There is no reason you can’t write for fun. There are easier and even more rewarding careers out there. If you want writing to be your career though, be prepared to push through the difficult parts and see where your path takes you.

Dealing with your Inner Observer

I have a voice in my head.

Don’t worry. I’m sane. I took a FaceBook quiz that told me so. The voice in my head is me. It isn’t the logical part of me although it sometimes pretends to be. It is more of the observer of me. It looks at what I’m doing, or what I want to do, and it judges it. The voice is both a positive and a negative thing. It is a troublemaker, but deep down it wants what is right for me, even when it is wrong about what that is.

For example, when I was working for my last employer, the voice told me I didn’t want to be there. It insisted in fact. Every day, it told me that I was wasting my time, spinning my wheels, slowly dying in a fate I did not choose. Clearly this voice is overly dramatic, but it had a point. There were things I liked about my job, but it wasn’t really what I wanted to do.

Nonetheless, I resisted the voice. In fact, in my final months at that job, I made my strongest possible effort to make things work out. I replaced my polo shirts with button ups and a tie — even a suit jacket. This may not mean much in some places, but in the 110 degree summers of Arizona, it means a lot. I decorated my cubicle with motivational posters. I pushed myself to be more organized and more on task. I tried not to say anything negative, even in the face of major cutbacks at work. I monitored my “Rightsteps” and made sure I was exceeding every goal my boss had set for me.

It didn’t matter. I was fired anyway.

The voice in my head was relieved, but now it had a whole new set of things to obsess over. It second-guessed every move I made after I got fired. No matter what I was doing, it told me I was doing it wrong or that I should be doing something else. My inner voice had a vision of who I should be. It was a wonderful vision of me, totally independent, writing what I wanted and making a great living at it without any real struggles. It was a vision a great life, and it was keeping me from being happy.

Eventually, I had to deal with that voice. I had to listen to what it wanted and acknowledge that I wasn’t moving toward what my true hopes and dreams were. On the flip side, I had to make that inner critic understand that it was getting in my way as much as it was helping me find my way. You can’t be critical of everything, or else you won’t accomplish everything.

Finding a balance was no easy task. For me it was all about lists. I made lists of what I wanted and what I needed. I wrote down all of the things that I wanted to accomplish and all of the things that were holding me back. I made choices about the things I wanted, realizing that some of my dreams would have to be set aside for another time. Eventually, I came up with a plan that I can work with, but one I will keep track of. My inner voice is still there, but it has stopped shouting about my wrong choices for now. I know that if I get too far off track though, it will get louder again.

Task Organization

There are many approaches to getting organized. You can organize your space, you can organize your time, and you can organize your files. The type of organization I would like to focus on is task organization. This is an approach in which you track the things you have to do and try to develop ideas for completing those tasks efficiently and with the least amount of stress possible.

Make a list of tasks

The first step in task organization is to make a thorough list of all the tasks that you need to accomplish, want to accomplish, and hope to accomplish. It will be large list so don’t be frightened. Almost everyone has more tasks on their list then they can reasonably accomplish. You can achieve anything you want to achieve, as the saying goes, but you can’t achieve everything you want to achieve.

Set task priorities

After you have the list developed, you should go through and prioritize the list. There are plenty of ways to set priorities. You can list them as 1, 2, 3 or high priority / low priority, for example. What I do is break the list down into categories:

• Tasks I absolutely have to do
• Tasks I want to do and have the time and resources to do
• Tasks I should do soon
• Tasks I want to do but don’t have the time to do
• Tasks I am willing to put aside
• Tasks I am waiting for other people to do

You can pick your own categories, but it is important to have at least one list of things you aren’t going to do for now. This will get them off your mind as long as you make an agreement with yourself to review the list regularly.

Break tasks down into steps

Once you have your list, take the items that are your top priority and review them to figure out the steps you need to accomplish each task. Sometimes you can map out the whole process. Sometimes you need to settle for just listing the next step. Whatever the case, get clear on what you need to do or have in order to proceed. Be sure to keep special track of time sensitive tasks. Task management is different from time management, but it is still important to recognize that some things need to be done within a limited time span.

Pick tasks that are appropriate

Once you have your list completed, pick the item that you are most ready to do and proceed. Try to pick things that are appropriate for your available time and energy levels. If a step can’t be completed in the time allotted, you either need to break that step down into smaller steps, or pick something more appropriate for the time you have available.

Work through problems

Keep your list handy and review it as often as needed. Mark off your completed tasks and move on. If you find yourself avoiding a particular task for longer than you should, evaluate the task again. Chances are you’ve left out an essential step or requirement and are unsure of how to proceed. Some tasks, of course, are just plain unpleasant, but they are on your list for a reason.

Celebrate your accomplishments

As you complete the high priority tasks on your list, allow yourself to feel a sense of accomplishment. Don’t fret the fact that there are still more items on your list. There always will be. If you ever got close to finishing, you would think up more things to do anyway. Focus on what you do accomplish rather than what you don’t. Evaluate regularly and keep moving forward.

The Realities of a Freelance Writing Career

Leaving the comforts of a regular job for a freelance writing career means adjusting to a much different world. You will no longer be able to count on regular paychecks and company subsidized benefits. You won’t get paid sick days or overtime. You are on your own.

Your life and your career start to meld

As a freelance writer, there is no moment when you are suddenly at work or off work, especially if you work out of your home. There is nobody to tell you when you are done working for the day, and if you sleep in and miss a couple of hours in the morning, there is no one standing over you telling you to get to work or to keep working into the evening to make up for it. This leads to a perpetual feeling that you really should be doing something other than what you are actually doing, whether you are working or relaxing.

Your are responsible for your own goals

In a job you may have been able to blame your boss or the company for your lack of career advancement or your low pay. As a freelance writer, your career is entirely your responsibility. You make the decisions and you live with the consequences. Instead of negotiating with one boss, you have to negotiate with multiple clients and each one may have their quirks or issues. Some may even be hoping to rip you off. That is the reality of the business. It isn’t as safe as a regular paycheck and it isn’t for people who are afraid to make decisions.

You create your own network

As a freelance writer, you don’t get to meet coworkers in the lunch room or gossip over cubicle walls. If you want allies and friends, you have to forge the connections and keep them active. It can be lonely sitting in a home office all day with only the cat for company. A feeling of isolation is common. Social tools such as Facebook and Twitter can help you feel connected, but there is no replacement for face-to-face contact.

Life becomes deductible

As a writer, you have to manage your own taxes. That means paying the government out of your own account once a quarter to cover both income tax and social security (in the USA). It also means that anything in your life that legitimately helps you write becomes a deductible expense. Some of the typical deductible expenses are books, classes, Internet access, phone, office supplies, business cards, and computer equipment. Depending on what you write about though, other things become deductible. Someone who writes about exercise might deduct their shoes and gym membership. Someone who writes about travel might deduct their vacation expenses. This is why it is important to track all of your expenses and make sure you can justify any deduction you take. It may be smart to consult a tax accountant.

Your income relies on your output

If you get nothing done all day at a regular job, you still get a paycheck. Some people manage to survive in corporate America for years without accomplishing anything. As a freelance writer you don’t have that luxury. If you don’t do the work to land new clients and produce new writing, you don’t make money. Everyone has an off day once in a while, but if your off days start to stack up it can seriously endanger your financial stability. This is especially hard for freelance writers because people respect your time less than they do if you work a regular job. The friend or relative who would never call you at work won’t hesitate to call you at home. If you give in to these distractions, you have no one to blame but yourself. You are your boss.

Think about these realities before you jump into a freelance writing career. Full-time freelance writing is not for everyone.

Six Tips for More Organized Freelancing

Make a daily to-do list

Sit down at the beginning of each day and look at your current assignments. If you don’t have any assignments, make marketing your assignment for the day. Make a list of the three things that you most want or need to move forward on that day and decide what steps you are going to take. Tackle those items as soon as possible, before the day gets in your way.

Make a daily don’t do list

Make a list of the things that you aren’t going to do that day. This is for your peace of mind. Write down any of those nagging tasks that you think you need to do but know you won’t do. Get those items on paper and off of your mind.

Throw away everything you don’t need

By throw away I mean throw it in the trash, recycle it or give it to someone else. Everything in your office that you don’t need is a potential distraction. Yes, you are welcome to have art and other things that aren’t entirely necessary but make life better. Just get rid of the junk, and realize that most of the things in your office are probably  junk.

Keep track of the ways that you waste time

If you stop working to log on to Facebook and read your messages or play Viking Clan, write it down. If you stop to check your email, write it down. Make yourself list all the ways that you waste time. It will keep you honest.

Log your thoughts and ideas

Keep an open text file, a notebook, a smartphone or an audio recorder. Whenever you have a thought that seems valuable or won’t get out of your head, record it for later. You can review these thoughts at the end of the day to determine their value and any ways that you want to move forward.

Apply the 80/20 rule

The 80/20 rule, which applies to so much of life, is simply this. Twenty percent of effort results in eighty percent of results and benefits. Review your time and your projects and determine the most valuable way to use your time. What do you do that actually results in income, and what do you do that doesn’t result in income.

Project Management and Editorial Calendars for Freelance Writers

Managing your freelance writing projects can be complicated and the needs can differ from writer to writer. Some freelancers have many small assignments that they have to manage. Others work on long assignments and need to provide updates to their clients along the way. Some writers face a combination of these assignments. They have some small projects and some large projects, and they need to make sure every assignment is getting the attention that its size, deadline, and priority demands.

Focusing on your projects and your days

When you track projects as a freelance writer, you need to keep your eye on both the big picture and the details. On one end you have to keep track of deadlines and milestones. You must be able to report your progress to a concerned client or editor, and you must feel comfortable with your own progress. On the other side, you need to set your tasks each day, making sure that you are setting aside the proper amounts of time per day to keep moving forward on those tasks.

Setting an Editorial Calendar

On the big picture end, you should set up an editorial calendar. Your editorial calendar tracks all of your projects, both for clients and for yourself, on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. For smaller tasks such as short articles or brochures, you may only need to track the due date and put a reminder to work on it for a date that is somewhat ahead of that deadline. For long articles, books, reports or web sites, you may need to break up the editorial deadline with milestones on which you intend to accomplish certain tasks such as a draft, a section or a chapter. The editorial calendar isn’t meant to tell you what you should accomplish every day. It is simply there to keep you apprised of the big picture.

Setting Daily Goals

On a daily basis, you need to set your short-term goals. These short-term goals can be managed by time or by task. If you use a time management approach, you might set a goal to spend four hours on Project A, two hours on Project B and two hours on Project C. If you use a task management approach, you might set a goal of 1500 words on Project A, write draft of second chapter on Project B and finish article for Project C. Either method works. A task approach makes it easier to set specific goals, but an hourly approach might work best for projects that pay by the hour.

Setting Priorities

It is a good idea to start the day with your highest-priority item. Distractions can come up no matter how organized you are, so try to get the important things done before any distractions have time to present themselves. At the end of the day, assess your progress and make adjustments to your schedule. Some days are better than others and you may find yourself ahead or behind schedule on a particular project. Reviewing your editorial calendar daily is a good way to keep yourself on track.

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