Essentials for Freelance Writers
Because I enjoy scouring the net for great resources, I’d like to share some with the freelance writers here. So I’ve rounded up some useful articles on the craft of freelance writing.
Angela Booth nails down the essentials of productivity in her article “Five Ways to Become a More Productive Writer.” In the article, she cites goal setting as a way to enhance productivity, along with tossing out worries over criticism.
Podcasting…for Writers? You bet. It’s essential to stay on top of your game—especially with marketing and corporate communications writing. Diana Huff tells all in this enlightening article about what she has learned about podcasting.
Bob Bly always has useful information on his website, www.bly.com. In this article, Why Clients Rewrite Your Copy—And How To Handle It, he explores a common issue with writers. I can’t get enough of things that tell me how to cope with the unique challenges of my job…having people re-write my work is one of them!
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Little Digs, Big Frustrations
I did something revolutionary this week—I took a day off.
And after spending a morning at the gym and an afternoon sitting on the beach and later gardening, I really went into vacation mode. This was ground-breaking because I am a severe workaholic, and trying to apply better self-care practices to my life. (Generally, I work six or seven days a week, taking breaks, but still working continuously!)
Later that day, I let myself go online, but only for personal reasons. I posted to my blog about my relaxing Thursday off. And I was fine until I got a reply that said, “I wish I could take a day off and go to the beach.”
My friend didn’t mean anything conniving about it, but it got me to thinking how much I detest those little plugs people make. They always seem to hit my vulnerable spots, in this case, how emotionally hard it was for me to give myself a day off. It is difficult for me because of never-ending deadlines and that little-known syndrome only freelancers know about: the fear of starving.
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Work on Hold – Sort Of
Okay, I’ll admit it. My wrist is swollen and I’m still typing. Of course, a deadline is a deadline, and I’m not one to miss them.
It all started last week when I took a break from writing to paint the trim in my house. After tackling a doorway per week, I decided to go for the gusto and complete a hallway’s worth of doorways in a mere six hours. I ignored the pain. Two days later, I broke out the ice. Then the bandage. Then I stopped working altogether for a few days.
While I was lucky to be able to take time off because my workload permitted it, I have to tell you that I wasn’t always so in tune with my body. I used to push myself hard until a project was done. But I’d crash really hard.
Even though I took a break this weekend, this aching wrist is a reminder that I need to take care of myself in the midst of an injury. And as a self-employed writer—and a self-defined workaholic—that’s kind of hard to do.
It’s easy to take a break when you’ve got a few hours of down time during the day, or when you have a vacation schedule. It’s not so simple to do so when you want to work but can’t. When you have to do nothing. Oh, the dreaded doing of nothing at all!
So I’m bringing you some tips to help you cope with the times when you have to take some time off, and may have to work during a trial. Whether it’s a family emergency, a stubborn cold or even a busted up wrist, there comes times during this self-employment journey when you have to be the one to pace yourself before your body really retaliates.
Getting the Most out of Your Weekends
What are the weekends, really? I find myself asking this sometimes after a long work week. Being a workaholic and owning my own business means that I am generally writing on a Saturday afternoon or cramming in an assignment to get ahead of the work week on Sunday night. It is truly difficult for me to give myself a day off.
I realize I can’t go on this way forever, which is why I try mostly to contain my assignments to the week. But even that is hard. I justify working on the weekends when I recall the times during the week that I take a nap, dart out to the gym or treat myself to tea. Those are the times I think about the 9-to-5 corporate slaves and grin.
But there’s something that they have, which I believe I do not. I realize that those 9-to-5ers generally have more of an appreciation for weekends, and they can easily enjoy them. After all, by the time Friday at 5 p.m. hits, it’s like a jail breakout. Most 9-to-5ers leave the office, and they’re done with work. Because they don’t have to be at their office, and aren’t near it, (and yes, most of them are miserable at what they do), they are more apt to relish the weekend, not working at all—really recharging themselves and having fun!
How on Earth do they do that? And how can a self-employed person get the most out of their weekends, too?
Maintaining Your Human Identity in a Cyber Career
It was just the other day when I submitted a writing assignment. After saving my final draft and sending it off to my boss, I took a deep breath. It was another success for a regular gig, and I had managed to get it done before deadline—as always.
But just when I thought everything was fine, a return email from my boss with a replied subject line appeared in my inbox. Expecting him to confirm he received the project, I unknowingly opened up the email to find a statement that set me off. After telling me there was an error in the title, he wrote, “Come on!”
Now, I know what “Come on!” feels like when you’re being cheered on or motivated. This was not that kind of two-word phrase. It was a snap. A sarcastic brush off that shocked me. First, I had made a mistake, which is always frustrating to cope with because I want every client to be satisfied with my work. But more so, it was how my boss said it that upset me most. It was like he was spitting out nasty comments to someone who didn’t matter, and he could say it because we weren’t face to face.
Who does he think he is, I asked myself. What’s so hard about saying, “There’s an error on the title. Please fix it and return.”
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