10 Empowerment Tips for Freelance Writers
September 9, 2009 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing, Thoughts and Stuff, Web Content
Some interesting discussions are unfolding regarding the decision for FWJ to partner with Demand Studios. They weren’t unexpected. I knew there were some old schoolers (and even some new schoolers) who wouldn’t agree with my decision. However, I feel I made the best decision for this community – and for me. Here’s something interesting -a buzz word is coming out of this whole thing: “empowerment.” It’s suggested that perhaps I’m not doing enough to empower writers to strive to always reach for the higher paying opportunities. I’m not quite sure what many of these bloggers feel I’ve been doing here for the past few years if not empowering writers.
What I’m not doing is closing my eyes to reality. I know writers are going to do what they have to in order to survive. I know there are writers who are always going to want to write for content sites for their convenience and ease of use. This isn’t going to change. So I can ignore it, get all negative about it, or I can discuss and compare the good types of these opportunities vs. the bad. I can help writers spot a smelly gig. I can suggest they ensure the end justifies the means. Instead of a daily rant, I like to provide useful, practical advice. Is it empowering? I suppose that’s up to the individual to decide. I like to think I do something useful here, but I suppose useful is in the eye of the beholder.
Would I like to see all writers earn hundreds of dollars for a single article? Absolutely. Do I think that’s going to happen for all writers? No. Not because writers aren’t empowered or talented enough, but because they will do what they want to do and I won’t change their minds no matter how much I rant. I can help them to achieve this goal, and I do. I can also help the writers who wish to make a living with content sites.
There are writers who don’t want to write for corporate America. There are writers who don’t want to seek out private clients. There are writers who prefer not to deal with print. I can appreciate and respect that. So instead of making them feel like they’re making a bad choice, or questioning their intelligence or ability to write well, I can encourage them to make good choices among their chosen niches and genres.
I hope I empower or, at the very least, inspire at least a few writers. In that spirit, today’s discussion:
10 Empowerment Tips for Freelance Writers
1. Know that you have talent
Some people will say you don’t have talent or you’re a plagiarist if you’re a prolific writer. We know this isn’t true. Only you know how long it takes to write within your realm of expertise. Your editors like you or you would have been fired a long time ago. Your community likes you or they wouldn’t respond so positively in the comments. The people who pay you to write for them like you, or they wouldn’t accept your submissions. So what if someone who has never done what you do says it can’t be done? You know otherwise, and when it comes down to it, you’re the only one you need to answer to.
2. Know that you control your own destiny
If you want to write for high circulation magazines, you know where to find the tools and resources to make this happen. If you want to be a freelance copywriter for a famous advertising agency, you know what you have to do to make that happen. If you want to write content for a well-known website, well, you know how to land that gig too. My fellow bloggers and I? We can help discuss options, methods and tools, but the decision of what to do with that is yours. What is your destiny?
3. Know that you are doing the best thing for you and your situation
Sometimes the choices you make aren’t the same choices someone else would make. This doesn’t mean they’re the wrong choices, it just means they’re different choices. No one should ever make you inferior because you make a different choice. Listen to all sides of the coin. Research all available opportunities and do what works best for you – not anyone else.
4. Know that you can always do better – if that’s what you choose to do
There are always going to be higher paying opportunities available, if you’re so inclined. Many times these involve more work but the higher paycheck makes them worth it. You can be satisfied with what you do now, and that’s OK if that’s your thing, or you can see what it will take to land a higher paying opportunity. Maybe you can do what I did and mix and match the two. No matter what kind of work you do, there are better opportunities. The choice is up to you to go for the gold.
5. Know that the end has to justify the means
Try this: at the end of the week divide your pay by the hours worked and note it on a spreadsheet. Do this every week. Now, what is your average hourly rate? Is it only a dollar or two? If so, you don’t have a very good opportunity going there. Is it $40 or $50? Many executives would love to earn that rate. Decide the rate that works best for you and find the jobs paying this rate or higher. Make sure the pay is worth the work put into it.
6. Know that negativity only breeds negativity
A positive attitude has a lot to do with your success. Instead of saying, “I can’t do better than my current situation” try saying, “I wonder what opportunities are available for someone in my situation” or “I wonder if my content site clips will help me land this newspaper job.” Instead of saying, “can’t” try a “what if”. A “can do” is sure to follow.
7. Know that the only one standing in your way is you
Freelance writers have a lot of silly excuses for not getting out of their comfort zones and that’s all they are – excuses. If you want to strive to do better, you have to get out of your own way. Make a list of excuses and eliminate them. Is it because you hate cold calling? Make one call, after that it will be easier. Is it because you’re afraid you don’t have a good enough query letter? Ask other writers to critique your query and help you fine tune. Is it because you’re afraid you’ll actually land the assignment and have to do the work? Well isn’t that the point? Stop making excuses. Stop getting in the way of success.
8. Know that rejection is part of the job
Everyone who writes receives rejection in one form or another. Stephen King tells the story of sticking a railroad spike into his bedroom wall and filling it with rejection slips. Don’t let rejection stop you, you’re in very good company. Know that it takes a few “thanks but no thanks” letters before you receive an acceptance – and when you do it will be so sweet.
9. Know that rates are subjective
My hourly rate and yours aren’t the same, and they shouldn’t have to be. Do you want to know why? Because you and I both have different situations. Our lifestyles are different, our family income levels are different. We pay different amounts of taxes, our mortgages are different and we’re probably doing different types of writing gigs. It makes no sense for me to tell you how much to earn when I know nothing about your situation. Rates aren’t the same for everyone and they shouldn’t have to be.
10. Know that the first step is always the hardest
Finding a private client or querying an editor takes guts. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. It takes confidence to take that first step. Once you do, it’ll get better, I promise. Once you send that first letter out or make that first phone call, the rest will be easier. Take the first step and the rest will fall into place.
Hell…I’ll even throw in a bonus
11. Know that what I think doesn’t matter
It’s about making the choices that work for YOU.
What’s your favorite empowerment tip for freelance writers?
- Freelance Writing: Start Low (But Not too Low) and Aim High
- The Best of FWJ:15 Blog Posts About Rates
- 65 New and Useful Posts for Brand New (and Veteren) Freelance Writers
- Why I Still Post Freelance Writing Job Leads and Why I Know You Know Best
- How (and Why) I’ve Changed My Thinking Over a Decade of Freelance Writing
Great empowerment tips! I definitely agree that you control you own destiny. I’m working on a screenplay which means I must schedule time to write. The screenplay will not write itself. I’ve taken a class and bought books. I also worked with a creativity coach.
There are writing jobs that I applied for that I didn’t get. Oh Well! I move forward with my life. I ask for feedback when I remember to do so. Feedback can help improve your writing skills. Also, I tune out the “Negative Nancy’s” in the world. It’s not worth it.
Feedback is a writer’s best friend. As long as it’s constructive and not mean-spirited. Thanks, Rebecca!
OK, I had to weigh in on this one. I’ve only been part of this community for little more than a couple of months, and I’ve seen plenty of “reach for the stars”-type articles. I’ve queried several publications from the “$100 or more” list, and that’s not the only one I’ve found useful.
But, if freelancing has taught me anything in the past year, it’s that you can’t count on those big-money deals to come through if you want to survive. It took Smithsonian more than a month to get back to me when I submitted an essay to them, and then it was a polite “no”. If I hadn’t been caulking the leaks with quick-and-informative gigs through Demand Studios and the like, I’d have no money in my pocket right now. Times are tough.
Besides, I love being able to pick from the long list of available topics. I started out doing articles about things I already understood, but quickly branched out into things I just found interesting. It’s a marvelous way to practice formal writing and learn a little in the bargain.
Basically, I hate having to take $15 jobs from a financial perspective, but I’m glad they’re there, because if I can’t make any money between big projects, I’m going to have to stop living the dream and go back to a cubicle.
Yuck.
Thank you for your kind words, Eric. Something interesting about these content gigs is how many experienced writers and journalists use them to fill in the gap between paychecks. I mean, we all want the big money projects, but they don’t happen for us everyday. There’s no shame in supplementing our income. Many writers will take to waiting tables or working at Starbucks to keep the cash flowing between projects. This pays the same or more and does the same thing. Not sure why it’s such a terrible thing.
Good luck to you, please come back often and let us know how you’re doing with your queries!
Thanks for the direct reply, Deb. The bartender/waiter comparison is right on. At the beginning of this year, I had a weekly column for a major sports website. This summer, they decided to start consolidating some of their content, and I was squeezed out of that dependable income. I’ve applied for some part-time jobs around town to provide that sense of security, but nothing is going to give me the flexibility that writing short “How To” articles can. I can still accept a big one-off assignment when it comes along, and travel if necessary, without having to beg a boss for time off to pursue my writing. I like that.
This is an excellent article and I just shared it with my writing friends in the hopes that it will encourage them as much as it encouraged me.
Eric (who posted right before me) – you have to keep sending those queries out to land the big gigs. It took me one year of sending 5 queries out per week to start landing regular magazine writing jobs which paid around $300-$600 each article. After I published several, editors of sister publications called me to offer me assignments. But it took a year and I didn’t count the rejection slips.
One of the essays I sold that year (1994) ended up in an anthology which is still in print today, so I guess I did well.
Even today, rejection (or worse, silence – never hearing back) hurts. But if you want to write, you just have to keep at it.
My personal list of where I like to work and write wouldn’t work for all. What I loved about this post is the emphasis on finding what works for YOU. So many writing bloggers take a stance that this and that content site is demeaning, all revenue sites are bad, whatever. My mixed bag of regular private clients, content sites, royalty sites, and magazine/book writing wouldn’t work for lots of people – but it works for ME.
Excellent post. This one gets bookmarked.
Thanks for your comments, Jeanne. Sounds like your having a great career, I’m so happy you’re part of our community!
I don’t comment often, but I had to for this post, Deb. I wish more writing bloggers would make the distinction that you have: that each one of us has to find what works best for us, and looking down our noses at someone who takes different types of gigs is ridiculous and a waste of time for everyone. I make a full-time, healthy writing income from a variety of sources, from a regular copyediting gig, my position as an About.com Guide, a writer for PlanetGreen.com, magazine articles, books, and, yes, Demand Studios. I’m also still getting the occasional check for work I did for Suite101 and Hubpages back in the beginning of my career. All together, it works for me and my family. I’m never bored, I make good money, and I’m doing the type of writing I want to do.
Love this post. And you have always been an empowering force for those of us in the trenches. Thanks!
Hi Colleen,
I’m not a huge fan of residual sites because I don’t think many writers make money from them, but that’s not a secret. However, I will always respect a writer’s decision even if I don’t understand or even approve. What I can do is suggest writers make sure the ends justify the means. I can offer tips and advice for finding higher paying work, and I might even get angry at some of the places I feel truly take advantage. What I won’t do is show disrespect towards any writer who makes a choice I wouldn’t necessarily make. We all do what we have to do.
It’s really a different world out there than when I started in publishing (over 20 years ago). I get that. I also know that sometimes we have to do things others might not approve of in order to put food on our tables. It’s not up to me to decide where you should work. I make suggestions, but you make the ultimate decision.
Rock on.
So, if you don’t like residual income sites, then do you recommend that no one at Demand Studios does the revenue sharing articles then? Not sure how you can partner with DS and then say you are not a fan of residual sites when DS offers revenue sharing articles?
I think that any writer or so-called writer should do whatever they want. What is it to another person what kind of money and how hard another writer works. Does anybody go up to the McDonalds in their city and tell the people behind the cash register that they need to quit the job and look for a better one when you don’t know what kind of situation that person is in?
She isn’t “recommending” anything. She is saying she isn’t fond of revenue sharing sites. She also said she respects people for the decisions they make because they need to do what works for them.
And then there was number 11 in the list. Did you catch that? Good grief, it amazes me how a totally positive and upbuilding post can still attract someone who finds fault. Which brings us to number 6 on the list…
First off, I was not attacking Deb, I was simply asking her a question. If she is openly partnering with Demand Studios then she can expect questions about it. Right? Didn’t want to make it come off as an attack if that is the way it did. I just wanted to hear HER answer, that’s all!
Secondly, the second half of my post was basically agreeing with her about what works for each person. That was nothing against her at all. Like I said I was agreeing with what works for each person’s situation and is no one else’s business. Not sure how you took that, but sounds like you took it wrong.
Hi Tiffany,
What I recommend is that folks make sure the end justifies the means. I don’t recommend any writer work for pennies, ever. I always suggest writers who write for residual sites to divide their total residual income by the total amount of articles written. If it turns out they’re earning $80 an article, rock on. If it turns out they earned about $1 over time, they need to rethink their situation.
And I agree with you. Writers need to make their own choices. What I can do is present all sides of the situation, but ultimately, they need to make their own decisions.
Thank you for stopping by.
Also, I’d like to invite everyone, once again, to read our comment policy regarding negativity. Thanks. Disagreement? Fine. Questions? Fine. Negativity and personal attacks? Not fine.
Thanks.
I do agree – and have to say that, these days, even the big ticket projects are often one-shot deals… So the fact that you get one or two multi-thousand dollar gigs is no guarantee of an ongoing string of such opportunities.
I say try as many different types of gigs as you can, and see what suits you. If it doesn’t work out well, just cut your losses (or gains) and move on.
Lisa
Well said, Lisa.
Thanks for this post. As a fairly new and young freelance writer, I still sometimes doubt my capabilities. But this is a really, really nice read.
I’ve linked you up for my latest blog post (not yet published, though – in about 7 hours, it will be.)
All the best, Deb. I’m really enjoying (and learning a lot) from your posts.