My Writing Pet Peeves

Sometimes my own writing annoys me. As much as I try not to write certain things, I do it anyway. Then, I have to backspace or correct it when I proofread it. Once you correct the same thing 20 times, it gets a little annoying. I just cannot break the habit though…

What I am talking about is my use of the word, 'that'. I don't even know why I place it repeatedly in articles but I do it in places where it's not needed. I don't have an example, but I do it all of the time. I am surprised that I haven't….SEE! Right there. I knew I would have an example if I wrote long enough. I simply do not need 'that' there but I write it repeatedly. UGH.

Oh well, the first step in solving a problem is knowing you have a problem. Hopefully, someday I will release the word, 'that' from my fingers, which type faster than I think at times.

Getting Ready to Write

So I have a ritual when I am getting ready to start or work on an assignment. First, I check my e-mail, respond and think of any friends I haven't written to in awhile. Then I head over to my Google Reader and see who has posted some new posts. I read them, comment, and then go through the list again to see if anyone has updated their blog since I first started reading. Then I check the message boards to see what everyone else is up to for the day. To get me in the writing mode, I will write here or just write on a subject I enjoy. After that, my juices are flowing…usually. If not, then I have to just make myself write.

Forcing Creativity in Writing

It really doesn't work that way. You can't force creativity. Creativity is something that you need to find within yourself and release it. If it's locked away somewhere and you are not mentally prepared to release it, you won't produce great pieces of writing. Forcing yourself causes you to put pressure on yourself and that stresses you out making you forget the reason why you started writing in the first place. You are not a machine spitting out words on a page. Writing is an art. There is a difference between wanting to write and having to write, and that difference will show in the quality of your writing.

Working At Home versus "The Outside"

Before I start, do not get me wrong, I LOVE working from home. It allows me to stay home with my child, feel productive, and pay the bills. These are all the things that I love about working from home. Oh, and I almost forgot, I really LOVE writing too. Anyway, like everything in the world, it has its drawbacks. Let me tell you what I thought of and if you have any, feel free to add your own!

You don't work you do not get paid.

When you work outside the home, most of the time you work for a salary (at least I did). This means that if you have days that you just don't feel like doing much, you can usually be a slacker and do enough to get by that day.
Freelance work is not that flexible. If you don't write that article, you don't get paid. So that means, you need to actually work every day. There really isn't any down time that you get paid for like you do in other jobs.

There is no lunch break.

Of course, you take a lunch break to eat lunch. What I am talking about is how when I worked on "the outside" I would go out to lunch with my coworkers and we would have a great time. Granted, I worked in the mental health field so the lunch was mostly a mental health break for me. However, it would be nice to have this in the freelance writing field.

Minimum social interaction about work.

Since you don't work in an office you don't get to complain to others around you how boring something is or how much you don't want to work that day. I am slowly discovering that message boards and blogs are my "office" and can serve the same purpose except you really need to watch what you say out there on the World Wide Web.

Okay, that's all I have for now, they are just the biggies that I often think about. Like I said, I wouldn't switch because of those things, it's just something to think about.

Your Business, Your Rates

There is always discussion among freelance writers about how some people prefer to charge low rates for their work and this brings others down. I have read about it so much that when I find something else about it, my mind usually goes blank and all I read is BLAH BLAH BLAH. It's one of those things, if you've heard it once, you've heard it before.

However, I feel the need to state my opinion here on my blog. I think everyone has to start somewhere to gain experience, confidence, and knowledge about the industry. If this means charging clients .01/word, so be it. The key is how long someone stays at that rate. It does not take long to understand what the market is looking for and what you need to do to market your writing. That is, if you don't completely fill your plate with these .01/word projects.

Once you work up the confidence, just throw caution to the wind. Don't think about the possibility of not getting an assignment or project because your rates are too high (because they won't be). If the client chooses you than great, if not, keep going. Weed through the clients because there are fields of them available to you. If you need to lower your rates so you can get some experience in a specific niche, go right ahead, but then use that to get higher work. Don't get stuck.

My next tip is just to APPLY APPLY APPLY. You never will know if someone didn't choose you because of your rates or your experience. However, the more you apply the more experience you will receive in writing cover letters and selling yourself.
Finally, this is your business so you can charge the rates you feel are fair to your clients as well as to you. Do not short change yourself. You work too hard and need compensation for it.

One more thing, I visit Writing World and there's a great post about this same subject. There is a survey that was taken on how much people charge for a 500 word article. The results may surprise you and show you that you don't have to charge clients such low rates because many others are working less and getting paid more.

Did you Reach your Writing Goal Today?

After starting my day on not a very motivated step, I have accomplished everything I wanted to today AND watched a little TV with my husband. You must think I watch a lot of TV since I have already mentioned it three times. Yes, I am a trash TV junkie, can't fight the addiction.

Anyway, in the beginning of the week, I write down everything I would like to get done that week. Then each day (usually before I turn in or first thing in the morning), I write down what I want to accomplish in that day. I only write down what I feel is a manageable goal and will still get me to where I want to be by Friday.

If I get what I need done early in a day (that is a GREAT day) I either take a break or I keep going so I can take a break later (depending on how I feel). So far, I really like my system. It keeps me motivated and gets my work done. If I have a day like the other day in which I get a migraine or other illness, I just have to rearrange my schedule to accommodate. It means, of course, I have to do more work the following days. As long as I can keep my head above water, I am good to go.

Lesson #2 Keep a Schedule

Lesson number two for today is to make a schedule. It will keep you on track, motivated and will help you prepare for the unexpected.

Motivation…Motivation…Oh Motivation, where are you?

It's Monday and my headache is finally gone…only three days later. Now, I am sitting here with a list of things to do and NO motivation. UGH. What happened to that surge I talked about in the last post? Must have jinx myself. So in my attempts to get started I thought I would write a little on this blog.

My Procrastination Tactics

In my procrastination tactics, I just looked through my Google Reader for all the new posts for today. I applied for a couple of good gigs. That is always exciting.

Feast or Famine in Freelance Work

Freelance writing or any other freelance work is such a feast or famine type of thing. Either you have too much on your plate or you have almost nothing at all. I apply for jobs everyday or whenever there is something that I may be interested in. That way I cut down on the time that I am in famine status. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed because I worry that jobs will overflow my inbox and I will not have enough hours in a day.

Ready to Work

Well, I think I have broken through the motivation glitch and am ready to get started. Thanks for listening to my rambling. My lesson for today is when you are stuck or lack the motivation to write, just start writing anything. You will break through that mental block you have and get ready to start the real work.

Feeling Sick and Writing

It's just not possible. You just can't be sick and write quality pieces. I have tried and all I end up doing is going back and rewriting practically everything I wrote. Not only that, it took me forever to write the article. I have to stop and force myself to concentrate and then force myself to try to get it out on the screen.

Yesterday, I was at the coffee shop doing some work. On the way, I started feeling the migraine aura I usually have right before a whopper of a headache. I took some Tylenol and had a Carmel Macchiato but to no avail, the migraine hit like a ton of bricks. DARN. I had big plans for my time at the coffee shop. I wanted to get ahead for the week. My head had other plans. I tried to write anyway but like I said, it took me forever and half the time I could not really see what I was writing.

Finally, I just gave up and came home. The whole night I tried every home remedy I could think of and took more Tylenol. I passed out around 9:00 (after Kings of Queens) and that was it for my "productive" day.

The good news is that after my migraines, I have a rush of motivation. That means I get more done than I can on normal days. I think it has something to do with being OUT for a day or two and needing to do something with all of my energy.

The lesson of the day is if you're sick, it's better to just give up and get well. You will not do your best work and it will take you twice as long to do your work. When you feel well, you can come back refreshed and ready to get all the work you need to do and then some.