When you work as a freelance writer, there is no shortage of helpful tips and tricks that others provide to help ‘steer you in the right direction.’ However good their intentions, there are many tips that I have seen that seem to be more of a personal choice, than a professional one.
Ditch the Jammies
Why would this even be a suggestion? One of the biggest perks of being a freelance writer is the ability to do the job just about anywhere, in any mode of dress, at any time. I understand the concept behind putting on your regular work clothes, but in all honesty, if you feel the clothing you are wearing may be distracting to your writing, many other things are likely to be distracting as well. In fact, many freelancers are disabled and have chosen this profession because it does not require them to wear clothes considered professional attire by the general public.
A career in freelancing means that your productivity, success, and daily grind are entirely under your control. As opposed to popular theory, I believe if your clothing is distracting to this kind of self-driven career, perhaps you just need to shed them. If your SpongeBob flannels are keeping you from working, I have a major feeling that donning your three piece Versace suit isn’t going to help you focus. Get minimal, not uncomfortable.
Write an eBook
Are you a professional with educated knowledge in a particular industry? Have you ever shared an idea that others think should absolutely be shared with the world? Is there a shortage of information on your topic in your industry? If you can answer yes to all three of the above, than you may have cause to create an eBook that could be a lucrative investment, a great example of your writing style, and a true benefit to others seeking knowledge on your topic.
However, remember that when you create an ebook, only the SEO and advertising you do for the ebook itself will provide public awareness of it. Search engines will not find chapter three worth mentioning, in fact, it won’t find chapter three at all if it is embedded in a document on a website and not open content on a page that can be crawled. Limit the creation of ebooks until you increase your own knowledge on topics such as advertising, marketing, social networking, and SEO. Without those, you are seriously just wasting content and your own time.
Specializing
Almost every post I see encourages all freelance writers, from the newest to the most experienced, to specialize, or focus on one topic only. The first horrible element of this tip relates to those who are new to the profession. Unless you are arriving with a degree on a topic, choosing to write only on one topic or one industry will narrow your options in many areas that you need to build a healthy career in freelance writing.
- Massive Decrease in Job Ops
- Limited Knowledge in Important Areas
- Diva-Tude
Although a writer with a solid education may have the ability to choose a particular focus and stick to it, suggesting that generally educated writer new to the industry of internet writing choose their only focus and stick to it is more a lofty idea than an idea based in the reality of reaching a steady income that can be relied upon.
After ten years of writing on thousands of topics, never considering myself too good to write on any in particular, I am just now beginning to target an industry. After ten years of realizing how many topics and industries directly mesh with each other, I realize what a horrible mistake it would have been for me to take the advice of those well-wishers who encouraged me to don my old administrator clothes, toss out a useless eBook instead of posting my knowledge where search engines can find it, and choosing one topic to specialize in.
Excellent post and many tips that several writers should think about. Great job Joy!
Hey! Thanks Christine! That compliment means a lot coming from a great freelancer like you! You are never too good to find that phenomenal needle in the haystack job that teaches you even more helpful things! We worked so well together because of that attitude!