5 Demons Out to Kill Your Freelance Writing Career
No freelancer starts freelance writing with the intention of ending it soon. All of us are looking towards progress and advancement in our careers and businesses, aren’t we? As much as we would love to see our freelance writing careers taking off like a rocket, there are some monsters that can jeopardize all our rosy dreams. Take a quick look at these 5 devilish creatures, so that you can identify them from a mile away. Once you recognize these demons, it will be easier to save your freelance writing career from falling prey to them. Ready? Here we go:
Demon # 1- Wrong Impression
Freelance writing has indeed become a very popular career choice around the globe, but let us face the facts here. Most of us freelancers did not take it up as a primary career choice. Majority of us have had some or the other alternative professions before and / or while diving into freelance writing.
This may encourage your subconscious mind to get a wrong impression that freelance writing is just a leisure/ hobby/ pastime. No, it is not! If you allow this wrong impression to develop in your subconscious, then your freelance career is heading towards doom. Let me tell you why.
Hobbies and pastimes are looked upon as activities indulged in for pleasure and whiling away free time that is leftover after ‘real work’. If you consider freelance writing as a pastime, then you never take it seriously. There is no harm in pursuing two or more careers at the same time, but don’t expect to succeed in all of them until you take all of them seriously. Freelance writing is no joke; it takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to become a successful freelancer.
Demon # 2- No Answerability
Many freelancers think that freelancing is all about being one’s own boss and having no answerability to anyone. A lot of freelancers take up the project and sign up the contract, but then they cannot deliver results. This is so wrong! Being a freelance writer only means that you get to decide, when to take up work and when to refuse
Being one’s boss definitely does not mean treating the client and the project in any way you please. Whatever jobs that you take up as a freelancer are binding under the contract and you have to abide by the rules. But taking on answerability and accountability infuses more professionalism and definitely makes you a popular freelance writer with repeat clients.
Demon # 3- No Contract
Any freelance writer working via freelance writing job sites knows how tough the competition has become, especially since the advent of recession (leading to loss of day jobs). This rising competition has forced many freelancers to become desperate enough to work without any formal contract /agreement in order to land a paying project. No matter how sweet the words and no matter how high the promises made by the clients, agreeing to freelance work without a proper contract / agreement can kill your freelancing career even before it starts.
Demon # 4- Working for Less
Maybe the recession and lack of paying day / regular jobs is to blame; but agreeing to work for less money is a trend that is fast taking on newer countries in its reach. There was a time when the freelance writers from the developed nations would blame the other nationalities of working for less. But the recession has definitely leveled all national barriers and now even American freelancers are bidding dirt cheap rates for freelance writing projects.
This is a very bad trend for the freelance writing industry in general. Working for less only corrodes the market and destroys all possible chances of earning a decent income from freelancing. Some of the high profile freelance writing job sites have strictly enforced a minimum amount, below which no freelancer is allowed to bid. This may work for many people but there are freelancers who try to circumvent this issue by agreeing to work without any contract by dealing with their clients outside the freelance jobsite. This only brings us back to Demon # 3 above.
Demon # 5- Unprofessional Behavior
Your client is paying you for your expertise, skill and time. As a freelancer, you ought to respect these considerations and put forward your best professional behavior when dealing with clients. There are a few freelancers who think of freelance writing as a pastime (Demon # 1) and employ various unprofessional methods in client and project dealing.
For example, some freelance writers may commit to a time sensitive project and then half way through it, suddenly throw their hands up. This sort of unprofessional behavior must be avoided at all costs. You may return the advance payment or forego the rest of the payment, but the client is still at a loss, because he/ she loses valuable time.
Many a times, freelance writers bid on several projects together and may get a better paying project when they are halfway through the previous project. At this point they decide to dump the one on which they had already committed to and jump onto the better paying job. This trend continues and dealing with such unprofessional freelance writers becomes a total hazard for clients. Familiarize yourself with this Demon # 5 and avoid it for all you are worth.
My Freelance journey
I transited to freelance writing from a medical profession (details of this transition here), but I made sure that I was doing justice to my newly chosen career. I have had a variety of experiences during my freelance writing career, both as a freelance writer and as a client as well. This gives me a wonderful chance to present the perspectives of both freelance writers and clients. Hope you enjoyed this post and I am eager to know about your experiences in freelance writing as well.
Related Posts:
- 3 Freelance Writing Tips for Work at Home Moms
- Freelance Writing Tips- Fixed Price or Hourly Assignments?
- What is Freelance Writing- Can It Help Make Money Online?
- 6 Freelance Writing Tips for Netting Your First Project
- Freelance Writing- Tips to Make Money with Freelancing
About the Author (Author Profile)
Dr. Kavita is a passionate blogger, expert freelance writer, fledgling online entrepreneur and a compassionate doctor all rolled into one. Blogging is something that she loves doing. She enjoys sharing useful tips on blogging, freelance writing and various make money online methods, with her blog readers.Category: Freelance Writing
Comments (1)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
Sites That Link to this Post