Freelance Writing Concepts You Can Just Throw Away

From: Instructables.com

This freelance writing stuff is a very strange beast. There isn’t really any right or wrong way to go about it necessarily. Most of us kind of find our own way to do things and we sally forth. Some are successful, others not so much. Here is a list of freelance writing concepts that you may want to consider tossing.

• My Writing Is Good Enough – “Hey, I can write real good. Lots of people have told me so.” Well, even if you are a good writer, it’s not enough to carry you through. The ability to write good copy is an excellent start but if you rely solely on that fact and ignore all of the other things that go into being successful in freelance writing you won’t get far. Toss out the concept that your writing will get you by.
• Clients Will Find Me – Just because you’ve hung a shingle on the web does not mean that clients will beat a path to your door. If you are taking a passive approach to getting new clients then clients are passing you by. Your success depends on a proactive strategy on your part to seek out and find a set of good clients who can help pay your rent.
• There Is Not Enough Local Work – Malarkey, says I. If you are focusing on web based clients only, you are missing out on a huge potentially lucrative market. Don’t forget your local community.
• I Can’t Afford To Advertise – I know. It’s tough. But you have to. Even if your advertising budget is meager, you can and should work on getting the word out. Build partnerships, print flyers or business cards, connect with other writers and ask about reciprocal links. This may be an area to test your true creativity.
• I Don’t Have The Time To Engage Social Media – Make the time. It’s worth it in every way. My two biggest paying freelance jobs have come through relationships I have built on Twitter. Get your Twitter, Facebook and Stumbleupon life in order. After the initial set up is complete, these are easy to  keep updated.
• I Need To Work 24/7 – Oh, no you don’t. If you do not try to achieve some sense of balance in your life, you will burn yourself out. At the end of a year you will be a crispy, burnt smidgen of a crumb, curled up in a fecal position in the corner of your room, asking for your mommy. Serious. Take the time to get away from the computer and live a little.  You won’t regret it.

Sometimes we have to take what are assumed to be “givens” and turn them on their head. Talk about getting a fresh start!

What say you? Are there any concepts that you have taken as gospel that need to be turned on their head?

Posted by: George