10,000 words in one day

I just heard about a challenge coming up this week for writers. The challenge is to write 10,000 words in one day. This is a single day out of every month to sit down and just write all day, and this month it is on the 16th. Milli Thorton, author of Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers presented this challenge on her blog. You can read the rules of the challenge here.

She explains, “The purpose of a 10K Day is to try to write 10,000 words. The spirit of a 10K Day is to liberate myself and celebrate my creativity.”

It sounds like a lot of fun, and I would like to encourage everyone to participate. I am going to try to do this as well, schedule permitting. This is something that I would definitely do every month. I am really excited for the challenge and I hope that you are, too.

Freelance Niche: Editing

Editing is an important part of the freelance writing career, or at least it should be. If you know grammar extremely well, and you have a knack for making other people’s writing better, you may want to consider focusing on editing in your career. Writers with an eye for detail (ie. perfectionists) can most certainly earn a great deal of money as an editor.

What Editing Entails

Some editing jobs are simple proofreading, while others require rewriting. An editor may need to adjust the grammar, spelling, and awkward sentence structure of a piece that was translated from another language or clarify the thoughts written by someone who has trouble writing well.

Web copyediting is important, as many people need to make sure that their website content is appropriate, error free, and professional. I have seen some editing projects that require the daily editing of batches of web articles written by different people.

In the editing niche, you may find some academic editing work, such as dissertations, essays, text books, speeches and more. In some cases, editors are required to have some background knowledge in the subject matter so that they can verify accuracy in text as well.

Business documents such as proposals, white papers, letters and similar pieces may require and editor’s eye as well. Reports may require industry knowledge or experience, which can allow an editor to charge a higher rate for their expertise.

People searching for jobs may also look for an editor to assist with their resume and cover letters.

It is common that writers who want to get published will hire an editor to perfect their work before it goes to print. Writers can truly benefit from having an editor available to assist with proofreading and developing ideas, and that is a good selling point you can use.

How much are editors paid?

Editors sometimes charge by the hour, making $30-$100 per hour. Some editors charge a few dollars per page, depending on the amount of work that has to be done and their level of experience. Proofreading would naturally pay less than rewriting or restructuring a work entirely.

Editing Tips

It is best to try to change as little as possible when editing. Preserving the voice of the author is vital, as is making sure that the intent and meaning of the words remains.

Take your time and pay close attention to detail. As an editor, it is your job to pick up on things that the average reader would not.

Look beyond the internet for editing and proofreading jobs. While there are some available online, they may not pay very well, and there is fierce competition for those projects. Local businesses, magazines, newspapers, and other writers may have a need for editing, so try to network offline as much as possible.

Build a strong portfolio. Every writer is also an editor to some degree, so as someone who specializes in editing, you need to exemplify excellent grammar and polished, error-free work. As you gain experience, you may want to consider presenting some “before and after work” so that potential clients can get a sense of your ability. You must be able to prove that you can write well because a good editor is also a great writer.

Pay it forward, Writers!

Yesterday there was a post on The Freelance Zone encouraging all writers to do something nice for another writer. Whether you are just starting out in your writing career or you have been successful for years, pay it forward. Leave a helpful comment, send a word of encouragement, or offer your advice to someone who needs it. If another writer has inspired you, let them know. There are certain things that only other writers will understand, and that it why it is important for writers to share and connect.

I hope that this blog has been inspiring and helpful to freelance writers everywhere, as this is my sincere contribution to the writing community. I have received a lot of advice and assistance from other writers and I am truly grateful for that. Giving back feels wonderful, so give it a try.

Learning to Negotiate with Clients

Laura Spencer, on Freelance Folder, posted a good article about negotiating with clients. She pointed out that many freelancers have a difficult time with client negotiations, and some tend to avoid them all together. I would certainly encourage freelance writers to negotiate with clients about price, time frame, and scope (amount of work) in order to be comfortable with your projects. Rather than immediately rejecting certain jobs or settling for less, you may be able to work out a deal that is beneficial to you.

Negotiations should always occur at the beginning of the project. The client may request a certain deadline and offer a certain amount of payment, but it is up to you to determine if you agree to those terms. If you think the deadline is tight, let the client know that in order to do a quality job, you may need more time. If the client is pressed to get the work done, try to negotiate a higher fee. Sometimes, if the client has a tight deadline and a limited budget, I will ask them if they would accept a shorter word count per article or something to that effect.

I wouldn’t advise you to negotiate when responding to an ad, however. You don’t know if they are actually interested in hiring you yet. That may seem a little presumptuous and can be off-putting. It is best to wait and see if they are willing to hire you, and then you can enter negotiations.

Don’t accept any project until you are satisfied with the terms. It can give the impression that you are disorganized or unprofessional if you agree to do a project, and then try to change the terms later. Many clients are willing to negotiate, and some actually expect that from you. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and be willing to compromise at least sometimes. That is not to say you should settle for less than you are worth, but if the client is willing to meet you halfway, then you should do the same.

Using Multiple Freelance Writing Portfolios

Providing high quality samples of your work is a crucial element in gaining new business. While having a single portfolio can be extremely beneficial, having more than one portfolio can be a good idea, too.

Writers who take on a variety of writing projects can benefit from having separate portfolios. As a versatile writer myself, I have a diverse portfolio with individual samples that represent the range of styles I can provide. I plan to expand it, and separate academic writing form copywriting and sales, as well as apart from web article writing and newsletters.

I have found that not having a collection of samples from particular niches that I am quite capable of doing has hindered my ability to attract certain clients. I do have a range of samples, however, if a majority of my samples are different from the style that a client is looking for, they tend to move on to the next writer. I may very well have a single sample that is close to what they might be looking for, but two or three samples is always more reassuring to a buyer.

It makes sense to have groups of samples that reflect each type of writing separately. Buyers who are looking for a professional tone are not interested in seeing conversational style article on dating. A potential client looking for friendly and engaging blog posts don’t want to see technical reports. I think having mini portfolios that appeal specifically to certain buyers is a smart move, and I plan to take it. (I’m always looking for ways to improve.)

What is your portfolio like? Do you have a range of individual samples for different kinds of writing, or do you have sections with multiple samples for each type of writing? Do you have multiple portfolios?

No call, no show freelance writing

I have been shocked and amazed at the lack of professionalism displayed in the freelance writing world. On more than one occasion there have been freelance writers who have accepted a project, confirmed that they understand everything and agreed to the deadline, yet they don’t deliver. Not only do they not deliver, but they disappear completely. Recently, I hired a writer to help out with 10 short articles (less than 400 words). The writer seemed like they were in it for the money alone (which perhaps should have been a red flag for me) yet they seemed to be interested in doing the work. They asked several questions to make sure that they understood the instructions (about 4 emails back and forth), so I assumed that they were serious about completing the job.

Nope, they disappeared. Not a single email after that day. No response to my email asking about the status of the work. No call, no show. It set back my project, and I lost money. Time and money. I was furious. One of my good writer friends had a similar situation happen to them. Why do these people think that this is perfectly fine to do to someone?

If you are new to freelance writing, or even if you have been in this business for a while, please don’t do that. It reeks of unprofessionalism, gives good freelance writers a bad rap, and it is down right inconsiderate. If you can’t do the work, don’t accept the project. If you take a project and find that you don’t think the work is worth it, or if you are in over your head, own up to it and do the responsible thing and notify the buyer immediately. Walk away if you want to, but don’t put someone in a position where the deadline is reached and they have no one to replace you.

Personally, I question the integrity of anyone who would act interested in doing work, and then quit without providing any notification at all. That is no way to run a business, and sooner or later, that kind of behavior will come back to haunt you. If you want to be truly successful as a freelance writer, the honest way, take your work seriously. Clearly, if you can communicate about getting paid and taking a job, you can communicate and end a job, too. It takes a true professional to admit when they can’t or would rather not do something, and it is simply courteous to let your client know it’s over.

Writing More Daily

One way to earn more money as a freelance writer is to write more per day. You can set a goal for a number of words or a number of articles per day. Depending on what you charge, you can create an estimate of how much money you can earn by writing a certain amount each day, and do your best to meet or exceed that income goal. After I get used to writing a certain amount per day, I increase this goal so that I can allow for growth and an increase in income.

It takes discipline. As much as I love writing, every once in a while, there is something else that I would rather spend time doing. I am usually distracted by people: I am a people person and I love to joke around and have fun. I have to sacrifice some time with friends and family to focus on my work, and that is challenging sometimes. Acknowledge what your major distractions are and make an effort to put those things aside for your goal.

Sometimes you just need to start. If I find that I am lacking motivation on a particular day, I try to just start writing. Once I start coming up with ideas I start to enjoy what I am doing and I keep writing from there. I forget all of the other things I could be doing just by the action of opening up the Word file and putting some thoughts down.

Take an occasional break. Break up your daily writing goal into thirds. After each third is done, take a break. Get up and stretch, eat something, Tweet, update your Facebook status, or whatever you like to do. Remember that you are still on working time, so keep the breaks short. Fifteen to thirty minutes is usually enough for me to refresh my mind enough to sit down for another writing session.

Learning from Client Feedback

As a freelance writer, it is important to pay attention to what your clients say. The life-blood of your business is your clients, and they are the ones you need to please. You can benefit from both negative and positive feedback and you should certainly look closely at both.

Positive feedback is important because you can find out exactly what you did right. If you understand what made your service good, you can continue to do those things that keep your clients coming back. Make sure that you continue to make an effort to meet the same standards, because clients can quickly change their mind about your services if you get lazy or overconfident.

Negative feedback lets you know what you need to improve. You shouldn’t take negative feedback personally or get offended by it. Use it as a tool to work on your writing skills and your business skills to make your freelance writing services better. It can be difficult to stay confident when flaws in your writing or services are highlighted. Nonetheless, it is important to believe that you can and should do better.

Make it a goal to constantly find ways to improve. Offer better customer service, and higher quality writing as much as possible. Your clients are all you have, and you should listen to them.

Website of the month: www.thewritenetwork.com

The website of the month is The Write Network. It is a collection of the best writing tips from a variety of trusted websites. No matter what genre of writing you practice, The Write Network has tips for you. The feed is updated daily with old and new tips from all of the members of the website. It is a one stop shop for writing tips, business tips, productivity tips, and publishing information. There are more than 25 contributing bloggers, including yours truly, Men With Pens, and Get Paid to Write Online.

You can subscribe to the daily updates at: http://www.thewritenetwork.com

Cheap Freelance Writing Needs to Stop

I just read a great post on Tumblemoose.com. It cited specific examples of the types of cheap projects that freelance writers have been willing to settle for, and notes that this is the reason why it is difficult to get paid well in this career (at least online). George writes:

As long as writers are willing to whore themselves out for less than one-half a penny a word,  things will never change. I know that there are folks bidding from other countries that are ok with that kind of wage, but in looking at the bidders, there are far fewer of those folks than one would think. I wish I could organize a freelance writer’s strike.  What do you think? Writers Opposed to Piss Poor Offered Rates (WOPPOR)  How about organizing Writer’s Tea Parties?  Maybe some folks could draft a Writer’s Declaration of Independence? – Alternatively, we could go to our windows and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!”

Freelance writers have definitely sold themselves short. We should not stand for less than minimum wage, and far too many writers respond to $1 per article offers, and practically slave over articles for a few dollars per day. I certainly wish there was a way to revolutionize freelance writing and put an end to the insulting pittance that writers are offered. The problem is that we all work for ourselves, and some writers will simply take whatever they think they can get.

The only thing I can do is encourage writers to stand up for themselves, and refuse to accept tiny payments for their valuable work. If you are reading this, and you are accepting work that doesn’t pay your bills, STOP IT! You have to set a standard for yourself and don’t compromise it. Your talents are needed, otherwise there would not be so many projects posted out there. Freelance writing seems like the only business that has a high demand, yet there is never inflation. Writers work hard and should be rewarded for it. Freelance writing should pay the bills, and we should never have to settle for less than the average office clerk makes.

Do your part and consider the writing community: demand to be paid what you are worth, or at least say no to projects that offer less than a cashier at McDonald’s earns.

As long as writers are willing to whore themselves out for less than one-half a penny a word,  things will never change.

I know that there are folks bidding from other countries that are ok with that kind of wage, but in looking at the bidders, there are far fewer of those folks than one would think.

I wish I could organize a freelance writer’s strike.  What do you think? Writers Opposed to Piss Poor Offered Rates (WOPPOR)  How about organizing Writer’s Tea Parties?  Maybe some folks could draft a Writer’s Declaration of Independence? – Alternatively, we could go to our windows and shout, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!!!