Sep
29
Freelance Writing Burnout
Filed Under writing from home | 2 Comments
Ever have those days when you just don’t feel like doing anything? Well, anything work-related, that is… My whole past week has been like that — a freelance writing slump.
I wake up, make the coffee, go out to smoke a cigarette. I talk myself up. “Today, I’m going to get this much done. I’m going to go back in there and focus. I’m going to do this much before I start doing other stuff.”
I go back in, boot up the laptop, and wonder what today’s discussion is over at Deb Ng’s blog — I was particularly amused to find Thursday’s post titled My biggest time waster. From there, I follow some links through to some other blogs. After an hour has passed, I lay down the law and talk to myself in the third person.
“Now, Amy, you’re going to have to close the browsers on blogs and focus on some work. You’ve got deadlines.”
“Yeah yeah yeah,” I tell myself. (Ok, maybe I don’t talk to myself out loud, but does that make it any less pathetic?) “I’ll make you a deal, me. I’ll do three articles for client X and write half of client Z’s newsletter, but I’m putting client Y off until tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, Amy. You still have a week.”
Negotiations have been made. I’ve shaken my own hand.
Then I remember I haven’t checked my email yet! Ah, the bright glory of 145 new emails since last night at midnight. Whatever would I do if I didn’t have write-from-home.com?
And so, in the fairy tale of avoidance behavior, I have successfully managed to kill five hours doing absolutely nothing billable. Like the Cubs and their eternal wait for next year, my mantra for the week has become there’s always tomorrow.
I sat down this morning and did some thinking, trying to figure out what it is that’s making me like this, because although I can laugh about it, it’s also a bit disturbing. Six months before I left my former life as a paralegal, I began sitting in my office making chains out of paper clips and balls out of rubber bands. At night, I’d have dreams about folding legal documents into paper air planes. That was burnout, and I don’t want to go back there.
I am determined to break out of my freelance writing rut before it becomes freelance writing burnout. I’m going to finish a big job I have to finish this weekend.
Then, I’m going to find something creative to do and maybe take on a new pro bono writing project for a non-profit cause I support. After all, at the heart of my passion for writing is the need to create and the desire to do something worthwhile. Lately, my rut stems from doing neither.
Sep
28
I hate to-do lists. Absolutely despise them. Every time I read an article about time management or productivity, there’s always something in there about writing lists.
Perhaps my hatred for to-do lists stems from my former life as a paralegal, wherein I was required to document every single minute of my time for billing purposes. But seriously, you couldn’t pay me to keep a to-do list now, for personal or professional reasons.
I think that many of the people who write articles that say list-making is essential to an organized, well-productive life just don’t understand that for some people, making a list is just another way to waste time.
Ways you’ll know list-making isn’t for you:
1. You never read the list after you’ve written it, or you lose the list.
2. You spend countless hours updating the list, so rather than crossing things off as you accomplish them, you just keep adding more.
3. You’re one of those people who makes a grocery list, but once you’re in the store you buy 25 things that aren’t on the list and don’t bother buying 10 of the items on it.
4. You’ve got piles and piles of junk everywhere, but you can still find everything.
5. When you read an article about to-do lists, you pull your hair out.
Sep
27
As a creative writer, just about anything can inspire me. I get some of my best ideas for short stories while I’m sitting outside drinking my coffee and staring at the sky.
As a freelance writer, getting ideas can be a little more difficult.
Whether it’s inspiration for an article for my own ezine or this week’s newsletter column for a corporate client, getting inspired to write non-fiction can be tough sometimes.
When I’m stuck, here are some of the things I try:
1. Re-read stuff I’ve already written. Sometimes I can find a new angle in something old.
2. Surf the web for related topics that might spark an idea.
3. Read something entirely unrelated.
4. Make a list. Sometimes one thought leads to another…
5. Browse stock photography. (I like http://www.sxc.hu.)
So, freelance writers, where do your ideas come from? What do you do when you’re stuck?
Sep
26
Although I’ve touched on freelance writing contracts a bit here, I get a lot of emails from freelance writers asking about contracts or letters of agreement. Keep in mind that although I’ve worked as a paralegal, I’m not a lawyer, so I can’t grant legal advice. From one writer to another, here are the answers to some of the questions I’ve received. I can’t emphasize enough that I’m answering these questions only out of the best of my own knowledge. I recommend that every freelancer consult an attorney about his or her freelance writer contract. The below questions are posted here with permission.
Maggie asks: What are the very basic things I should include if I’m writing my own agreement letter?
Answer: Here are the basics of what I feel a freelance writer contract or letter of agreement should include: Services offered or summary of services provided — get specific, because if an unsatisfied client wants to argue that you haven’t done the work as requested, you want to be able to point to this section and say, “Sorry, pal. I did what you wanted. Says so right here.” Spell out as clearly as you can what the client has asked you to do, including word count/page count/or length, format, delivery method, due dates. Include your policy about revisions/re-writes (are they included in your price? how many will do you for that price?). Your contract should include the rights you’re selling, and how long it’ll be before rights revert back to you (if applicable). Include the agreed upon pay rate and payment method for the project, and when payment is due.
Madeline asks: Is having a client fax or scan in a signed contract as good as having an original signature?
Answer: When using a formal contract, I’ll take a scanned copy before I’ll begin on the work, but I’ll also mail a hard copy and ask for the original to have for my files. Perhaps I’m anal-retentive, but I like to have all my grounds covered, especially for large projects.
David asks: I have a small client who has never given me a contract. I never gave him a letter of agreement or wrote my own contract but all the correspondence is by email. Is that the same thing?
Answer: While email doesn’t take the place of a signed document, email correspondence has been known to hold up in court. However, it can get hairy if the person makes accusations that the emails are doctored. I’ve seen cases where the hard drives had to be brought into court. If I were you, I’d save not only the hard copies but the electronic copies in an email folder (displaying the full headers of the emails). In the future, a simple letter of agreement summarizing the terms stated in the email could save you a lot of trouble. Just make sure the client signs it.
Abigal asks: I recently got a gig to write bulk articles for a company website. If I want to give the client a discount for bulk work but not have him expect me to lower my rate for smaller jobs, should I put this in a contract?
Answer: When I give clients a discount, I keep my regular rate listed but then indicate that I’m giving the client a discounted rate for this job only. For example: “… fifty (50) articles at the rate of $15 per article, discounted from Writer’s standard rate of $25 per article, for this job only…”
Jessica asks: A client fired me because I didn’t deliver my edits by the date stated in the contract. I couldn’t get the edits to the client because he held onto the draft and didn’t provide revisions for two weeks longer than he said, which pushed the whole thing back. When I said it is impossible to make the edits in a turnaround time of three days, the date on the contract, he fired me and hired someone else. He paid me less than he quoted me because of the trouble he had to go through hiring a replacement. I know I will never see the money but how can I avoid this happening again?
Answer: First off, depending on how much you’re owed, I’d consult a lawyer. Depending on how the contract is worded, you might be able to get him to pay up. In the future, if part of your work process requires you to wait for the client to make revisions and get them back to you before you can begin the next phase of the project, make sure your contract includes a clause that states you will have edits done within a week (or whenever) of the date the client’s revisions are returned to you, rather than just stating a date you’ll have edits back by. This way, if the client takes two weeks longer than quoted to get the revisions to you, he can’t hold you responsible to rush to get them done by originally stated date.
Darryl asks: If you use a bidding site do you still need to use a contract?
Answer: I don’t use bidding sites, so I have no idea. I assume it would vary based on the bidding site, what they offer, and whether or not they get involved in client/provider disputes. I’d start by checking the terms of use on the bidding site you use (or are planning to use).
Have a question? Post a comment or email me at amy [at] write-from-home [dot] com.
Sep
24
Many freelance writers think it’s bad business to turn down freelance writing work. While I agree that it’s better to be busy than be without work, and I agree that it’s good business to keep clients as happy as possible, I do think there are some very legitimate situations where turning down certain freelance writing gigs is a good move. Of course, if you know another freelance writer to recommend for the job, extra points for you.
1. You’re too busy.
You’re so overloaded with work that you just don’t have the time to dedicate to something new. If you’ll have to be asking for deadline extensions or doing sloppy work to fit the client in, then it’s better for your freelance writing career to simply take a pass.
2. The job requires too much commitment.
I’ve said it before, but I think it’s worth repeating. Taking on any one client who consumes so much of your time that you won’t have any time left for other clients or looking for new work is a bad move.
3. The client is too high-maintenance.
If you’ve worked with a client once and found his personality incompatible, or he makes you chase your paycheck, or he changes his mind every three minutes, there’s no good reason you should waste your time taking on a new contract with this type of client.
4. The client wants you to do something you feel is unethical.
My general rule is that if someone asks me to do something that makes me nauseated, I won’t do it. For me, this includes — to name only a few — plagiarism (i.e., “re-writing” someone else’s content), writing biased positive reviews (of something I’ve never used/seen/read or something I don’t feel deserves a positive review), or writing on any topic that goes against my core moral values.
5. The pay isn’t worth it.
Never take a job that doesn’t pay well enough, unless you’re doing it for fun rather than for profit.
6. The job is out of your area of expertise and/or will require too much research.
I’ve been offered some jobs that involve writing something I simply don’t feel qualified to write. Unless I can thoroughly research the topic or interview credible sources (and the client is willing to pay for my time to do so), I’ll turn down these types of gigs.
7. It’s a large job from a first-time client who refuses to give you partial payment up front.
After getting screwed out of a large chunk of change, I implemented a policy for first-time clients asking me to do anything time consuming. My theory is, if a client can’t afford to pay me at least a third up front, then they probably won’t be able to pay me after the job is done. The only reasonable alternative I’ve used is for bulk article writing jobs, wherein I’ll do only one article and then demand payment before doing the others. Even then, I’ll ask to get paid every ten or so articles for large jobs, unless I’ve worked with the client previously.
8. The job pays on publication, but the publication date is not disclosed or is too far into the future.
I’ve applied for a few gigs, mostly with online magazines, where I get a response that the publication hasn’t launched yet. If a publication hasn’t launched yet, and they want to pay me on publication, I’ll turn down the gig. For magazines that pay on publication, but they’re so backlogged that they don’t publish for three or four months, I’ll also take a pass. I’m one of those writers that needs to pay my bills as they’re due, not six months from now. Lots of folks may be in a position to wait that long, but I’m not one of them.
9. The client won’t sign your contract or offer you one of his own (or his terms are unacceptable to you).
Obviously, if the terms of a client’s contract aren’t acceptable to me, I won’t work for him. Here’s my policy for clients who don’t use their own contract: If the job pays over $100, I use a letter of agreement (this is less formal than a contract, so it doesn’t usually frighten away informal clients, but it’s still legally binding). I sum up the terms discussed, including the details of the project, due dates for the finished work product (sometimes stages, like first draft, revisions, etc depending on the project), and the date by which I’ll be paid. If a client refuses to sign my letter of agreement, I won’t work with him. I feel that any legitimate person hiring a writer should be willing to agree to the terms of the project. If not, I risk getting screwed.
10. The client seems fishy.
I’ve turned down many jobs from first-time clients simply on the basis of I’ve had a gut feeling something was going to go wrong. My theory is that I’d rather turn down a gig and use the time finding one I can feel sure is legit rather than waste my time and find out later that I was right. Always follow your gut. Writers who don’t are usually sorry later.
-
-
About Amy Derby
Formerly a corporate paralegal, I ditched the pantyhose to begin freelancing in 2004. I enjoy long walks to the coffee maker, never setting an alarm clock, and not wearing a bra to the (home) office. I can be reached at amy.derby (at) gmail.com.