As a freelance writer you will face periods of frustration. You may become frustrated with yourself or with your clients. Simply put, there is no way of avoiding this. Fortunately, you don’t have to let frustration kill your career. Remember, no matter what job you have you are going to face bad times. You cannot let them keep you down and out for too long.
When frustration begins to set in you should take a step back and settle down. Even if you are extremely upset or angry you need to concentrate on calming down before you move forward. Remember, you are not going to do yourself any good if you carry this frustration in your back pocket day in and day out. For instance, if you are frustrated with a client you have two options: you can take your bad mood out on them or you can calm down and work together to fix things. As you can imagine, the second option is the way to go. Nothing good ever comes from taking your frustration out on others. In fact, if you do this you can expect to lose clients.
Is this easier said than done? It sure is. There have been times when I was so frustrated that I wanted to stay away from the computer for a few days. But soon enough, after I settled down, I was ready to fix the issue at hand and get back to work. As you move along as a freelance writer you will learn how to better deal with frustrating situations.
One of the most common questions that I receive via email is “how do I get started as a freelance writer?†This is a basic question, but for one reason or the next many people want to know the answer. While there is no set way to take the leap, my best advice is that you simply have to do it. In other words, just get started. The more you think about becoming a freelance writer the less chance there is that you will actually go for it. This does not mean that you should change careers without thinking long and hard, but it does mean that you can think entirely too much.
When you think too much there is a chance that you will let too many negative thoughts creep into your head. Although I researched the freelance writing industry for a few weeks before taking the leap I knew that getting started was going to be the most difficult part. There is no denying that a new career, especially one without a guaranteed paycheck, can be scary. But remember, if you let this fear take over your professional life you are going to be stuck in the rat race until the day you retire.
If you are still a bit scared, set a timeline for “getting started.†For instance, give yourself two weeks to research and setup your career. When this time is up force yourself to take the leap no matter what it means. If you are truly convinced that a freelance writing career is what you want the only thing holding you back is you.Â
Experience is a good thing when it comes to your freelance writing career. As the years go by you will find that more experience almost always translates into more success. There are many ways that this happens:
1. Experience makes you a better writer. The other day I was looking over a few feature articles I wrote many years ago. And while they were okay, it is easy to see just how far my writing skills have come. The more you write the better off you will be.
2. Better client communication. Experience definitely helps when it comes to communicating with clients. Many of the students in my course are always asking about what to say to clients, how to react if a client become upset, etc. This is something that you simply have to learn as you move forward. When I started as a freelance writer I was not the best communicator. But soon enough I was learning what to say to clients, as well as how and when to contact them.
3. Experience translates into marketing success. Early on in your career you will probably try many different marketing methods. But soon enough you will learn which methods bring success, and which ones are nothing more than a waste of your time.
 4. Over time you will begin to make friends. I have met a lot of other writers, while also becoming close with many clients. As a freelance writer it is a great joy to make new friends. After all, it can be lonely to work at home.
I strongly believe that the longer you stay in the freelance writing industry the more success you will have. The experiences you go through on a daily basis will turn you into a better writer as well as a more efficient businessman. The four points above are proof of that.
