We’ve talked about the skills you need to be a freelance writer, where to find a few clients, and the kinds of texts you’ll be expected to write. You’re almost ready to embark on your writing journey, but before you set sail, it might be valuable to discuss a few pitfalls you may encounter and how to avoid them.
Deadbeat Clients
Your client may be the nicest person in the world to work with until it comes to the final invoice. Suddenly, instead of the rave reviews your work was getting early on, it’s not good enough to pay for. It’s unusable, and therefore, according to your client, shouldn’t be paid for. Worse yet, perhaps your client just doesn’t respond to your final invoice. Despite the hours of hard work you’ve put into your text, you’re left empty handed. This isn’t as uncommon as you might think in the world of freelance writers. In fact, it happens on a pretty regular basis.
While there’s no way to avoid it entirely, there are a few ways to protect yourself. First, some sites that connect you with clients – like Guru and Elance – offer what’s called an escrow payment system. Your client can place the entire cost of the job in an escrow account. Once you’ve completed the work, your client releases the amount. If there’s a dispute, neither of you can get to the money until you move through dispute resolution services.
Another idea to keep your clients honest is to ensure they pay you half of the job before you ever get started. If they walk away with the text without paying for the other half, at least you have something in hand.
Finally, be sure your project plan or contract clearly states that if they leave without paying for the text, you’ll be using it for other purposes. Start a website with the texts you’ve been left holding and place some ads on there to generate a little revenue. Submit your work to free article directories and such. You’ll get a bit of publicity as the writer, and the client won’t be able to publish the text online without running into plagiarism problems.
Scheduling
Working at home as a freelance writer won’t work out for you unless you actually work. The problem with hanging out at home in your PJs all day is, well, it makes you think you’re on vacation. Instead of getting things done at the pacing that you might while you’re in the office, your coffee breaks get frequent, you wander to the refrigerator more than you should, make too many personal phone calls, chat online, and generally do all of the things that keep you from being productive.
As a freelance writer, your entire life revolves around deadlines. If you’re late for a deadline, it costs your client money, and in the end, it may cost you money as well. Your reputation depends on your ability to meet deadlines, and as a result, you may have to pretty strictly schedule yourself. Set a time that is your “workspace.” Whether it’s one to five in the afternoon or six a.m until the work gets done, make sure the timing (a) works for you, and (b) works for those you live with. You can’t work if you’re supposed to be giving your two year old a bath, so be aware of those things, and factor them into your schedule.
Distractions
Between the incessant need for a glass of water and the blaring of the new song she just made up in her mind, I find it really difficult to work around my two year old. As a result, I have to retreat to an office I didn’t have before I started freelancing. We live in a fairly small house, but I needed some space to work. In a small corner of my laundry room, there is a new desk. It’s mine, and aside from the soothing noise of the dryer, it’s a great, quiet place for me to work.
There are more distractions than you might imagine in your home work environment, and whether you need to head to Starbucks for a bit of internet access or you just need to create a quiet corner for yourself, find a good place to work with few distractions. Your writing will suffer if you don’t.
A Few Final Thoughts
Sure, freelance writing means you don’t have to spend an hour every day commuting back and forth to a job you don’t really like, but it may also mean nonpaying clients, missed deadlines, and having to deal with your screaming two year old while you struggle to write a piece on the importance of pressure transducers. This is heaven for some people; for others, though, it’s just not a good idea. Give it some thought, and if you decide you’re ready, get your feet wet a little at a time to make sure you love what you do before you give yourself completely to the job.
