We freelance writers can get hung up on numbers and the numbers we tend to like are big ones. We like to talk in terms of lots and lots.

But big numbers aren’t always better for the freelance writers–especially when it comes to the number of projects you handle. Sometimes less is more for the freelance writer.

You may be thinking, “Are you crazy? How could fewer projects be better?”

Let me explain.

While many freelancers complain about not having enough projects, what most of us really need is fewer projects that earn us more money.

How the Number of Clients Affects Your Writing

Let’s imagine that you have a modest goal of earning $4,000 a month as a freelance writer. (This is a figure I made up because it’s nice and round. Many writers earn less and some earn more.)

Now, there are many ways that you could earn that $4,000 a month. As you’ll see, some scenarios for earning that figure are more desirable than others. Here are some scenarios for reaching your goal:

1. You could write 160 short web content pieces for $25 each (a very low rate for original web content, by the way). To do this, assuming that you don’t work weekends, you’d have to churn out about eight articles a day.
2. You could write 40 mid-size web content pieces for $100 each (a low average rate). You’d only have to write two articles a day.
3. You could provide bundled writing services (consulting, writing, advising) on 10 writing projects for $400 each. You’d have two days for each project.
4. You could provide high-end turn-key copywriting services for two clients at $2,000 each. You’d have two weeks to work on each project.

Which scenario do you think is better?

Why Too Many Writing Projects Is Bad

Drawbacks to having too many projects include:

• Lower quality work–You’ll be rushing to get enough work done so that you can earn enough. It will be hard, if not impossible, to maintain high quality.
• Less time to market to high-end clients–Freelancers who rely on having lots of projects often don’t spend much time marketing–they just don’t have enough time.
• No opportunity for breaks–Missing even a day of work could significantly and negatively impact your freelancing income.
• High incidence of burnout–Many freelancers make the mistake of thinking that they can continue to churn out high volumes of work day after day, month after month. Most probably can’t.
• Falling behind skill-wise–Committing to a high volume of work leaves little time for a freelancer to update his or her skills.

A Better Way to Freelance

Focusing on quality work for quality clients is simply a better way to freelance. It results in better work for the client and a better working environment for you.

To achieve this ideal, you will have to spend more time marketing–but in the end, it will be worth it.

Reality Check

The reality is, most freelancers work on a combination of project types every month. They may have one or two high-end clients, but they rely some of the other types of projects as well.

Hopefully, however, most of us are moving away from quantity and towards quality.

What type of projects do you mainly focus on and why?

One of the things I’ve noticed over my years of blogging is that there’s a fair amount of ranting and raving going on in the blogosphere. Such bloggers even appear to get attention at times.

So, is it worth it? Should you be the negative writer on your blog?

Many bloggers claim that negativity makes them more authentic. I’m not sure that I would agree. I don’t think that you have to be negative to be authentic.

While it may feel satisfying at first to be the negative writer, negativity can have long-range consequences.

I got into an excellent discussion with Judy Gombita about negativity the other day on Google+. Judy has written a post on the topic from the perspective of a public relations professional, but really her points would apply to freelance writers as well. If you haven’t read it already, check out Decorum Byte: Don’t be Negative; Practice Positive PR2.0 on her blog.

I won’t repeat all of the excellent points Judy’s post made here, but some of the points that apply to freelance writers include:

1. Your social media participation sets a tone for your business interactions.
2. Negativity can ultimately cause you to lose part of your community.
3. People want to work with positive people.

Some of you may argue that you’re not that kind of blogger, you’re just a hobby blogger so it doesn’t really matter what you say online.

While I understand this perspective, remember that you may not always be a hobby blogger. You may one day wish to establish an online business presence. When that day comes, your past negativity may come back to haunt you.

What do you think? How negative are you online and do you think it impacts your freelance writing?

You fill in the blank: e-book, guest post, website, app, etc.

I get a lot of requests from readers wanting me to review something of theirs. Occasionally, when something really interests me, I do publish a review or a guest post here. But, most of the time I don’t do the reviews that I’m requested to do.

Here’s why.

Reason #1: Reviews Take Time

I’m sure you can understand that if I’m going write about something for my blog, I need to take the time to really study it.

Even if you’ve submitted a guest post that’s “ready-to-go,” I still need to read it and make sure that it fits my blog. Plus, a surprising number of “ready-to-go” guest posts aren’t really ready-to-go at all.

The truth is that I have to put my paying work first. I don’t get paid to do this blog and so sometimes the blog goes on the back burner.

Reason #2: You Didn’t Do Your Homework

Many review requests appear to be sent out in a mass mailing. The emails I get seem to follow the exact format:

Dear (Insert My Name):

Sincerely yours…

I actually don’t know if there’s a standard review request format out on the Internet somewhere that people are just filling out, but it certainly seems like it.

Often, the products and posts being referred to by these generic looking emails have nothing whatsoever to do with my blog.

You didn’t do your homework. Instead, all that you did was skip researching my blog and send me the same standard email that you probably send to dozens of bloggers.

Reason #3: Your (Blank) is Trash

Once again, you fill in the blank.

More often than you’d think, whatever it is that I’m being asked to review isn’t very good. It may be a poorly written guest post, a half-baked app, or a badly designed site.

The thing is, I’m not going promote a badly conceived product or share a badly written post on my blog. Nor am I going to publish your material just so that you can get some links. You see, I still feel that what gets published here represents me.

What You Can Do Instead

I’m more likely to review something or publish something if I recognize the person it is coming from. Of course, there are no guarantees because I still get busy, but if I am familiar with your work and know that it is generally of high quality I’ll probably take a look.

The other thing you can do is make sure that whatever you’re promoting is really something that would be interesting or useful to me and to those who read the blog. Be honest with yourself about this. Most companies that want me to review apps have something that doesn’t fill my needs at all. Most guest posts that are submitted don’t fit in very well with the purpose of the blog.

You can learn more about me and what I might like by really reading this blog.

Working according to a style guide can save both you and your client time and money. When I worked as a writer in the corporate world, each company had their own style guide.

The style guide listed the writing rules that a particular company wanted followed. More than that, it saved time and money by reducing rework.

In this post, I list five times when a style guide is important.

As most editors will tell you, many companies have preferences for their published material that go behind the simple rules of spelling and grammar. A company style guide lists those preferences.

If you’re a freelance writer or editor, working from a company style guide can be important when:

• Consistent usage is important. Anyone who knows the English language knows that there is more than one way of saying the same thing. If consistency is important, a style guide is in order.
• A lot of time is being spent in rewrites. If the client is constantly rewording materials, then the client and freelancer can get on the same page by adopting a style guide.
• There is a large team of writers with varying styles. If there is a large team of writers working on a project with varying styles, a style guide can help reduce questions.
• There are legal issues that need to be addressed. If a company has particular legal concerns (for example, about how the company name is used), a style guide can address this as well.
• The material needs to look like it came from one source. A style guide is particularly helpful if a long document, such as a book, is being written by multiple authors.

Of course, some types of writing (such as blogging, editorials, or social media participation) where a style guide may not make a lot of sense.

Do you generally work with a style guide? Share your thoughts.

Recently, I read some great advice from my friend James Chartrand over at Men With Pens. Last week, James explained Why You Should Ditch Your Blogging Schedule.

James is right with this advice! And then again, she’s not. Let me explain.

You see, there are at least three different types of blogs out there. And, like anything else, not all blogs are created equal. The same advice does not fit all. (Nor should it.)

Different Types of Blogs

The three types of blogs are:

1. Professional or small business blog (most freelance blogs fit into this category)
2. For profit blogs and news site blogs
3. Hobby blogs

For a freelance writer or small business owner the purpose of your blog is likely to:

• Establish an internet presence
• Demonstrate your expertise
• Provide samples of your work

If this is you, James’ advice is spot on target. In fact, it’s better to wait and publish something really good than to publish something just so that you meet some arbitrary schedule. (Just don’t wait so long to publish something new that people conclude that you’re out of business…)

For bloggers whose blog is their primary business, however, James’ advice might not be so great. Sure, it’s possible to generate a profit from your blog without publishing daily, but in general, the really big blogs who make their money mainly from advertising (NOT from the products or services that they sell) need page views (and lots of them) to sell ads. For these bloggers (and those who would be like them), a schedule is still important.

Finally, there are the hobby bloggers. These people blog because they love to blog. They really don’t care if whether they make money and they don’t have a product or service to sell. They’re passionate about their topic and often very knowledgeable. For these folks, James’ advice makes perfect senses…but they’re probably not operating according to a blogging schedule anyway.

Now that we’ve looked at the three types of blogs, there are two other factors to consider.

The Practice Factor

If you’re a writer, regular blogging can be a great way to practice your skills. I know of many writers who use their blog as a warm-up exercise.

Plus, we know that practice makes perfect. The more you write, the better you get.

The Procrastination Factor

The other thing to consider is that without a blogging schedule, many bloggers would not publish at all. Since they have a natural tendency to put things off having a schedule helps them to finish what they otherwise never would.

If you’re a writer who struggles with procrastination, you may want to hang on to your blogging schedule.

Your Turn

What type of blogger are you? Do you use a schedule, or not?

It’s easy for writers to get a bad case of “perfectionism” and think that their copy is not good enough.

If you’ve ever written, and rewritten, and rewritten the same piece of writing again and again because it just didn’t seem right to you–then you know what I mean.

While I’m definitely in favor of editing your work (got to nip those nasty typos in the bud wherever we can), I think writers are often too hard on themselves.

It’s easy to over think corrections. At least, I know I’ve been guilty of this (and I suspect other writers have been too).

Here’s a few quick fixes if you find yourself overworking a piece of copy:

1. Let it breathe. Stop working on it-preferably for a day or so. When you come back, you’ll realize that what you’ve written is better than you thought.
2. Let someone else review it. Not only will they be able to read your copy with a fresh eye, it’s proven that it’s easier to catch someone else’s typos and spelling errors.
3. Review the requirements for the copy. You’ll probably find that you met or exceeded the requirements.

If you’re still hesitating to call the piece done, remember that you have to finish it sometime. Despite the perceived flaws in what you’ve written, it’s probably good enough. You’re a better writer than you think you are.

Oh, and if you do find that you’ve in fact written something terrible–forgive yourself. Okay? You’ll do better next time.

How about you? Do you struggle with perfectionist tendencies when it comes to your own writing?

Share your comments below.

Have you been writing marketing copy? Are you getting little or no results–even though you can tell from analytics that your pages are being read?

Your headline is hot. Your writing rocks. Your topic fits–yet none of your readers ever *do* anything at all. Why not?

What could be wrong?

Let me tell you what’s wrong.

You didn’t actually tell the reader what to do and so they didn’t do anything. If your writing is meant to be persuasive, you need to include a call to action with the writing.

A call to action tells your reader what they should do next. It can be a sentence or two at the end of your copy that tells your readers what to do, or it can be an element on your page such as a button or link.

A call to action may include an incentive (for example, “subscribe now to get a free ebook“). It may also give the reader a choice of several actions.

Here are some characteristics of a good copywriting call to action:

1. It is specific–It tells the reader exactly what you want them to do and how you want them to do it.
2. It is relevant–It fits with the rest of the marketing copy and with the reader’s personal needs.
3. It is performable–It includes links, phone numbers, and other information so that your reader can respond.

If the call to action is text, copywriters often set it apart from the rest of the copy by boxing it, making it a different color, or otherwise drawing attention to it.

Have you been leaving the call to action out of your marketing copy?

What strategies do you use to write effective calls to action? Share your ideas in the comments.

I might have been a bit moody as a teen. I remember dragging a notebook around (it wasn’t really a journal–just an ordinary composition book) and jotting down poems and other thoughts as they occurred to me.

Why would I do such a thing?

I attribute my early scribblings to something many of us who are professional writers seem to have forgotten–the joy of writing.

You see, back in those days I didn’t have to write. There was no SEO, no clients, or really even any writing rules. (Well, maybe there were a few rules if I had a homework assignment…)

It started because I loved to read what others had to say and then I discovered that I too had a voice.

I remember when I first realized that I too could create something that others would enjoy. I was in second grade and the teacher had us each write a short story. She collected them and a few days later, she read my story to the class.

That’s all it took. From then on, if I wasn’t writing I was thinking of things that I could write. As a child, I remember making up stories about the houses we passed on car trips and the people who I imagined lived in them.

I wrote simply because I loved to write. That was the only reason.

Being a professional writer is a lot different from that early writing.

Well, for one thing, it’s a job. Writing being a job means that there are days that you have to write when you don’t feel like it. It also means that sometimes you might have to write about something you’re really not interested in. But, you do it anyway.

If this is you, sooner or later, you might be feeling a bit burnt out with your writing. You just might have even lost your early joy of writing.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Just because you are a professional writer doesn’t mean you have to lose the joy. Here are four ways to get that joy back:

1. Have a blog “just for fun.” Blogs are the new journals. They’re great tools, but they don’t always *have* to be used for business only. Create a blog for just you. Don’t worry about whether anyone reads it or about traffic. Just write what you care about.
2. Turn down the most draining assignments. You know the ones that I mean. The ones that leave you emotionally exhausted and creatively dried up. If you can, try to replace those jobs with assignments in an area that you are passionate about. Believe me, you’ll feel the difference.
3. Take part in writing prompts and other “fun” writing assignments. There are a number of sites that publish creative writing exercises. Creative Copy Challenge is one such site, but there are others. (You might even meet other writers…)
4. Just do it. Write something you don’t have to write for pay. Write even if you think it’s not very good. Keep a paper journal again if it helps. Just do it–let yourself go with words. Do it today, before you forget.

Have you lost your joy of writing? What are you doing to get it back?

It’s that time of the year again. The time when everyone posts a long (or not so long) list of New Year’s Resolutions to their blog.

Well, you won’t see that here. Are you wondering why?

Here are a few of the reasons why I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions any more.

Been There, Done That

I’ve done it before. In the excitement of the New Year, I’ve gone out and drafted a long list of resolutions–only to have broken most of them before the end of January.

In my experience, most New Year’s Resolutions are based on emotions rather than planning. In fact, most of them read sort of like a wish list. (See if it isn’t true. Take any list of resolutions and put the words “I wish I” in front of every one of them. See what I mean?)

The lack of planning with resolutions is a serious oversight though. That’s why most of us fail to keep our New Year’s Resolutions.

Goals are My Goal

Instead of New Year’s Resolutions, I favor goals. Goals are measurable. One plans for goals. But, most importantly, goals should be achievable.

Lexi Rodrigo, my colleague at Freelance Folder, outlines the SMART method for setting goals in this post.

So, in the next few weeks I’ll be considering some specific, measurable, attainable goals that are relevant to my freelance writing business. I’ll be making this decision carefully, based on my past experience as a freelance writer.

Not Just Once a Year

Goals shouldn’t be limited to just once a year either like resolutions are. I’ll be revisiting my goals at least once a quarter. I’ll add to them or subtract from them, as I see fit.

I don’t want to wait for an entire year to pass before I set another goal.

Your Turn

I wrote this post because I think goals are so much more meaningful than the typical list of New Year’s Resolutions.

Just because I don’t have New Year’s Resolutions this year doesn’t mean you can’t. Did you set New Year’s Resolutions this year? If so, share them in the comments.

If you didn’t make New Years Resolutions this year, let us know why not.

Sometimes it’s nice to sit back and share past material with the readers. This is one of those times.

I like to share past posts for a couple of reasons. First of all, readers may have missed the posts the first time around. Secondly, a second reading often brings a fresh perspective.

Today, I thought I’d share some of my favorite WritingThoughts posts from 2011. I think you’ll agree, there’s some really useful stuff here.

Here are some great posts that you may have missed from our archives:

1. Can Social Media Participation Replace Your Blog?–More and more bloggers are moving their voice to social media and abandoning their own blogs. Is this a good thing? What do you think?
2. Six Freelance Writing Myths Debunked–There’s a lot of misinformation about freelance writing. Here are six popular misconceptions.
3. What Is the Difference Between An Article and a Blog Post?–Despite what many believe, articles and blog posts are not the same thing.
4. Should You Write Your Own Copy?–DIY isn’t always a good thing and it doesn’t always save money.
5. The Freelance Writers Code of Ethics–Good ethics is vital to successful freelancing. Here are some ethical concerns of particular interest to freelance writers.

Do you have any specific writing-related topics you would like to see me cover in 2012? Share your feedback in the comments.