I can’t believe I’ve been freelancing all this time (over seven years) and I haven’t really run into this myth before. Apparently, some folks believe that those of us who freelance are doing so because we are unable to do anything else. In other words, we couldn’t quite make it in the corporate world and therefore we must freelance because that’s the only thing left for us to do.

This (hopefully limited) myth certainly doesn’t apply to myself, or to any of the other freelance writers that I know. Nearly all of them are competent, capable writers who would be an asset in any corporate environment. What I’m basically saying is that freelance writers are not corporate castoffs who couldn’t make it in a “real” job. We’re not the corporate world’s trash.

From a personal perspective, I chose to leave a very good corporate job with good pay and many perks. I wasn’t forced to go. My reviews were good. I liked my boss and my colleagues. (I hated my commute, but that’s another story entirely.)

There are many valid reasons why a person might choose freelancing over a corporate job. Here are just a few:

• Flexible hours
• Control over one’s income
• Greater variety of projects
• The opportunity to build a business from the ground up
• Creative control
• The ability to work at home

Of course, the reasons vary from freelancer to freelancer. My point is that they are valid reasons to freelance.

In addition, freelancers often get more work done than those in traditional corporate environments do. Not only do they save time on the commute (since many of us work at home), but they also don’t have to sit through countless meetings that are only marginally related to their actual job. There are typically no interruptions from coworkers, and there’s no corporate bureaucracy to go to for approval.

Why even bring up this myth, let alone debunk it?

I think it’s important to debunk the myth because it affects how freelance writers are treated as a whole. If the perception out there is that most freelance writers are somehow inferior to their corporate counterparts, then naturally that affects how their work is valued. (Translation: we will be underpaid.)

On the other hand, if people understand that most freelancers are competent professionals who have chosen to work independently, then our value goes up accordingly.

Are you a freelance writer who has faced this myth? How did you deal with it?

We writers are communicators, so misunderstandings should never happen — right?
Wrong!

No matter how clearly you write, sooner or later someone is going to misunderstand something that you’ve written. It’s bound to happen.

In fact, it might be fair to say that it’s not a matter of IF you, the freelance writer, will miscommunicate to somebody. It’s a matter of WHEN.

The miscommunication could happen in a number of ways:

• It could occur in a an email that you’ve written to a client
• It could occur in a post or article that you’ve published

What should you, as a writer, do when faced with a miscommunication?

Rule Number One — Don’t Panic. Recognize that miscommunication happens to everyone. A miscommunication doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re a bad writer. It just means that you’re human.

Don’t beat yourself up over this and try not to get too stressed. These negative emotions will not help the situation.

Rule Number Two — Assess the Damage. Is the client still talking with you? Do people still read your blog? If you’re still talking to the other party(ies), there’s hope for the relationship. You can move on to Rule Number Three.

(If the miscommunication has irrevocably ended the relationship, well, I guess you can stop here. Be more careful next time…)

Rule Number Three — Make it Right. Too many freelance writers waste time trying to find out exactly what went wrong and/or who was the cause of the miscommunication. While that analysis may be valuable later, the best thing right now is whatever will make it right between you and the other party.

This could mean renegotiating a contract. Or, it could mean publishing an apology or a clarification. The bottom line is that it means fixing the relationship.

Have you ever miscommunicated with a client, or on your blog?

How did you handle it?

Editing is hard work.

I read complaints about editors on forums and on blogs all the time. While I realize that sometimes a particular editor may be unfair, there are other times when I just have to wonder what the writer was thinking.

The way I look at it, if someone is paying you to write, then they have the right to ask that your work be edited.

Now I realize that many writers have never had an editing assignment. They don’t really know what it’s like to edit someone else’s work. They don’t realize how difficult editing can be.

Personally, however, I have a great deal of appreciation for editors.  Overall, I think that most editors do more good than they do harm.

I’ve actually worn both hats. I’ve had many writing assignments and quite a few editing assignments. I can tell you that editing is not easy. In fact, sometimes editing a piece is just as hard a writing it.
Here are eight reasons why editing is a whole lot harder than you think it is:

1. It’s difficult to estimate an editing job accurately. Every editing job is as unique as the writer who produced it. With a writing job, you can usually estimate time and cost based on the length and subject matter. With an editing job, what matters is how careful the original writer was. You can’t really know that until you see their work.
2. You have to read every single word to edit. Believe it or not, most of us skim through what we read. Even if we think we are reading something carefully, there is a tendency to read quickly and read the piece as a whole. An editor has to change that habit. An editor must look at each individual word that comprises a piece as well as consider the piece as a whole.
3. No matter how objective you try to be, there’s always a subjective element. I usually try to edit to a particular style or according to specific standards. Even with a style or standards in place, there is always a subjective element. This means that the editor has to make a tough decision. Usually the decision is something like this: “this is really awkwardly worded, but not technically wrong. Do I fix the piece or let it be?“
4. It can take longer to edit a really bad piece than it would take to write a completely new piece. Clients often don’t understand this point, but it is true. If a piece of writing is really bad to start out with, it’s often much more efficient to start over than to try and save the original. Fixing errors takes time. If there are a lot of errors, it takes a lot of time.
5. Some people don’t like it when you change their words. Most people don’t like to see the “red ink of correction” on their work. Even though most editing is now done online, having one’s work changed is still about as popular as a trip to the dentist. So, despite the fact that most editors are only trying to help improve the quality of a piece of writing, they are often not well-liked.
6. Someone else’s bad writing style can leak over into your own work. If you’ve ever edited a longer piece or spent a lot of time editing, then you may have experienced this phenomenon. You can actually get used to seeing poor sentence construction or grammar errors if they are repeated often. (This is why editors need to take breaks and then return to the editing with a fresh eye.)
7. If you spend too much time editing, you will naturally start to see errors in everything around you. It takes a certain mindset to edit. As I mentioned before, you need to look at every single word. You become used to looking for mistakes. Often, this carries over to your personal life. You start to notice mistakes in magazines, newspapers, or even on restaurant menus.
8. People hold you to a higher standard in your own work. Readers can usually forgive a typo — unless they realize that you also work as an editor. Once that is discovered, all of the sudden the writer becomes fair game for criticism.  “Who does he or she think they are? They edit other people’s work and look, here is a mistake in their own writing.“

Editing is hard work. While it’s often viewed as a sort of afterthought to writing, good editing actually requires a lot of time and takes a lot of discipline. Not every writer can become an editor.

What if you can’t afford an editor? While nothing can truly replace the value of having a second set of eyes looking at your work, there are some proofreading tricks that you can use that will help to improve your work.

What do you think of editors? Have you ever been an editor?

Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Have you ever had a press release bomb?

I mean really bomb — as in generate little to no response even though you followed all the “rules” for press releases?

If this has ever happened to you, I can guarantee that you’re not alone. I will also tell you that it’s not really your fault.

You see, the rules for press releases have changed with the advent of Web 2.0.

Most of us (myself included), didn’t get the memo. We’re still out there writing press releases as though magazines and local newspapers were the only game in town because that’s what we learned to do.

The trouble is, there’s a new game and it has different rules. That’s where this excellent white paper, Press Releases Designed for Effect by Mihaela Lica and Phil Butler comes in. In it, they examine where the traditional press release fails and identifies concrete steps that you can take to fix it.

As I read this white paper I found myself nodding my head and thinking, “this makes a lot of sense. I wish that I had known these things earlier.”

By the way, I’m going to go ahead and get the disclosure out of the way now. Yes, I had a role in this as consultant and editor of this great resource. Yes, this post contains my affiliate link — but all that doesn’t remove one iota of the value of this resource to you as a writer. I’d be recommending this resource even if I weren’t involved in the production of it.

In my opinion, this is a piece that you simply must read if you really want to understand how to write a press release for today’s marketplace. This white paper provides a clear explanation of how to create effective press releases that target all elements of the media, including social media.

What’s keeping you from getting your copy now?

(Disclosure: Everything PR is a client. I was involved in the production of this white paper. This post contains my affiliate link.)

You’re stuck! You’ve a brochure to write, but you don’t know what to say.

Is this you?

You know the message you would like to communicate to your clients, but when you sit down to actually write that message you just can’t get the right words out.

Have you ever had the frustrating experience of not being able to find the right words?

You want your writing to express your message clearly, but somehow your written draft falls just short of saying what you really want it to say.

If you’ve ever struggled with writing your own business documents, then you know exactly what I am talking about.

You should also know this - if you’ve ever struggled with writing, you are not alone. When it comes to putting their thoughts on paper, many successful people have trouble.

The truth is that your trouble with writing is probably not really your fault. There are many valid reasons that cause people struggle to put their thoughts into words. Here are a few of them:

• Busy — People are busier than ever before, but good writing takes time. You may have the skill to write great copy for you business, but do really you’ve the time? In many cases the answer to that question is probably “no.”
• Training — You are an expert at what you do, but writing is just not your strongest skill (and that’s okay). Most people have just one or two areas where they excel. Those areas of strength are different for every person and for some, those strengths don’t include writing.
• Language – Your business requires you to write in a language other than your native tongue. If you need to communicate in English for your business even though English is not your native language, your writing task becomes doubly hard.

Fortunately, there is an easy to instantly improve the quality of your business communications. Hire someone who specializes in writing.

This tip is so simple that many people miss it, but it only makes sense (and it frees you up to do other tasks that are better suited to your skills).

Delegating your writing tasks makes a lot of sense if you think about it. You probably already delegate many tasks so that you can dedicate your time to what you are good at and really interests you.

For example, if your pipes burst would you grab a wrench and try to fix them yourself? Even if you are pretty handy with tools, you would probably call a plumber to fix the problem. You know that a good plumber can identify the problem and fix the leak in a fraction of the time that you would take if you handled it yourself. Because of his experience, the plumber’s work will probably be of higher quality too.

In some ways, writing is really not that much different from plumbing. Those of us who write all the time can produce clear, effective copy in less time than most non-writers. We can also suggest new ideas that will enhance your message and make it more likely to reach your intended audience. That’s because we have experience in writing and know what works and what doesn’t work.

Are you still unsure about hiring a professional writer? Here are ten more reasons why you should hire a professional writer.

Do you need a professional writer? Learn more about my writing services .

Have you switched from writing your own documents to using a professional writer? Share your experiences in the comments.

Are you a professional writer? What other benefits can you think of that a professional writer can contribute to a business?

(Disclosure: This post contains links to my services page.)

Your answer to that question could make all the difference in your freelancing career.

The world of freelance writing seems to be polarizing into two distinct types of writer: the adequate writer and the excellent writer.

If you’re not sure of the difference between the two, here is a description of each type of writer:

Adequate writers:

• Write just well enough to get by
• Produce material that is correct, if not compelling
• Often follow a formula or template
• Frequently echo what others have already said
• Write a high volume of material very quickly
• Rarely leave you wanting more

The adequate writer’s material fails to excite. If their material is meant to sell, it rarely does. What it does do is take up space online and elsewhere.

In contrast to adequate writers, excellent writers:

• Exceed expectations
• Produce compelling material
• Are highly creative
• Look at topics from a unique perspective
• Take the time to do their best work
• Leave you wanting more

The exceptional writer sparks discussions with their writing. This writer motivates people to act, or at least, to have an opinion.

The temptation, of course, is to settle and be merely an adequate writer. For one thing, it’s easier. It’s the path of least resistance. There are many people out there who will tell you that it’s fine to create content merely for the sake of getting it done.

Guess what?

They are wrong.

As someone who has created both types of content I can say this: creating adequate content is a trap for writers. You will not get the writing success that you want by creating adequate writing.

You see, when you put something out there with your name on it that’s merely adequate that writing becomes a reflection of you. Most people will assume that piece is an example of your best work. While you may be capable of writing something much better, nobody will know it.

You may be losing clients and not even realize it.

Which type of writing do you think writers should focus on?
What type of writing do you do?

Discuss the benefits and pitfalls associated with settling for adequate writing in the comments.

Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Image Source: sxc.hu

You’ve been working hard to build your company image online and in local print publications.

You’ve established a website. You’ve even worked hard to create a social media presence. You may even have a blog.

Maybe you’ve even paid to have a special logo designed for your business or to have a custom website created.

Yet, something is wrong. You’re not getting the business that you should be getting from your marketing efforts. You know that customers are visiting your website, but they never seem to follow through and place an order.

Success seems to be just out of your reach . . .

Of course, there are a variety of things that could be wrong with your marketing effort.

One most common problem that many companies overlook is the quality of the writing on their website and the quality of writing in their printed materials.

In the minds of many customers, sloppy writing equals sloppy work or sloppy products. They are hesitant to buy from a company whose website or printed marketing materials are not well-written.

Take a good hard look at your marketing materials and website.

• Are there some typos?
• Are there misspelled words?
• Are there sentences that could be worded more clearly?

Fortunately, there’s an easy fix to this problem - hire a professional writer to review your marketing materials. He or she can find and correct errors as well as suggest more effective ways to communicate with your potential clients.

Are you still not convinced? Read Ten Reasons Why You Should Hire a Professional Writer to learn more about what a professional writer can do for your business.

For information about hiring WritingThoughts for your writing project, click here.

(Disclosure: I am a professional freelance writer and I do receive compensation for the writing projects that I do.)

When a representative of Demand Studios asked me to review their site last month, I was hesitant. Quite frankly, I’ve been very busy lately and I didn’t have a lot of extra time. Also, I try not to get too involved with sites that are considered “content sites” because, in my experience, they tend to pay less than average.

However, I also know that many WritingThoughts readers are curious about Demand Studios (even more so now that Deb Ng of Freelance Writing Jobs has partnered with Demand Studios), so I reluctantly agreed to review the site. However, I did insist that I give my honest opinion. So, that’s what this is - my honest opinion of the Demand Studios experience.

Getting Started

The process of signing up for Demand Studios went quickly. I was approved to write about a half hour after I signed up. Writers who are interested in applying will need the following:

• Resume
• Multiple writing samples

Writers who are interested in Demand Studios should also have a photo of themselves handy since one of the first things they will need to do after they are accepted is post a photo and write a brief biography about themselves.

After I was accepted as a writer, I took some time to look over the resources available to writers on the Demand Studios site. The resources are extensive. The first resource was not actually on the site, but attached to my approval e-mail: a 20-page guide for new writers. In addition to the guide for new writers, I found the following writer resources online:

• Templates and samples
• Writer forum
• Training camp materials
• Help desk

Of course, there are likely resources on the Demand Studios site that I didn’t have a chance to review.

Writing a Demand Studios Article

Writing a Demand Studios article is nothing like the writing that I do for my private clients. My private clients pay for accurate material that is presented from a very unique perspective. I provide a wide variety of writing products to my clients ranging from extensive tutorials, press releases, landing pages, ghost blogging, and yes, even a few web content articles. All Demand Studios articles, however, closely follow one of several pre-determined formats or templates.

For my review, I chose to write on some financial topics. I often cover this type of topic for private clients and I knew where to find accurate information. (Admittedly, this topic is a little more technical than some.) On the date that I looked, all available articles paid $15.00 or were revenue share articles.

My first article took me two hours to research, write, and download into the Demand Studios form. The second article took me only 45 minutes, and the third took me about an hour. My articles were accepted a few days later and I received payment via PayPal about a week after I initially submitted them. The articles were published on a client site, in this case eHow. You can see them here.

Things I Liked About Demand Studios

• There were plenty of instructional resources available for the new writer
• Templates and samples made it clear what they wanted
• The ability to take work at your discretion
• Adequate time to write an article from the time that you select a topic (seven days)
• Prompt payment via PayPal as promised
• Author bylines for work done
• There seemed to be plenty of work available

Things I Didn’t Like About Demand Studios

• Limited types of writing. There are less than a dozen templates by my count - but you won’t do really creative projects here.
• Pay is on the low side of acceptable (at Salary.com the 2009 range for a content specialist is $40,878 to $74,818).
• Jobs are listed (and selected) by title. Some titles are unclear or have obscure meanings.

What I Don’t Know Much About

• Filmmaker and Copy Editor positions - I joined the team as a writer, so I don’t know anything about these other positions.
• Higher paid articles. I didn’t see anything with a higher upfront payment than $15.00, so I don’t know whether or not more experienced writers are given the opportunity to accept higher paying gigs.
• Non-article writing such as title reviewing and title proofing.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that I would write for this site again, but mainly if I had no projects from my private clients. In fact, that’s one of the benefits of this site - you can write for them when and if you have time to do so. There’s no commitment to write x articles in a week, or even in a month.

In fact, this site could easily be used to end the familiar freelance writer’s “feast or famine” cycle.

Others who might wish to write for Demand Studios include:

• Writers who are just getting started
• Writers who do not wish to market their writing services to private clients
• Writers who are transitioning from a full-time job
• Non-writers who wish to supplement their other income or share their expertise

(Disclosures: While I was asked to write this review, I was not paid for the review itself. This review represents my honest opinion of the site based on the experience that I had at the time that I wrote the review. I did, however, receive compensation for the articles that I wrote during my research for this review. You can find those articles on eHow, here.)

Discuss this review and share your experiences in the comments.

Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Image Source: www.sxc.hu

By Carson Brackney

I just watched the news. The US economy shed nearly 400,000 jobs in July. The latest projections estimate that another 300,000 people lost jobs in August. Amazingly, that’s almost good news relative to the even higher numbers from previous months.

That’s just one of many proofs that our economy is struggling. GDP numbers, foreclosure statistics, bankruptcy forecasts and virtually every other indicator of overall economic well-being point to a single conclusion: Things suck.

You might think we’re standing on a ledge staring down at Great Depression v. 2.0. You might believe that the economy has bottomed out and has nowhere to go from here but up. No matter how you assess things or how your politics lean, things are ugly out there.

That’s bad news for the people staring at pink slips, empty cupboards and late notices. For those who do the freelance writing thing–especially those who focus on online markets–it may actually be good for business.

That’s because the economic squeeze is creating an army of people who type “how to make money online” and similar queries into Google. While some of them are going to get duped into HYIPs and cash gifting schemes that may end in criminal prosecutions, others will stumble into the world of Internet marketing.

There’s one thing you can count on the great majority of Internet marketing coaches, gurus and consultants to tell these new people: “Content is king.” All of those advocates of the “four hour work week” and the development of passive/residual income streams are also believers in the power of outsourcing. Those two messages pave a road that leads right to the doorstep of the freelance web writer.

While I’d still prefer a strong economy filled with happy people to a battalion of new desperation-inspired IMers, it’s become increasingly obvious that there’s a lot of new business out there for those who are willing, ready and able to take it. If you’re writing for the web and you know how to make the right connections, you don’t need to worry about where you’re going to get your bill money.

This influx of newbie content buyers does present a few challenges, however.

First, they’re extremely price sensitive. Many writers decry the penny-pinching ways of established marketers. When they see what the newbs expect to invest in homemade text, they start screaming bloody murder. This isn’t a market segment for those who demand a quarter per word. New entrants into the field haven’t yet learned the quality lesson first hand and are far too likely to be swayed by promises of bulk at prices lower than what you usually find from New Delhi writers.

Second, many of them have no idea what they’re doing. That can make the process of handling a transaction difficult. It can lead to unrealistic expectations of all sorts. It can also put you in a tough ethical position. When Bob Newby wants ten articles optimized for a keyword for which you know he doesn’t have a chance, you need to think about the best way to deal with the situation. New marketers will often give you a glimpse into their plans and if you’ve been around for awhile it’s not hard to spot the schemes that are doomed for failure.

It’s a mixed bag. There’s more business than ever but a lot of it is the kind of stuff many of us would prefer to avoid. Maybe we shouldn’t. I think a writer can deal with these new potential clients in a way that’s profitable, helpful and ethical. How?

Explain. Don’t just say you won’t take X cents per word and that you feel insulted by a lowball offer. Instead, explain why some people offer those rates, the risks associated with those providers and the likely return on investment generated by low-quality chop-shop content. Explain your process, what you can do that they can’t and why your work will help them more than a collection of spun, plagiarized or just plain crappy articles. Remember, these folks are new to the game. They don’t necessarily know better and they may not have been introduced to these considerations before.

Assist. When the project smells rotten or looks foolhardy, let the client know. Advise him or her as to why you think it may not be wisely planned. Share your knowledge and perspective in a sincere and helpful way. It’s easy for writers to overlook the fact that many new marketers are nervous about outsourcing. They don’t know the ropes and they may be worried about investing the cash they have in the work of a third party. It’s your job to put them at ease and to help them make the best possible decision.

Care. Don’t take advantage of the newb. Treat him or her right. Give them what they need to have the best possible chance for success. That’s good for generating repeat business. It’s good for referrals (even the new folks network, you know). And it’s good for your conscience. The waters of Internet business are shark-infested. Those just starting will encounter enough predators without having their content providers join in the feeding frenzy.

If you’re like me, you’re seeing more and more new people who are struggling to create a profitable online foothold in response to economic hardship or as a hedge against its possibility. If you haven’t encountered these potential clients yet, you probably will–the economy is still a long way from being strong.

While this crew of new customers can be challenging, there is potential in this market for the right writers. Those who are capable of providing high-quality, ethical guidance and assistance (along with top-notch deliverables, of course) can be part of one of the few groups who can live through the downturn without feeling squeezed by the economic vise.

_______________

Carson Brackney is a copywriter, consultant and content provider who works with clients ranging from the newest beginners to established experts. His latest project, Ad Astra Traffic, will launch in October, offering “one stop shopping” for content and other critical online business needs.

Have you ever thought about writing an e-book?

Personally, I thought about it for years before writing How to Start a Freelance Writing Business.

I had always put it off, though, because I didn’t think that I had enough time. That’s because whenever I’d worked on or edited an e-book for a client there had been lots of complications.

However, when the folks a Freelance Folder approached me for the How to Start a Freelance Writing Business project I jumped it at it because it was something that I had been wanting to do and also because Freelance Folder has such a great reputation among freelancers.

What I learned is, with proper organization, writing an e-book is quite manageable. If you’ve worked on other writing projects, writing an e-book shouldn’t be too hard for you.

Here are the steps I followed that could work for almost any e-book project.

(Since I was writing this book for Freelance Folder, I had an additional step of discussing these steps with an editor. If you’re creating the e-book by yourself, you won’t have that step.)

1. Choose a subject. (The more you know about the topic, the easier your e-book will be to write.)
2. Create a more specific list of what will be included in the e-book.
3. Create a detailed outline. (Mine corresponded roughly the chapters in my e-book.)
4. Set aside a specific time to research and write each chapter.
5. Double-check the information in each chapter.
6. Proofread your document.
7. Select or create cover art. (My art was provided for me.)
8. Save as a .Pdf.
9. Decide on pricing.
10. Download into a e-book distribution tool (we used e-junkie).
11. Market your e-book.

It’s really that simple!

In fact, now that I’ve created one e-book I believe that I’m ready to select a new topic and create another.

Have you written an e-book already? How did it go?

If these tips helped you write your e-book, I’d love to hear from you.

(Note: This page contains my affiliate link.)

Contents (c) Copyright 2009, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Image Source: www.sxc.hu