Category: overcome fear

Stop Whining: How to Crush Your Freelance Writing Excuses

It’s the middle of the afternoon. You’ve got a client deadline. And all you’ve been able to do for the last few hours is think up writing excuses for why you’re not cranking out copy.

Your desk is too cluttered.
You’re behind on dishes and laundry.
You don’t feel like writing.
You didn’t get enough info from your client to complete the assignment.
And then the thought crosses your mind: I’m not really a writer. I’m just pretending to be one.

Been there, done that?

If you’ve made any of these writing excuses (FYI…there’s many more), you’ve probably done your share of whining, crying, and flailing around. All that, when you could have been, you know, working.

Tired of writing excuses holding you back from moving up and earning more as a freelancer?

Stop whining, and crush your freelance writing excuses once and for all. Here’s how:

Solutions For the Top 5 Worries that Terrify New Freelance Writers

New freelance writers have a lot of worries. So I want to check in about that.

Are you frozen in fear, and not taking any steps to get your freelance-writing career off the ground?

Usually, that means fear has you stuck.

The good news is, a lot of worries newbies have are completely unfounded.

Today, let’s bust those fears. What you’re worried about probably isn’t an issue at all.

Wonder what I mean? Let me list the top five irrational fears new freelance writers tell me they’re plagued by — and I’ll show you that you don’t have to worry about any of them. You’re good to go!

Ready?

Writing Career Tips: 9 Types of Useless Scribbling to Avoid

Do you love writing? Thinking of doing it for pay? Well, there’s a big difference between writing for the fun of it, and having a lucrative, bill-paying writing career.

Every day, there are loads of things you could be writing, sure. But when you’re writing for money, time is of the essence. You’ll need to focus on the types of writing that will help move your writing career forward.

You might think, “Well, any writing is good. Because it’s all writing practice.” Right?

If you’ve got unlimited time, then sure. But if you have other commitments in your life — say, a day job, kids, a love life — you’ll need to be efficient here.

What writing tasks should you avoid wasting time on? Here’s my list:

Terrified of Freelance Failure? 15 No-Fear Moves for Writing Online

You’re staring at the computer screen thinking about making money writing online. But something isn’t right.

You’re anxious. You’re full of self doubt. You keep thinking of worst-case scenarios. You’re terrified by the fear of failure. And that kind of makes writing online and making money hard to do.

Sound familiar?

If you’re cowering in the corner afraid to make a move as a freelance writer, you’re not alone. A lot of writers struggle with the same kind of issues, even pros who’ve been writing online for years.

But if you want to make money writing online, you can’t let fear stop you from trying, writing a query, sending a letter of introduction, networking, or going after higher-paying clients.

The thing you should be most afraid of is wasting days, weeks, months, or even years paralyzed by fear, when you could be writing online and building your dream freelance life.

Ready to move up and earn more? Punch fear in the face and kick self doubt to the curb. These 15 no-fear moves will help you make it happen.

Strong Writers Avoid These 9 Toxic Things

Are you your own worst enemy, as a freelance writer? I think this career is such a head game — and strong writers don’t waste time going down an emotional drain.

It’s hard to earn a living with your craft if your brain keeps kicking out negative self-talk. I’ve always thought there’s a certain mental toughness you need to freelance, dealing with the ups and downs of different clients.

A few years ago, a post on Forbes about mentally strong people and the activities they avoid really spoke to me. And the fact that the post became one of Forbes’ most-popular ever tells me that if you struggle with keeping positive thoughts, you’re not alone! Turns out there’s a popular book about what mentally strong people avoid, too.

I found myself thinking about how the habits of mentally strong people apply to freelance writers, in particular. Staying positive is so essential to freelance success!

So I came up with my own list of bad patterns that mentally strong writers avoid. Reading the forums inside my writer community has given me a lot of experience with the mental rabbit-holes writers tend to wander down.

Want to be a strong writer? Mentally strong freelance writers don’t engage in these negative activities:

Writing Jobs Sluggish? 17 Jet-Stream Strategies to Boost Freelance Income

Struggling to find writing jobs? Or the ones you’ve got aren’t helping you move up and earn more fast enough?

Check your boarding pass. You may need to change your travel plans.

If you’re currently on board the Content Mill Clipper, the Job Board Puddle Jumper, or the Bid Site Balloon, it’s going to take a long time to build your freelance writing career.

You might get some clips and make a little money this way. But it’s a slow, mind-numbing route plagued with too many layovers, crammed cabin quarters, and mechanical problems. And it doesn’t have to be that way.

Get off at the next stop, and ride the freelancer’s jet stream to move up and earn more. Successful freelance writers use this fast-moving current to:

Boost productivity
Master marketing
Overcome fear
Stay motivated, and
Charge higher rates

Ready to ride the freelancer’s jet stream? Here are 17 ways to speed up your freelance writing career:

The Ultimate Antidote to Stop Attracting Bad Freelance Writing Jobs

Bad freelance writing jobs. It’s a problem I’ve heard from other writers ever since I started this blog and first wrote this post. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s the antidote. Enjoy! —Carol.

Nearly every freelance writer I’ve ever met has had some bad freelance writing jobs.

And for some freelancers, it’s practically a chronic disease fraught with some of the worse offenders:

You know the types:

The control freak who wants to instant-message you 24/7.
The dreamer who wants the moon, but doesn’t have time to tell you how to fly there and get it for them.
The dysfunctional nutjob who doesn’t really know *what* they want…until they see what you wrote. Then they know, that’s not it.
The fly-by-night who disappears with your final payment.
Last but certainly not least, the super-low payer.

If you’re sick of bad freelance writing jobs, sick-in-the-head clients, and pay rates that make it hard to breathe, here’s the antidote:

How to Make the Terrifying Leap to Charge Higher Freelance Rates

Terrified of charging higher freelance rates, even though you know you’re worth it?

If quoting big is outside your comfort zone, I get it. It seemed too risky.

What if you lose the gig?

In my family, income from my freelancing is pretty important. We depend on it being there every month, so I’m not in a position to take huge unnecessary risks. A lost gig equals lost income (and lost income doesn’t pay the mortgage).

But at some point, you’re bound to reach a tipping point. You might be terrified of the outcome, but you’re finally willing to take the risk to find out if you can command higher freelance rates.

I reached a tipping point like that earlier this year, and something pretty crazy happened.

Want to learn how to punch fear in the face, and take the leap to raise your freelance rates? Here’s how it’s done:

Networking for Introverts: The Terrifying Mistake That Created More Freelance Leads

I knew I had to figure out the marketing piece if I hoped to be a successful freelancer, but networking for introverts and self-promotion isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do.

Before throwing myself into a crowd of people to drum up business, I thought I’d take a “class” at a local community college on networking to learn how it’s done.

There was just one problem.

The “class” turned out to be a roomful of professionals who all seemed to know each other… well. When I walked in, my mind started spinning and my heart pounding. “If I could just find a seat…”

Finally I did, and that’s when the director looked straight at me: “Stand up and tell us who you are and what your business is…”

“Who, me?” I thought. Cue the sweaty palms, queasy stomach, noodle legs, hands trembling with fear, and an intense desire to pull a bag over my head.

If you’re a fellow introvert and freelance writer, what would you do? Here’s what happened next:

How to Avoid Overwhelm and Launch Your Freelance Career

The Internet has made some things about building a freelance career as a writer a lot easier.

You can investigate what a magazine has recently written, for instance. Or find an editor on LinkedIn.

But in other ways, our Information Age has caused problems for writers.

I know because I keep hearing comments from new freelance writers like this:

“There’s so much to know and the world of freelance writing is rapidly changing. I feel so behind and don’t know how I’ll ever catch up. Can you help?”

Does that sound anything like the voice inside your head?

Wondering if can really jump in and build a freelance career as a writer, even though you don’t know everything right now?

I do have a tip on that.

5 Karate-Inspired Moves to Beat Fear and Doubt for Freelancers

Are you one of those freelancers in the writer’s dojo who secretly thinks you’re too weak at this writing thing to earn a living?

Maybe you’re scared you’ll screw up, suck at getting clients, fail to deliver high-quality work, and basically punch yourself in the face.

Or maybe you’re overwhelmed because you’re trying to learn pro-writer combos and strikes before you’ve learned the basics.

I know what it’s like to be one of the white-belt freelancers on the mat staring down opponents like Fear, Self-Doubt, Procrastination, and Lack of Direction.

It’s scary. It’s frustrating. And if you don’t do something about it, those bad guys from the Dojo of Doom and Failure will take you down.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. After some training, practice, and a few blows to the head, I learned five moves freelancers can use to beat fear and doubt.

Contest: Let’s Make a Writer’s Gratitude List

Years ago, when I was finding it hard to get out of bed, much less write, I started making a daily gratitude list. To celebrate Thanksgiving, I’d like to collaborate with you today and make a writer’s ultimate gratitude list. You game?

If you haven’t done this before, writing a gratitude list is a great way to start the day, or to end it. Our human brains are programmed to focus on the negative. We needed to remember where the saber-toothed tigers were, so we’d avoid that valley.

In our modern lives full of negative news headlines and fears for the future, dwelling on the bad stuff can really sap your writing creativity. Focusing on the positive is a powerful tool to remind us of the simple joys of being alive.

Ready to join in?

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