Mistakes New Freelancers Make
As a new freelance writer you’re going to find yourself in a series of new situations that you may or may not know how to handle. It’s easy to handle a few new jobs here and there, but when you’re focusing on writing full-time you’re going to have to pay a lot more attention to detail.
I had a difficult time in my first couple of months as a full-time writer. I thought I was organized and quickly found that I had to strengthen those skills even more. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Know Your Limitations
There are only so many hours in a day and, despite what you may think, basic tasks such as eating, showering, and sleeping are still important. What am I trying to say? Don’t take on more work than you can handle. You may feel as though you have to accept every project you are offered but if you do so you may end up with more work than you can handle and not meeting a dealine is worse than having never taken the job at all. You’ll also end up rushing your work, making mistakes, and decreasing your chance of building a relationship with someone who may end up a repeat client.
Billing and Invoicing
As a new freelance writer you should not assume that every client is going to pay you upon completion of a job. Ask for upfront payments as often as possible. You may ask for the entire amount upfront or you may ask for a deposit. Either way, asking for upfront payment will ensure you don’t get burnt after completing a project. If you have a good pay history with a regular client you may consider a different billing system, but this rule usually applies to any new clients I deal with.
Organize Your Personal Space
Do you have a clean desktop? Do you know where your files are and what’s in each one? Do you have a system for billing and job hunting? Do you have a daily or weekly to-do list? Organize yourself as much as possible. Spend less time looking for things and more time working! You’ll be astonished by how much more productive you are!
Work on these three tasks early in your freelance writing career. They apply whether you write full-time or part-time and are guaranteed to make your career transition a little bit smoother.