The five silliest mistakes by a freelance writer or the common mistakes by freelancers as listed below for fellow writers have been fetched out from the years of experience that I do have in this field. These are small, little things every writer should be careful to avoid if he/she wants to see his name among the very best in the industry.
How is it possible to make mistakes as a freelance writer, you might want to know?
Let me share with you some deadly mistakes which can not only result in financial losses for freelance writers but also ruin their career: So, here is the list of common mistakes by freelancers:
I have seen so many freelancing sites where people are on the lookout for ‘cheap’ writers who will deliver ‘fantastic’ content for $1/500 words.
What the hell!
I would rather lie back and enjoy rather than work for such peanuts.
If you are serious about your work and have faith in your writing abilities, never ever accept such work.
Simply not worth the effort!
Limiting To a Single Freelancing Source:
No matter how much work you are getting from one particular freelancing site, do not let it deter you from exploring other options.
Who knows- one silly mistake might get your account frozen, have you blacklisted or banned from that site for ever. I have seen that happen to fellow writers.
Who knows what tomorrow has in store for you?
God forbid, if anything like that happens to you, you’d have to start afresh at another site.
Relying On a Single Client:
Never put all your eggs in one basket, goes the adage.
You will be much more secure (financially & mentally) if you take up assignments from a number of clients rather than depend upon ONE client.
Getting over dependent upon one client will allow him to dictate HIS terms (which might not always work out in your favor).
You will not have to cool your heels doing nothing if your client contacts another writer in future. With so many people willing to work for such ridiculously low prices, that is always a possibility.
Limiting Yourself To One Niche:
Even if you are extremely knowledgeable about health related topics, do try your hand at other niches where you COULD do well with a little effort- travel, for instance. Real estate, lifestyle, relationships, and parenting- the scope today is immense.
This is one field where, I believe, being a jack of all trades helps!
Not Delivering Work on Deadlines:
This is the reason most freelancers fail to make it big, inspite of being gifted.
I rate myself at 6.0 on a scale of 10 as far as writing skills are concerned.
But I make up for that my being a perfect 10.0 when it comes to researching for information, presenting it from my own perspective, dedication and meeting deadlines.
No one ANYWHERE is going to respect you if you do not meet your deadlines.
As a freelance writer, you can choose to work at a time of the day which suits you most. If you have missed out on your working hours, slog it out at night.
I remember making $650 in 3 days because a regular Australian client had 3 eBooks she wanted in 3 days. One of them was a rewriting assignment. But the money involved was huge, and made me greedy!
My house was a total mess for 3 days, and I ordered lunch and dinner from a restaurant in the neighbourhood. I am lucky to stay with an extremely supportive mom-in-law who saw to my kids single handedly for those 3 days (God bless her, I couldn’t have been where I am today without her support!!)
I hardly slept for 10 hours in three days. When I finally did deliver my client her 3 books, one after the other within the deadline, she referred me to at least 4 more clients, left a stellar feedback for me on the site where we’d met, gave me a $50 bonus and just went gaga with adulation!
Now while all that sounds great, you need to understand the importance of being a thorough professional!
Conclusion
Being a freelance writer can be a lot of fun! Normally a Freelancer earns $1400-1600 a month from various projects. And that is a LOT of money in my currency! The better months can fetched as much as $1900!!
But I refuse to rest upon the laurels and continue to seek inspiration from writers who are earning much better and getting to work at much better platforms than I do.
If you want to earn it that bracket, be careful and give writing your best shot.
Success can be yours- just avoid making these 5 silliest mistakes for a freelance writer or common mistakes by freelancers.
