WritingThoughts

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If you’re a freelance writer, you know that you’re going to have problems.

I’ve written about this before. I’ve covered problems like fear, writer’s block, and even distractions.

What I’ve noticed over the years is that bloggers and other writers tend to focus on certain problems and ignore others. That got me thinking.

Are there some problems that writers face more often than others?

While I have my opinion, I really don’t know the answer for sure. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments below. What freelance writing problems do you face most often?

In the meantime, I’m starting a series to address ten common freelancer writer problems. This is the introductory post for that series.

Over the next few months I’ll address each common freelance writing problem in this series of posts. I’ll share my thoughts about possible solutions and you’re invited to share your thoughts too.

If you feel I’ve missed any freelance writing problems let me know in the comments. If I agree, I may add your problem to the series.

Here are the ten common problems freelance writers seem to face most often:

1. Finding Work. This seems to be the most commonly addressed freelance writing problem. Whole businesses have sprung up with the goal of helping freelancers find work. Not all methods of finding freelance work are equal. In this post I’ll explore the various methods freelancers use to find work. I’ll discuss what works and what doesn’t.
2. Getting Clients to Pay. Once you’ve found and completed freelance work, your next task is to get paid. Getting paid seems to be a huge problem for many freelancers. I’ve only had one client that didn’t pay me in a timely fashion and that was because they closed their business. There are some strategies you can take to increase your odds of getting paid and I’ll cover those in this post.
3. Getting Paid Enough. You may have plenty of work, but if you can’t live off of what you make as a freelance writer there’s a problem. In this post I’ll discuss how to figure out whether you are being paid enough. (It’s not as easy as you might think.) I’ll also provide some tips on how to increase your rates if you’ve been charging too little.
4. Scope Creep. Did you ever accept a writing job that turned out to be a lot more work than you thought it would be? You’re not alone. Many writers have this problem. One reason that writing jobs ending up taking more time than we think is because of the common problem of scope creep. In this post I’ll introduce some tactics for managing scope creep.
5. Managing Time. Do you finish the work day and wonder where it went? Do you set daily goals for yourself that you are never able to meet? Do you put off working on projects until it’s nearly too late? You may need some help with time management. I’ll share my best time management tips in this post.
6. Loneliness. You’re freelancing. You’re probably working from home. You may feel all alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There are ways for you to connect even if you don’t go to an office job every day. I’ll share some great networking opportunities for freelance writers in this post.
7. Dealing with Difficult People. A common freelance myth is that we don’t have to deal with difficult people. If you’ve struggled under a difficult boss or put up with a cranky coworker, you may view freelancing as an escape. Unfortunately dealing with difficult people is part of freelancing too. Get some tips in this post.
8. Coming Up with Ideas to Write About. Writers block, creative block… whatever you call it, that stuck feeling can be frustrating. In my post on this topic I’ll revisit some of the best techniques to come up with great ideas to write about.
9. Not Having Experience. This is mostly a problem for new freelancer writers. But if you’re the one experiencing it, you understand how difficult it can make things. There are ways around this problem, though. I’ll share some of those ways in my post on this common problem.
10. Dealing with Distractions. Are you too distracted to write? If you work from home, the answer just could be “yes.” Learn how to carve out some dedicated writing time in the middle of your busy life. I’ll discuss some of the most common distractions freelance writers face and explain how to overcome them.

Your Turn

If you noticed that several of these problems seem to be related, you’re right. In my posts about common freelance writing problems, I’ll discuss the relationship between these writer problems too.

Did I miss a common problem? Which freelance writing problem is the worst? Let me know in the comments.

In the meantime, check back for future posts on how to deal with each of these writing problems. I’ll link to each freelancer problem post as it becomes available.