Four Freelancing Faux Pas You Need to Avoid

Whether you are a seasoned freelance writer, or this is your first week, it is good to keep in mind a few things that you should NOT be doing as a writer. The following are some very common faux pas that you need to avoid if you want to be successful in the freelance writing field.

Faux Pas #1 - Missing Writing Deadlines - Nothing proclaims that you do not care about writing so loud as missing your deadlines. While there are emergencies that warrant missing a deadline or two, if you miss a deadline for no reason, your editor is going to get the message that you do not care, you are not professional, and that you do not want to be successful in this field. Believe it or not, word does get around the market, and missing too many deadlines may ruin your freelance career.

Faux Pas #2 - Getting Too Personal with Editors and Other Superiors - While it is important to build relationships with the people that you work for, you need to avoid getting too personal with them. Be sure that you avoid letting them in on all the problems in your life. Your superiors do not want to hear every little sob story and negative detail about your life, so keep it on a more professional/personal level.

Faux Pas #3 - Tawdry Tirades - Every writer is going to have points when they are ready to pull their hair out and they feel like taking a sledge hammer to the computer, or maybe someone’s head. This is not the time to start writing nasty emails or letters to your editor. Writing a nasty letter may burn some bridges that you do not want to burn, and more than likely you will lose the job. If you have a problem, speak with your editor about it in a professional way, and they will probably listen and do what they can to make things easier for you.

Faux Pas #4 - Writing for Pennies - As a freelance writer, you are in it for more than just the fun. You owe it to yourself to get paid a decent amount for what you write. While you may have to accept a few lower paying articles when you first start out as a freelance writer, as you go on you will only hurt yourself by writing for pennies. If you continue to write for pennies you will get frustrated with all the work for so little money and you will have to work harder and harder to earn a living.

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