As Halloween approaches, we’re faced with scary images of ghosts, goblins, witches, and clowns (not everyone finds clowns scary, but I know plenty of people who do – hence the photo at left). Then there are other fears that eat away at us year round. Like the fear that we’ll never land another assignment again. Or the fear that readers won’t like our work.
Last year, I surveyed readers and discovered that their biggest freelance fear is going broke. But there are plenty of other worries that keep us up at night. (Is it just me or are a lot of freelancers raging insomniacs?)
Here are five freelance fears along with tips on how to deal with them.
Fear #1: What if there’s a mistake in my work?
Whether it’s a mistake you made or one that got inserted later, stuff happens. As I wrote in this post on about handling mistakes, the best thing you can do if it’s your mistake is to own up to it. Of course, there are plenty of things you can do to prevent errors from happening, including reading your copy out loud, enabling the forgotten attachment detector in Gmail, and more. Unless you make repeated mistakes or one huge gaffe, it shouldn’t haunt you later. Still, it’s best to avoid errors whenever possible.
Fear #2: What if readers leave nasty comments?
If you ever write anything slightly personal or controversial, then you’re bound to attract some haters. On the one hand, that’s how you know you’ve really struck a chord with people, but on the other hand those nasty comments or hate emails can really sting. It takes a lot more courage to write that personal essay or blog post under your real name than to leave some anonymous comment, so take heart in knowing that. Also know that editors like it when your content sparks intense debate, so they won’t hold it against you. And if that’s not enough, then simply STOP READING THE COMMENTS.
If you ever write anything slightly personal or controversial, then you’re bound to attract some haters. On the one hand, that’s how you know you’ve really struck a chord with people, but on the other hand those nasty comments or hate emails can really sting. It takes a lot more courage to write that personal essay or blog post under your real name than to leave some anonymous comment, so take heart in knowing that. Also know that editors like it when your content sparks intense debate, so they won’t hold it against you. And if that’s not enough, then simply STOP READING THE COMMENTS.
Fear #3: What if my editor or client wants tons of revisions?
It can be disheartening to have a document returned to you with loads of additions, subtractions, and other changes. But with some clients or editors, that’s simply the norm and it’s no reflection on your abilities as a writer or your worth as a human being (obviously). The real test is whether you land a repeat assignment. I try to study all the changes the client or editors makes to my piece so I can incorporate those stylistic changes myself and really nail their voice next time.
It can be disheartening to have a document returned to you with loads of additions, subtractions, and other changes. But with some clients or editors, that’s simply the norm and it’s no reflection on your abilities as a writer or your worth as a human being (obviously). The real test is whether you land a repeat assignment. I try to study all the changes the client or editors makes to my piece so I can incorporate those stylistic changes myself and really nail their voice next time.
Fear #4: What if a client tries to stiff me?
It’s an unfortunate reality that some clients, whether because of cash flow issues or actual malicious intent, avoid paying for your hard work. There are several strategies you can use to avoid being scammed, but if you’re already in that situation and a strongly worded letter, email, and/or phone call doesn’t work, consider reporting the client to Angela at WritersWeekly’s Whispers & Warnings or (if you’re a member) enlisting the help of ASJA‘s Grievance Committee.
Fear #5: What if all my clients leave me and I never get another freelance assignment ever again?
Clients come and go. That’s just the nature of the business. But if you’re good at what you do and diligent about marketing yourself, then you’ll find a way to fill that hole. (Plus, it’s unlikely that all your clients will leave you all at once unless you’ve grown reliant on only one or two clients for all your work.) In addition to marketing and networking, you can also boost your odds of maintaining a steady flow of work by constantly working to improve your craft. For instance, earlier this year, I earned a Certificate in Writing for Professional Communication. I’m usually reading at least one book related to writing or small businesses, and I read a ton of blogs of those topics to stay on top of my game.
What about you? Have you faced any of these freelance fears? Are there other concerns I’ve missed? Leave a comment and let us know!
Flickr photo courtesy of Nwardez
This just about nails it.
Those are spot on. I do think some people are afraid to write at all though – they don't even get to the point of the other fears.
How about the fear of having a good idea stolen? That happened to me once.
Excellent advice. Over the years, I've tried really hard to diversify my income, so that I don't have a big chunk coming from any one or two clients.
Still, over the past few years, I found myself in the precarious position of my income and time being monopolized by two clients — b5Media and TV Squad/AOL.
b5Media went bust, and AOL re-organized and shut out all the veteran writers. There I was – monthly bills and mortgage, and only a small income coming in from various other clients.
My solution was to ditch writing for other sites and build up my own projects. Now the bulk of my time is spent on my syndicated family movie and TV columns – based at http://www.reellifewithjane.com and http://www.filmgecko.net – and my online classes. I created a teaching portal and invited other teachers to participate – http://www.writebloglearn.com.
It's more work being in charge of everything, but at the same time, I also have control over everything and don't worry about someone else's site going belly up.
@Marthaandme: That's true! There are a whole host of reasons why someone may never get to the point of worrying over what readers think or why an editor wanted so many revisions.
@Alexandra: Gosh you're right! I've had that happen, too. I think at one point, I had that incident flash in my head and thought, "Ooo! That's another good fear," but somehow I forgot to include it here. Trouble is, that's a tough one to avoid. Aside from not giving away *too* much information in your pitch, do you have any other tips on protecting yourself, Alexandra?
@Jane Boursaw: Our comments crossed in cyber space! I totally admire the way you've become drastically less reliant on the whims of editors and clients. I created an ebook for the same reasons, but so far that's only a small fraction of my income. Definitely takes time to build something to your level of success and self-sufficiency!
Yes to all of these. Thanks for putting it out there and offering your expert perspective. Here's one more: fear of never coming up with another good idea, ever again; fear of (permanent) writer's block (or whatever you call it).
Having your story killed that you worked on for weeks. This list is leaving me with goosebumps.
Yes, I've been stiffed (entirely or partially). Yes, I've lost BIG clients all at once (because of changes on their end, not mine).
Like @Jane … I work hard to stay diversified enough to weather any client-related changes. It's hard, though, when there is good steady work to be found. It's hard not to rely too much on those clients because it seems so easy at the time.
I'd agree, though, that worse than up-front rejection? Is to spend months knocking yourself out on an article and then having it killed.
@MyKidsEatSquid & @Roxanne: I agree – having your article killed is the worst!
I haven't had much success selling those pieces elsewhere because the format was so specific to the publication, but in most cases I've been lucky enough to get the full fee.
This one hits home. This is a tough life we've chosen.
The biggest fear I have in freelancing is having to take more than I can handle. Since there's constant fear of not having a steady and viable income, it can be tempting to just grab anything that passes by and then, it will be too late to say 'No'.
Don't forget the thundering silence of sending your query into the deep dark hole of "You'll never hear back". I HATE that.
@Issa: Very true! I sometimes struggle with that myself. But usually when I over-commit, something falls through (client is stalled or loses interest, etc), so it works out.
@Melanie: Another good one!
Unfortunately …
Thanks for going through these fears, they are indeed very common…at least to me, I feel they are. I tend to have the most fear about nasty comments from readers, but try to remember that everyone has their own opinions and personal preferences and to not let "nasty comments" get to me.
Thanks for the advice.
~TRA
http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness. Im scared!! There is one that thing that scares me that you didn't mention. What if the editor hates me because I broke some unwritten rule–crossed some invisible line–unwittingly made their life more difficult–you know–all those things that you IMAGINE you might have done wrong.
These are perfect! Exactly what I've feared at one time or another in my freelance career. Just felt #1 not too long ago — for no good reason. Just the goblins trying to hold onto me. I let 'em go, but only when the editor came back to me with a, "This is perfect!" comment. These aren't freelance fears; they're irrational.
I love your blog, and especially this post. I realize I have a lot of fears, some of which you've mentioned. This makes me feel less alone. I also try to remember that one of the best traits a writer can have is perseverance, or the ability to get up and dust yourself off after encountering any real or imagined setbacks. Everyone has setbacks – it's how you choose to face them that counts.
#3 happens ALL the time when you work for magazines that edit by committee. I'd say it's not so much a fear as a reality. I conquer it by assuming several rounds of editing are part of the job description.
Right now I'm suffering not so much from fears but from ennui. I have a story due that I don't feel like writing. I seem to be waiting until the last minute. A BAD IDEA. The accompanying fear: what if I miss the deadline…
How about the fear that what you write isn't what will be published? The first article I wrote for a major publication's blog was so heavily edited that I didn't even recognize it when it was published. If that wasn't devastating enough, the article was absolutely creamed by readers. Some of the comments were so salacious that I freaked out and sent the editor an email begging him to make my byline anonymous. He kindly obliged and assured me that all of the negative commentary was the norm – a good, controversial norm as you suggested Susan – but relinquishing control of my words is still sticky business for me.
Yep, nailed it. It's comforting to know all freelancers struggle with those fears, and it's something I'll try to remember when the thought of my bank balance wakes me up at 3am. Anyone else ever get the cold sweats trying to remember where all the money's coming from in the middle of the night?
(Of course, that's sometimes when my best story ideas occur too.)
I agree with Martha's comment – taking the plunge at all was, for a long time, my biggest fear.
When I worked for a newspaper as managing editor (I also contributed 5-7K words to each issue), I would get the most insane jitters the moment I knew our distributor was stacking the local stands. Like a blog post, a local newspaper generates a lot of comments, not all of them very kind.
Today, I feel the same fear in my gut when I turn in an assignment. But I worked backwards from the fear and turned it into an advantage: now that I don't have an entire newspaper in front of me, just an assignment, I make sure to take all the time I need to be comfortable with what's on the page. To re-check quotes. In short, to do my best.
That way, whatever is wrong really is either (a) a genuine mistake or (b) an editor's whim, not a lack of ability or concentration on my part.
"Fear #3: What if my editor or client wants tons of revisions?"
That's my top one right there. Though for as scary as this is, your photo for this post is even more terrifying!