25 Jun 10 Freelance Writing and Work hours

This is one of the most common questions asked by freelance writing aspirants. They want to know if a freelance writer has to work from morning till evening, or just couple of hours a day will be sufficient. Another thing that bothers them in this regard is when one should write? These are valid questions, and need proper consideration before you embark on the freelance writing ship.

When to work?

There is no definite answer to this question as one can work whenever one wants as long as one meets the given deadline. I know many freelance writers that write in the morning, right after they wake up. Upon asking, they told me that writing in the morning is more fun as the mind is fresh and ideas keep coming.

I also know freelance writers who work in the deep darkness of the night. They feel they can produce good quality work in the night as there is seldom any distraction at that hour; no phone calls, no people coming over to meet, and kids and wives remain asleep then.

There are freelance writers who want to work during the day because for them working regular hours – from 9 or 10 in the morning till 5 or 6 in the evening – and maintaining a fix work schedule is important. They feel by working a regular hour they can take time out for family.

There are people who say they do not have any fix timing. They can work randomly at any hour without compromising the deadline or quality of the work to be delivered. They believe that the “hour of the day has no effect on their output”.

All of the people I talked to are excellent writers, and they produce excellent output for their clients. In the light of discussions I had, I believe working hour is not important. What is important is the quality of the output and timeliness of delivery. I must mention here that I do not endorse “working random hours” , as it affects the quality of output.

How long one has to work?

This depends where you are in your career and what your financial goal is. If you are starting out then you have to work long hours to meet your financial obligations, but if you are a veteran then you can work just for 3-4 hours and meet your financial goal, provided it is not very lofty.

I know people who worked for 15 to 16 hours (even more) when they started out, but as they gained experience and got good paying clients they reduced the number of working hours.

If you are starting out as a freelance writer then expect to work for more than 12 hours in a day, but as the time will pass you can reduce this to 4 to 6 hours a day.

Tags: Career, Darkness, Definite Answer, Distraction, Financial Goal, Freelance Work, Freelance Writer, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Proper Consideration, Quality Work, Random, Regard, Timeliness, Valid Questions

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21 Jun 09 How to Write Crowd-Pulling Headlines Part -I

Headlines are the most important part of a blog post or an article. It works as an interest generator. If a good headline persuades the visitor to read the complete article, a bad one pushes the reader off. There are certain principles you need to follow if you want to increase the reading rate of your articles.

KISSS it!

Keep it short, simple and sweet. You do not need to be cryptic to sound profound or useful. Simplicity is brilliance. Remove ambiguous words from the headline, and try to limit the length of the headline to 5-6 words.

Which of the following headline makes the article look more useful?

X has slashed its shirt’s price by 30 percent.
30 percent off on X shirt!

What in it for me?

This is the question every user asks when confronted with anything that asks for his or her attention. Your headline should provide a definite answer to this question. Talk about the big benefits you have to offer.

Example:

Learn to Enhance your Pictures in 3 Steps.
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Announcements

Announcements seed curiosity in the reader. Instead of some incremental advancement, people like to see some groundbreaking innovation, and announcements give them the feeling that something new has come along, which is radically different from what they already have. Announcements satiate the readers’ psychological need for newness.

Example:

Introducing All-New iPhone at Never-Before Price.
Finally, Life Has Been Found on Mars!

Ask Questions

Ask relevant questions, questions breed involvement. A question offers an entrée into the mind of the reader as it forces the reader to think, and the more your readers will think, the more involved they will become with the article.

Example:

Is Your Home Safe?
Are You Getting What You Deserve?

Share Secrets

The word “Secret” suggests the reader that some insider information is being shared, so they pay more attention to the article following the headline starting with “Secret”. Everyone wants to be in the inner circle and no one likes to be an outsider. Tap on it!

Example:

Secret of Monetizing Twitter
Insider’s Secret of Money Making

Tags: Ambiguous Words, blog, Brilliance, Crowd, Curiosity, Definite Answer, Free Announcements, Groundbreaking Innovation, Headlines, Home Safe, Insider Information, Iphone, People, Psychological Need, Reading Rate, Relevant Questions, Share Secrets, Simplicity

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25 Jun 10 Freelance Writing and Work hours

When to work?

How long one has to work?

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