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23 Jul 09 Get Organized, Get Disciplined

There are two kinds of freelancers, one who started freelancing because he believed he can make more money and get a better life by working for themselves, and another is the one who jumped on to the bandwagon because he saw the possibility to work with a beer can in his hand. The latter group has joined freelancing because the group felt agitated and sometimes angry by the presence of rules, regulations, discipline, and a BOSS in the work that they are doing.

Well, if your boss is the one who with his nagging behavior pushed in here then you should thank him, but if you have come here with a dream of finding procrastinator’s paradise then I will suggest you to look elsewhere because someone has given you the wrong address. But, as you have come here, though erroneously, I must tell you that to become successful as a freelance professional, you not only need to have some kind of expertise that can be offered as a service to the buyer sitting in different city, state or country, but you also need to have a rigorous  self-control. Time management, scheduling, organization, and a well thought to-do lists are important tools that will help you in preparing for the big task.

Indeed, you will be free of nagging boss, upon choosing freelancing as a career, but there is no escape from rules, regulations, and discipline; rather these things – you may call it evil monsters, if you prefer it that way – will hit hard with all of their combined force.

Freelancing is not for those who need external pushing to meet deadline because there is no one outside you to push you. No one is there to threaten you to stop your promotion or paycheck, or to fire you outright. You have to act on your own. You have to take charge. You need to be disciplined enough to do everything that is required of you, and that too on time, every time. Along with giving you the entire bucket of rewards for the work you do, freelancing also puts a burden of a sack-full of responsibility on you.

Freelancers falling in the first group never have any problem with these. It is the freelancers falling into the second group who find it hard to come to terms with the demands posed by the freelance profession. For them it is a paradise lost.

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22 Jul 09 Freelance Writing: Write Your Way to the Bank

Freelancing is not an easy job, not because you cannot write, but because there are too many writers vying for too few openings. This is a classical case of buyer’s market; hence, as the textbook says buyers will set the rule and will expect you to follow them. Everything said and done, you still have the power to decide and influence the buyers’ decisions provided you can highlight your talent, and tell your prospective employers how you can help them. Seeing the nature of this market, it is easier said than done.

In the real world, you will find it extremely difficult to make your voice heard midst all the chaos, but the good news is you can do it, and do it by doing what you know best. I mean, by writing.

Freelance writers have one big benefit over freelancers of other fields, and the benefit is his or her ability to write. Unlike other freelance professionals, who struggle to write promotional materials for themselves, freelance writers are cut out to do exactly that. If you are a freelancer, I feel it is needless to say that your ability to write is the sole reason for your existence then why not use this ability to seize clients’ attention?

The matter written in the body of your e-mail is the first point of contact between you and your prospective client, so make it as better as you can. The quality of this initial contact will increase the possibility of your getting hired, yet most of the freelance writers never take this seriously.

As a freelance writer, you need to understand that every word that you write is in itself an advertisement for you. Hence, choose your words with much caution when you are writing mails to your existing client or prospects. Before going through your samples that you have attached with your application, your prospective clients will read the cover letter or the mail that you have written, and the prospect will only decide to click the attachment link, if he or she is impressed with what and how you have written your e-mail.

If you are a freelance writer or aspire to be one, always remember to take every communication with your client seriously, and use every opportunity you get and show how well you can write. Unlike other freelance professionals, for you, promoting yourself is easy. You are cut out to do that!

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