Freelance Writing Doubts — 5 Ways to Change Your Perspective and Achieve Success
If you are new to freelance writing, you struggle with consistency, motivation, and severe bouts of self-doubt. ‘What the hell am I doing?’ may be a thought that runs through your head often.
Here’s the thing: doing anything independently after working for years in a team setting will always take some time to adjust to. This includes freelance writing and any endeavor you plan on starting and doing independently.
A small team is always great, but many creators work alone, like many freelance writers.
That’s exciting, liberating, and, in many cases, the best career decision for many who want to do their own thing. But for some, it takes a while, especially if you have never ventured independently and are filled with self-doubt.
New writers, if you are unsure where to start, what to do, what to write, know half the battle is in your head. This article will help you clear that space and get to work where you will be ready to do what you do best: write.
Let’s get to it. Five solid ways to change your mindset to succeed as a freelance writer.
5 Steps to Successful Freelance Writing
- Show up Every. Single. Day.
Half of struggling with freelance writing is consistency and showing up to work every day without fail. Just like a regular job, this is your new place of employment. Just like you wouldn’t slack off at any other kind of place of work, don’t do it here either.
What does it look like to write every single day? Even when you don’t want to, even when you feel like absolute crap. Doesn’t matter. You are now working as a freelance writer, and writing is what you will do. This does not always have to be in the form of a 1000-word blog or a short story. It can even be short writing tasks like brainstorming ideas or mundane activities.
Suppose you need help with this; it’s always a good idea to find work that will force you to write every day, even if it’s not your dream job or not always the highest rate per word. Think of it as an investment in your craft and writing skills. Knowing you must submit on time because someone is counting on you can motivate you to write daily.
2. Be ready to learn
It’s always important to remember that as a freelancer, you specialize in one kind of writing but should always be ready to learn more about that specific kind of writing and techniques that other writers in your industry use. A freelancer must be able to absorb new information, tools, and strategies. Employers are always ready to hire anyone who is current on trends, and if you are closed to new ideas and tools, you won’t last long in this market.
The best way to approach this is to change your mindset about what you DO know. Even if you write decently, connect with a network of people talking about things you don’t know much about. Always be ready to learn.
3. Respect the people who edit your work
This is a mindset problem. If you take it personally when someone edits your work, you must step back and reassess the situation. Think of it like this: Most of the time, your editor, who will probably be your client, edits your work to help you succeed and meet the task requirements. They are on your side.
There may be a few instances where you feel that the edits are unnecessary or inappropriate, but as an entrepreneur and freelancer, your client is where the buck stops. If they want changes in your work, you are responsible for satisfying their requirements.
You will turn off potential clients and customers whenever you make it personal. Don’t take it personally, and don’t be defensive. Learn from their feedback, and always jot it down to replicate next time. You want return customers.
4. Be your own cheerleader
One of the most lonely moments in your independent freelance writing journey is when you get that first rejection, that first bit of negative feedback, or the loss of an opportunity due to a significant error. This is when knowing how to be your own cheerleader is essential.
Understanding how to bounce back and accepting that every down is a learning opportunity will help bring you out of that ultimate disappointment and self-doubt. We’ve all been there, and knowing that the only way is up from down will create the self-confidence to write again.
5. Accept that achieving greatness takes time
Why is no one reading my work? Why am I not getting hits? These are just a few thoughts running through your head when you start your freelance writing career. However, changing the way you think about your journey and perspective on how you will achieve your end goals can alter the way you measure your success.
Look at it this way: this is a journey; there is a start, a middle, and an end, just like a good book. You may be at the beginning or the middle, but you probably are not at the end.
Greatness isn’t achieved after your first piece of work is published.
Sometimes, pieces that you will not expect will engage your readers the most. It’s better to think after you write something and set it free into the world; it is no longer up to you how people perceive it. Your readers will decide that all you can do is study the results and learn.
Don’t dwell; don’t overthink it. Let it go.
Train Hard to Reap Results
Individuals have compared freelance writing and creating content to training to be a sports athlete. It’s not a bad analogy. Both have to practice every day and play a head game to get ready to succeed. Once you set your mind to it, the only person who will cause disappointment is yourself.
Consider this briefly: you have no one else to rely on except yourself. You are your pathway to greatness, and the only one who can motivate you daily to get up and take a step toward success is YOU.
If you approach your freelance writing career from this perspective, there is a shift in your approach to success. You are training to compete, and to do that, you need to remember what led you to follow your path and start freelancing in the first place.
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When creating something that resonates with your audience, that feeling is incomparable to anything else. Remember, you may have to go through several fails to find that piece that hits just right.
Accepting this and remembering it is part of your journey will change your perspective when you write.
