How to…Get Through Bad Days as a Freelance Writer

If you have chosen the path of a freelance writer then you can expect to have bad days. There is almost certain to be times when the job just feels too much and the rewards too few. The life of a writer might seem attractive to dreamers but the reality is that this type of work takes a lot out of you. There will be days when the sensible option seems to be to just give up, but this is when your tenacity as writer kicks in. Here are a few tips to help you get through those bad days.

• One of the huge worries for freelance writers is finance. The fact that we work as freelancers means there is no real security for the future. The work can be in short supply or it could even dry up altogether. Unfortunately financial uncertainty may be a part of the job that we need to accept; what we can do is learn better ways to handle this uncertainty. We need to remind ourselves that we are not alone and even those people who seem to be financially secure could find themselves in trouble. There are no guarantees and all we can do is our best; worrying is not going to improve the situation – as trite as that sounds.
• There are days when writing is a real struggle; no professional can be on top of their game all the time. A bestselling author can probably afford to have a few bad days where they get nothing done, but most freelancers need to work to pay the bills. If you are having a bad day then do the best you can; don’t beat yourself up for this and don’t try to push too hard.
• One of the reasons why freelance writers have bad days is that they haven’t been taking care of their bodies and minds. We need physical exercise and mental relaxation to function properly; if we don’t get these then not only will our writing suffer but we will be damaging our health. It is important to factor in exercise and some type of relaxation technique into our daily routine. Going out for a long walk in the mornings should not be considered a waste of time but an important element of our job as a freelancer – we need to take care of the machine that hits the keyboard.
• Disorganisation can make a writer’s day a lot tougher than it needs to be. We need to make sure that we have our work set out clearly for the day, and that we can see that things are getting done. A whiteboard is a good choice for this because we enjoy the satisfaction of wiping off projects as they get done.
• In order to be successful as a freelance writer we need to be self-motivating – we are our own boss and we need to push hard sometimes. It is also important though that we learn to acknowledge when we are doing a good job – this helps us get though the bad days.