Sometimes the Writing Gets Tough

Why Am I Doing This?

Much as I love writing there are times when I find that it is one of the most difficult tasks I have set myself. I find that it's especially hard when you do your best to please a client and then they want three quarts out of a pint pot - that's when the writing gets tough, and I have to ask myself why I am doing it. I have had some very similar problems lately
and I have to say that unless I can believe I am writing for myself as well as for others then I lose the spark that makes me a writer.

That is the Rate

No matter how many times you say it there will always be clients who will try to get you to lower your rates. Unless it is a project that really interests you, or you are having trouble getting any work at all, then don't do it. Word soon gets around and other people will start to jump on the rates boat. The fact of the matter is that whether you are contracted to write 10 articles or 50 unless you can learn to type faster than the speed of light your hourly rate does not change - and I for one refuse to work for less than minimum wage. How about you?

It's Writing Time Again

The last couple of weeks have had me chomping at the bit, but now it's writing time again. No more will I have to wait for someone to lend me their computer just to keep my head above water, my problems will soon be solved as the new computer arrived today.

Having my computer give up the ghost in the midst of a couple of writing projects and right in the middle of Nano has given me a whole new set of problems wondering how I am going to catch up. No doubt I will have to work several ghosters, but when all is said and done, even if I don't finish nano I am very glad that it's writing time again.

Write Good Content

I know it has been said before by other writers and bloggers but the kind of content that you put on your website or blog really does matter. People will often become regular visitors to either your website or your blog because they like what you have to say. You are obviously writing about topics that engage readers when they come to your site.

It is all too easy to forget that any writer is only as good as their audience. Successful published writers know that if they want to remain successful then it is up to them give their readers what they want - something that engages their interest and keeps them coming back for more.

When you write good content you are not only pleasing your audience you are putting your money where your mouth is when it comes to writing. One of the reasons that you write good content is because you hope that your audience wouldn't expect anything less than you expect from yourself.

Writers are Readers

If you are a writer then it is highly likely that you are also a reader. Writers know that one of the best ways of learning their craft is to read the work of others - writers like John Grisham, Johnathon Kellerman, Michael Connolly and Sue Grafton have an almost universal appeal in that the characterization and dialogue are usually well rounded and sharp respectively.

A writer is usually a reader who does more than read for enjoyment. A writer takes notes on the structure and style that published authors use in an attempt to improve on whatever they themselves are writing. If you are a freelance writer then you still need to read the work of others, there are plenty on the internet; or you could read your local paper or your favorite magazine through your writer's eyes. Writers are readers if they know what is good for them