Articles on Living
Here a couple of updates done to this website. Enjoy!!
Aug 13th, 2010 - If You Read This And STILL Want To Be A Freelance Writer, You're Alright
Marsha Maung
Freelancing is sometimes harder and much tougher to deal with compared to the years when I was (securely?) employed as a bank's legal officer. Sure, I did not relish the idea of sulking my way to my boss' office every day but hey, if the bank wasn't doing well...is THAT my problem?
And also, I knew (70 percent of the time) that I would leave the place at 5pm every day and snub my nose at them.
At home, when you work as a freelance writer, you don't get that privilege at all. You get lonely, there is no one (near your age) to talk to except for the Indonesian house helper next door but there is only so much one can spend talking about dust mites and animal hair. You feel stressed out because you don't have anyone to delegate things to or discuss problems with.
Well, you get the picture.
Over the years, I have learned some really invaluable lessons about working from home as a freelance writer. And I am willing to share it with you too simply because I don't wish on anyone the things that I have had to go through.
Take care of yourself
It is way to easy to let work overtake yourself. Trust me, you can say a million 'no way's right now, it is easy. When you get more projects, when you see cash rolling into your account like a much-welcomed avalanche, when you start believing that nothing can take you down because you've worked so hard for THIS!! All this money!! (insert insane MUAHAHAHA)
No, take care of yourself. You are not made of steel.-
Don't bite off more than you can chew
You get tempted by innumerable projects coming in as your business grows and you can't stop yourself from saying 'No'. You can only say 'yes' if you know how to ask for help. -
Keep your focus
Because we spiral in and out of our work (which happens to be home too), freelance writers like me tend to spiral out of control. We lose focus. We immerse ourselves with too many objectives and goals. Prioritize and keep it real. Step by step, not giant leaps.
I know some people might disagree with me on this but it is alright. Focusing on one goal at a time makes for slower but paramount progress in the right direction. -
Write for yourself
The conundrum of writing things for everyone else drives me nuts. Yes, sadly, it is true (Clients, I STILL LOVE YOU!) because the stuff that I write for my clients has nothing to do with me. I am writing for them because they are paying me to do it and I find myself becoming impassioned.
Take a break and write something for yourself and soon, the passion comes back and you are in a better frame of mind to step into your clients' shoes again and write fantastic articles or blogs for them.
-
Get creative
Do something creative that you like...go for runs, think up stories, fictionalize something, compose songs, paint...these are all stuff that lets our mind run wild. Maintaining a healthy freelance writing career means that you need to let the inner child, the writer who is full of fun, get out once in a while.
Doing yoga and meditation also helps slow down the thoughts that go through my head because during the course of a single day, I find the concept of relenting to the urge of slamming my forehead against the wall repeatedly utter delight.
Drama drama me. :-)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marsha Maung is a Malaysian-based freelance web copywriter with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her blog for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
REPUBLICATION RIGHTS! IMPORTANT!!
Listen up! I am a very nice person, if you think this article is neat and you'd like to publish it in your website, all's cool with me but with one condition. Only one and from the bottom of my heart, I wish that you would, in all sincerity, allow me my one single wish....to place the following codes into the your website at the END OF THE ARTICLE. It's not going to disrupt much, so please do it?
Either paste the above ABOUT THE AUTHOR stuff into your website (with links included) or copy the following codes into your website. That's it! Thank you! *muax*
<b>Marsha Maung</b> is a Malaysian-based <a href="http://www.marshamaung.com" target="_blank">freelance writer</a> with two kids. She spends her time ferrying her kids around, watering her plants, writing web content, SEO stuff, ghostwriting books and also indulges in the occasional Facebook-ing. Visit her <a href="http://www.marshamaung.blogspot.com" target="_blank">blog</a> for more dirty details on the life and times of a mother, writer, designer, housekeeper, coffee-maker, poop-wiper, chef...and just about everything else under the sun.
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