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What mistakes do you make as a freelance writer?



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What mistakes do you make as a freelance writer?

What mistakes do you make as a freelance writer?
Are you a freelance writer? Do you enjoy doing what you do? Do you like working as a freelance writer for the many different people from all walks of life and areas and places of the world that need a myriad of different content types? Or perhaps you're an up and coming, aspiring writer and author and you're in the process of writing your first masterpiece!? Whoever you are, and whatever you do, the chances are as a writer, you make some mistakes along the way. Those mistakes could be something as small as, waiting for inspiration to come to you instead of going out and looking for it like a caveman does hunting for a woolly mammoth! To not knowing what to say (writers block). Plus a whole other heap of mistakes you can make as a writer!

Well I've brainstormed some of what I feel are the top 10 mistakes that aspiring writers can make today. And in each one of them, I give a reason why and how you can commit those mistakes and how not to commit them too! So if you are a freelance writer or up and coming aspiring author, do check out those Top 10 Mistakes Aspiring and Creative Writers Make. And see if you're guilty of any of them and how you can avoid making those same mistakes! After this, you will/should go on to become a better, smarter, more accomplished and more successful freelance writer or author! 

And by the way, yes, I've linked to the post on the WordClerks FAQ. You should check it out! It's an extension of this Community FAQ only on WordClerks - a site dedicated to content writing services of all kinds and natures! And it's picking up more and more and there are now more people using it for content writing services than ever before! I've sold a few services on there lately and only have several up for a short while now. So if you're a content writer and you want to make more money. Get onto WordClerks and set up your services for sale on there! The earlier you do - the more success you'll see later down the road! What mistakes do you make as a freelance writer?

And PPS. I'll be posting several discussions here lately that link to some of those great articles and posts on the WordClerks FAQ. Do try to visit them and check them out and read them as if you're a freelance writer I think they will really help!! What mistakes do you make as a freelance writer?

PPPS. What kind of other mistakes are there that content writers or authors can make today?

Cheers!

Mike.

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Tronia
I don't tend to view mistakes as a bad thing as long as you learn from them. Each mistake you make, not just in writing or freelancing but in general, in life - each one teaches you a valuable lesson and it's up to you if you're smart enough to learn and grow from it.

It is natural that we all make them since nobody is perfect (right??). I've looked at the ones you've listed and I do recognize myself in a few of them. I used to do the mistake of waiting to get inspired instead of trying to go out and find some myself. I just always assumed that's how it worked. You know, sit back, relax... it will eventually come to you. Another one is that damn passive voice. I use it so often, I am trying hard not to anymore but it keeps creeping back sometimes.

One mistake that I can add is the fact that I tried to add/put too many ''big'' words into one sentence. I did this one very often when I was a bigger beginner than I am now. I thought that it would be more attractive to read but let's face is, who wants to read a sentence that has four out of five words that an average person doesn't even know the meaning of? yes, nobody.



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RedVelvetJuliet
I, too, have trouble with pricing my work. I don't know what the base price for my area of work is so I get stuck and hope the client doesn't ask me to name a price. Recently, a customer offered to pay me more than I asked him to. I was fortunate he was nice and didn't take advantage of me. Not everyone is the same way. That's why I want to make sure I am more knowledgeable about my area.

I also have trouble with meeting deadlines and procrastinating. It is such a temptation. I am not the most organized person. Haha. I always laugh at myself when this stuff happens. I also tend to be underconfident in myself like others. Iant to please everyone and I'm not always sure if I can please this client or that client. It's a struggle.

I will say though that believing in yourself is a must. Also, mistakes can be a good learning experience, so even if you have trouble with a client, it might not be so bad. You will have your good days and your bad days. You can't choose one. You need to experience both to be the strongest freelancer you can be.



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vinaya
If you are writing too much and you are loaded with many assignments, you may perhaps do lazy writing. This is one of the mistakes I do as a freelance writer.
Another mistake is dilly dallying. When you don't sit to write just after you receive the job, then you might be missing deadline.



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Anniee
Shot myself in the foot, by that I mean undercutting myself by bidding low in order to get ahead. Overtime I learned it is not about the rate with some one looking for professional service. The quality of your content is always first.



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vinaya
When I started, I bid so low that the time I spent on the job did not justify the money I made from the job. However, I had to do that because I was new and no one trust a newbie. People hired me because of my low offer. When I offered my best, they were impressed. They gave me positive ratings. The rating has a positve impact on seller. A buyer is likely to buy from a seller who has many positive rating. I see bidding low as an opportunity to excel.



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joegirl
Do online work mainly research for friends. It cuts into my work time and its often unpaid. So I don't accept these kinds of work anymore.



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JoeMilford
I think that sometimes I can get into too much of a hurry when I am trying to reach my daily writing goals. When this happens, I tend to make careless mistakes in grammar and punctuation, which, to me, as an English instructor, is unacceptable and very bothersome. Of course, many forums let you come back and edit posts, but I try to do a good job the first time so that I can move onto the next task with a good rhythm. I also know that some days I make better posts than others depending upon my energy levels and interest in the topics at hand.



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mybarya
Great post. The list is especially suited for creative writers, though some may not agree with everything in the list. I think the list can be tweaked to fit the requirements of content writers for content mills, blogs, and online marketing campaigns.



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Corzhens
When I was in a hurry to finish a blog, I have a tendency to have my facts jumbled. And although I get to rectify the mistake when I review my article, there were times that I did not spot it. My style in writing is to write continuously especially if the flow of ideas are continuous on my head. I just rely on the review and editing later for the correctness. That style makes my writing more efficient. But the problem is when there are factual errors that is a no-no for an article. It’s really embarrassing.



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keen2write
Great post and topic mike, Yeah I think there is a time in our lifes we do often make mistakes no ones perfect lol. But yeah mistake I often make is sometimes not all time is typo's this mainly happens when like Ipa mention when tired I guess and typing pretty damn fast.



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milan009
This is really a good and informative post. I often make small mistakes as mentioned in the post above. After reading this post, I can control my errors to some extent. thanks.



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kaka135
Thank you for sharing the list. Though I am not a freelance writer, I always like to learn how I can write better. I need to improve my vocabulary list, as I always use the very common words and I have no idea what the alternatives are. Thank you for that list and it is good for me to find out more.



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olalove
I appreciate this post and its quite common to make mistakes in writing but seeing this post will help in reducing the mistakes as a freelance writer.



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olalove
I often end up fixing the mess that another less qualified writer created when it would have saved the client money to just come to me in the first place. These are big mistakes often made when hiring a freelance writer. Paying more doesn't always mean better, of course.



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JackDan
The mistake I made as a writer is that I spend too much time on researching for my articles and also underestimated my writing. I paid very less for my good quality writing and realized it very late. I didn't have that much of courage to ask for a good price for my articles, so I did it in less money. After someone suggested me to go for higher paid amounts for my writing, it helped me a lot and I gained lot of confidence. From that day now I think I got paid for what I deserve.



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victorslide05
The greatest mistake I did as a writer is writing new samples for clients.
I realized one uses it after claiming it was bad.I personally refer them to a website to read it up,tho I lost plenty jobs.
I preferred it that way and never gave up because mistake is the beginning of success.



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Pixie06
Sometimes I tend to spend too much time to write my articles. This is because I want my work to be perfect. I have missed some deadlines because of that.

There are days when I have many tasks to complete and on those days I am unable to produce my best work.

To be honest ever since I started writing I have learnt a lot and I have also improved my written communication skills.



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Corzhens
That’s also my problem before because I would review my article many times that I would be spending so much time. The solution that was recommended was to have someone do the review because it is not easy to review your own work. And I agree to that because when another person did the review, my writing became quicker and less time was spent on the review.



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rose61
My mistake is poor scheduling of my work.I'm a teacher,so I don't write fulltime. Procrastination has always caught up with me.Sometimes a week goes without writing much and I hope to do better the following week only for history to repeat itself. I've set my daily target to curb this laziness.



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