Writers face a constant struggle between following their vocation and making money. Freelance writing is just like any other job; you put in your hours to get paid, and you have to use your free time for things you ‘want’ to write. Ideally, freelance writers would write only what they love to write, and disregard projects that aren’t in line with their interests. Unfortunately, though, the mighty buck doesn’t care how profitable our interests are, and writers occasionally have to work on less-than-thrilling projects just to make ends meet. How do you straddle the fine line between writing for hire vs. a labor of love, and avoid getting burnt out? Here are a few tips I use to keep my writing fresh:
Take on many different projects.
It’s easier to have one or two large projects per month, because time spent searching for work is time spent not making money – but sometimes it’s a good idea to take on many different projects. If you’ve got multiple projects going, it’s easier to force your way through the less interesting topics knowing that you’ve got another project that you’ll enjoy. I try to do the writing I’d rather put off first, and use the ‘fun’ project as my reward for getting the other writing out of the way.
On the months when I find myself working on one big project, even when it’s a project I like, I often find myself getting bored with the content or tired of working on the project. I do so many drafts and revisions that I’m constantly looking at my material – and I usually hit a point where I’m no longer really seeing at it at all. Having another project to work on, even a small project, gives me something else to focus on and takes my mind off the big project content. Then, when I go back to the big project, I gain fresh perspective and it’s almost like seeing the content through new eyes. I usually do more productive revisions and writing after working on something else and then coming back to my main work.
Submit query letters to your favorite publications.
One of the best ways to write what you love, and still pay the bills, is to submit query letters to your favorite publications. If you love reading it and you’re interested in the subject, imagine how much fun you’d have writing it! A well-crafted query letter, a new take on a familiar topic or a completely untapped story may be enough to get your foot in the door. If you do a good job with early assignments, editors will remember you and be more likely to work with you again. You could even become a regular contributor to your favorite publications!
Write for fun.
Many of the writers I know are creative writers at heart, most of whom just do copywriting and other writing work to pay the bills. If you’re a creative writer type, it’s a good idea to exercise your creative writing muscles as frequently as possible. By having “fun” writing in your life, you’re less likely to experience burnout over the every-day writing that pays the bills.
The difficulty comes for many people when they spend a full day writing, and then want to do anything else when they’re finished, as more writing would feel too much like work. I’ve found two ways to overcome this writing inertia. One: work on a really fun project. Even when I’ve been writing all day, I can still get into working on my novel because I want to see what’s going to happen next. (That’s not as weird as it sounds – more on the creative writing process another time.) Two: use a different work space for ‘fun’ writing. If you have an established office or home office for your ‘work’ writing, try to move your ‘fun’ writing to a different room. Use a laptop and write in the living room. Take it on the road and write in a coffee shop. In many cases, getting out of the ‘work’ mindset is as simple as a change of setting, and then writing becomes fun again.
There’s no question that a delicate balance exists between writing for hire and writing as a labor of love. Ultimately, every writer has to come up with his or her own path to find that balance and live a successful writing life. If you’ve found other ways to strike the balance between paying the bills and writing for fun, I’d love to hear them!
