Dr. Eboni I. Green is a Registered Nurse and family caregiver who has extensive experience focused on caregivers’ health and wellness, with an emphasis on caregiver stress, burnout, and related family conflicts. Green is a published author and has written two books focusing on family caregiving. To learn more, visit CaregiverSupportServices.org.
Imagine signing a contract for a marketing campaign. The caveat is that the campaign would span 10 years, during which you would not receive any feedback about the outcomes of your efforts. In essence, you would not know if you are connecting with your target audience, nor would you know whether sales have increased as a result of your efforts. Then imagine that your salary is tied to the success of the campaign and held until the end of the contract.
If you were offered this contract, you would likely decline. Yet publishing a book or a major work is strikingly similar to blindly signing a long-term writing contract. In fact, if you look to Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, you might conclude that this was her path. It took her more than ten years to write the book, during which time she likely received limited feedback from third parties, nor did she earn income for her writing. Luckily, as a freelance writer, you have a unique opportunity to sharpen your skills, build your readers, and receive immediate feedback from customers and editors.
Are you up to the challenge?
Following are five insights freelancers can glean from Margaret Mitchell’s experiences to become more effective writers.
Write Down Your Ideas
If you have an idea for an article, book, or blog, be sure to write it down. You never know when it may be useful or how it may relate to a concept you have in the future. You can be sure that most of the characters in Mitchell’s book simply began as concepts.
Stay Abreast of Current Trends
Is there a new product, service, or a major change occurring in the world? Staying abreast of current trends will often spark your imagination and serve as the foundation for future works.
Read as Much as You Can
It is vital to read as much as possible – and to read a variety of texts. You never know how what you are reading now will relate to something meaningful in your writing. The more you read, the better.
Write About What You Know
Do you think if Mitchell had not come from the South that her work would have been so vivid? Because she wrote about what she knew, millions of readers and later, moviegoers, met and fell in love with the characters she invented.
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Oh, Rhett!
Use Feedback from Others to Improve Your Writing
If you love writing, it probably doesn’t matter to you if anyone will ever read your work. Yet, an added bonus to being a freelance writer is having access to immediate feedback from individuals who are reading your work. Use their feedback to improve your writing.
Perhaps your goal is to be the next bestselling author, or maybe you simply love writing short and engaging articles. It might be the rush of receiving immediate feedback from your Facebook or LinkedIn connections that really draws you into freelancing. Everyone has a slightly different reason for their love of writing. What matters most is that you are doing something you love and that you have the opportunity to share your passion in a way that is both meaningful to you and valuable to your readers.
Looking for additional information on how to improve your skills as a freelance writer? Visit the Content Marketing Academy now!