Motivation For Freelance Writers

This guest post is by Louise Baker who ranks online degrees for Zen College Life. She most recently wrote about the best colleges online.

As a freelance writer, it can sometimes be very difficult to get motivated and stay there. When your output is starting to look scarce, it probably means you are hitting a wall and need some new techniques. You are completely justified in feeling sluggish; writing can be a tedious task and requires a good amount of focus for long periods of time. After days, weeks and months of repetitive writing, something has to give. If you want a fool-proof way to give your motivation a wake-up call, here are a couple of things you should know:

What You Can Do

1. Think: Time Management -- Freelance writers deal with time commitments and that sense of urgency can often lead to writers feel less inspired, it becomes all about the deadline. If you feel this lack of motivation becoming an issue, you need to afford yourself some time for a well-deserved break. Lose the pen and paper and familiarize yourself with the outdoors! Sometimes, the greatest inspiration can come from nature; you may find the motivation to continue writing vigorously if you allow your mind some down-time.

2. Think: Interest Level -- Freelance writers usually have a wide variety of topics to choose from and sometimes the stimulating options can seem scarce. Writing a lot about something you don't necessarily care much about can be frustrating and is a big reason why writers lose their motivation so quickly. Try to take some time and find topics that you are interested in; it will make writing easier, words will flow and you will find yourself more motivated to continue working throughout the day.

3. Think: Encouragement -- If you are feeling your motivation drop to an all-time low, talking to other writers may help you find it again. Freelance writers that you know and are familiar with may be able to offer some advice that wakes you up. If you don't know any other writers personally, get familiar with some blogs or articles and look for some inspiration there. Sometimes, reading another writers work can make you feel more inspired to create your own.

4. Think: Schedules -- You are always a clients schedule, but put yourself on one too. Write a few sentences here, stop for something else. Write more, stop for another something. It is best sometimes, especially with long pieces, to break up the writing into smaller portions. It makes it more manageable, even though it may take a little while longer. Stop looking at it for awhile, and can back when you are feeling motivated to do so.

5. Think: Completion -- Instead of waiting until you have written all your pieces for the day to proofread them, complete everything as you go. Write a paragraph and read it to make sure it is what you wanted to convey. If not, fix it. Mistakes are better corrected right away; also, writing hundreds or thousands of words and then expecting yourself to be motivated to proofread it all is asking a little much.

Overall, take your time and let the motivation flow back to you. Do what you can to stay on top of your work, but don't forget to give yourself a break every now and again, as well. (Image source:)

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