6 Steps for Managing Your Time as a Writer

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Writer Time Management

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Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day.

So why do some writers accomplish so much more than others?

The answer is better time management.

If you’re a new freelance writer, the demands on your time may surprise you. You expect to have more time as freelancer. What you don’t expect is that you have to manage your time well to achieve that goal.

Of course, if you’ve been a freelance writer for a while you already understand the demands freelancing can place on your time.

Freelance writing is about more than just writing all day. It’s also about running a business.

In this post, I provide six easy steps for writers to manage their time.

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Has Your Content Strategy Lost Its Focus? Here’s How to Tell

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content-focus

©Laura Spencer

You used to have a great blog. You received several thousand views every day and dozens of comments on every post.

But something happened. Your audience has left. And so has your enthusiasm for your blog.

I’ve seen this happen time and time again. Great blogs become good blogs, then okay blogs, and then fade away. That’s one of the reasons I publish blogging tips here on WritingThoughts.

I’m sure you can think of a few blogs that you once loved, but now no longer exist. It’s sad, because it doesn’t have to happen.

The reason blogs decline is often a lack of focus in content strategy. (Yes, your blog needs a content strategy.)

In this post, I’ll share eight of the ways that a blog’s content strategy can go wrong.

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4 Types of Creative Block and How to Overcome Each

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©iStock.com/ismagilov

©iStock.com/ismagilov

It’s the day before the deadline, and you’re stuck. You need help fast.

Whether you’re a writer or some other type of creative professional, you’ve probably experienced creative block. (It’s also called writer’s block). It strikes both seasoned professionals and those who are new to their field.

There are many posts on how to deal with creative block (I know I’ve written several). Most of the tips you’ll read are helpful, but they don’t deal with the root causes behind creative block.

In this post, I list four causes of creative block and explain how to deal with each cause. This post is for writers, but other creative professionals may find it helpful as well.

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6 Winning Blog Post Ideas for Your Small Business

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Business Blogging

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Your small business needs a blog. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Blogging lets you build a relationship with your customers. You can answer questions and otherwise interact with them.

Your business blog demonstrates that you really know what you’re talking about.

Best of all, you control what is published. It’s a unique opportunity and not one to be wasted. Besides, if you don’t have a business blog, your competitor probably does.

But many small businesses get hung up with producing content. They don’t have time to do it or they don’t do it well.

It doesn’t have to be this way. In this post, I share six content ideas that most small business can use. I also share an easy fix for the problem of producing quality content.

If you liked this post, you may also like 4 Types of Blog Posts That (Almost) Anyone Can Write.

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10 Useful Posts You May Have Missed

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©Laura Spencer

©Laura Spencer

For the next few weeks, I’ll be focusing on spending time with friends and family. I’m looking forward to the rest.

But I don’t want to take the break without first leaving you with some good reading material.

So, I’ve sifted through the posts to find some of the best and most relevant posts for you to read.

Here are ten classic WritingThoughts posts that you might have missed. Feel free to comment on or share any of these posts. (Or use the comments here to list your own favorite WritingThoughts posts.)

Enjoy! I’ll see you in 2015.

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Book Review: Freelance Business BootCamp – The eBook

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Get paid more money for your writing! Freelance Business Bootcamp - the eBook
Most freelance writers don’t come from a business background. That can hurt you because when you freelance you’re basically running a business.

Even if you do come from a business background, chances are good that you don’t know what you need to know about running a business. I have a business degree, and I still had a lot to learn when I started freelancing.

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a resource designed to offer the information that freelancers need to know?

Well, now there is. In this post, I take a closer look at Freelance Business Bootcamp – The eBook (Affiliate link) by Carol Tice and Neil Tortorella.

Disclosures: I am an affiliate for the Freelance Writer’s Den and the ebook. This post has affiliate links. I received a copy of this ebook through my membership in the Freelance Writer’s Den. I was not paid to write this post and the post reflects my honest opinion. I have previously worked on an ebook and webinar with Carol Tice.

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Why You Must Stand Out as a Freelance Writer to Succeed and 4 Easy Ways to Do It

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Unique Selling Proposition

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They think we’re all the same. Our clients, I mean. Many of them think that freelance writers are interchangeable.

That’s the real reason why so many clients and would-be clients haggle with us on prices and treat us badly.

They believe one freelance writer is pretty much the same as another.

Of course, they’re wrong. But it’s up to us to prove that.

To overcome the challenges freelance writers face, you must show your clients how you’re different from the rest. In this post, I give you four ways to stand out.

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9 Reasons I’m Thankful for Being a Freelance Writer

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©Laura Spencer

©Laura Spencer

We freelancer writers are known for self-examination. To succeed, we must learn to make the best of our strengths and overcome our weaknesses.

We must also persist in the face of likely rejection of our writing. And in the face of uncertainty.

Nothing less than total honesty about one’s self and one’s abilities helps a freelance writer to get ahead.

But no self-examination list is truly complete without adding an inventory of the good things in our lives. Yet, we often forget about the good things, especially when things are tough.

There are plenty of good things about freelance writing. That’s why I’m sharing them today. Feel free to add your own list of why you’re thankful for freelance writing in the comments.

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21 Hard Decisions Freelance Writers Face

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©iStock.com/Ralwel Ralwel

©iStock.com/Ralwel Ralwel

When you picture the life of a freelance writer, what do you picture?

Do you imagine waking up late, taking a few calls from your editor in the comfort of your own home office, and wrapping work by 4:00 p.m.?

That’s the way some movies and books depict the writing life. If you’ve never written professionally, you may have the wrong idea about freelance writing.

The movies can make freelance writing look easy–glamorous even.

The reality is quite different for most freelance writers. At its roots, freelance writing is about making decisions. Hard decisions.

In this post, I list 21 hard decisions that freelance writers face. To get the most use from this post, skim through the list and answer these questions for yourself.

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Reduce Your Number of Bad Freelance Writing Clients in 3 Easy Steps

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no-more-bad-clients

©Laura Spencer

Don’t you wish you could avoid working for bad clients?

The Internet is filled with horror stories about bad freelance writing clients. If you read freelance writing blogs and forums, as I do, you may start to think that almost every client is a bad one.

You’ll read about:

  • Clients who never pay.
  • Clients who contact you at all times of the day and night.
  • Clients who are never satisfied.
  • Clients whose projects never end.
  • Clients who disappear.

And these are just a few of the horror stories out there. If you’ve been a freelance writer for any length of time, you probably have your own freelance client horror stories.

Good clients do exist. There are some easy steps you can take to drastically reduce the number of bad freelance clients you accept. In this post, I’ll explain what to do.

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