III. Never fall in love with your words
Most freelance writers who have been working for several years already know the rule against believing there is something special about every word they write. Yes, writers hear lots of instruction and advice about making every word count. Yes, that's good advice. No, not everyone will like every word you write. Some of your clients may not appreciate your carefully turned phrase or the word you chose as the perfect one. They may not even understand what you wrote. Or it may not fit their style.
Does this make them stupid? Does this make you a bad writer? No and no. But if you want to be a happy writer with lots of clients (i.e., successful) you will need to come to an agreement with yourself: Every word you write might be right for you. That doesn't mean the people who are paying you will see things the same way. Never fall in love with your words.
Here are some of the reasons people will hire you to do a writing job:
They have seen your writing and like it.
Someone has recommended you to them.
You have a good command of grammar.
You know how to spell.
You know what subject/verb agreement is.
You know the subject area.
You can conduct an interview by asking the right questions and crafting the answers into something interesting, accurate and compelling.
Any or all of these reasons could figure in, and there may be many more reasons you get hired.
Somewhere on someone's list might be "You are a good writer." Here's where writers get into trouble. "Good" writing is subjective. Your literature professor in college may have thought your writing was excellent and graded you accordingly. That may or may not seep over into an upcoming story in Dog Fancy magazine or a newsletter for a private company. To be a good writer, you have to give your clients and editors -- your bosses -- what they want. You do this is by getting to know your clients and by asking a lot of questions. Many questions you will want to ask before you ever write a word. Other things, such as writing style (young and snappy? formal? authoritative?) you will learn pretty quickly by writing for them, if you don't know the answer from the outset.
Here are some of the questions to ask a potential client before you take on a new project:
Who is the potential reader for this story, newsletter, annual report, etc.?
Do you follow a certain stylebook, such as Associated Press or Chicago Manual? Or do you have your own stylebook?
What points/issues are the most important to cover?
What length should the story or stories be?
Who will serve as editor of the story or stories? (Best if it's one person. No writer can serve two editors very well unless they are in total agreement.)
Also, some suggestions for being a happy writer:
Tip # 1. Criticism about how to improve your writing is easier to take if you either paid for it (as in hiring a writing coach or editor or taking a writing class) or if you are being paid for it (as in someone has agreed to pay you XXXX amount of money for writing this project). Take "free" advice if you asked for it, but don't fret too much over it.
Tip # 2. Make sure you understand the criticism. Ask follow up questions if you need to, so you can understand how to fix the problem. If someone simply says, "I don't like it," you must engage him. Give options if you need to. Such as: "Is it too dull, too long, too straightforward?" Never assume that you know the answer. If you cannot elicit a response that you understand, it might be best to move on to another client or another project, unless you are able to read minds or like playing guessing games.
Tip # 3. If you disagree with the criticism and have good reasons for your disagreement, state them. This doesn't mean issuing a challenge with your epee drawn. It means saying, for example, "I wrote it that way to illustrate a previous point about blah blah blah." Your critic may already know why you wrote it that way, and this gives you a good point for discussion that may further help both of you understand each other. Discussions are good. Arguments are not.
Tip # 4. Some writers use contracts that spell out things like the fee, the length, the number of revisions you will do before extra charges kick in, the deadline, when you will be paid, etc. If you decide not to use a contract, you should have an understanding of these things before you start to work. Otherwise, you could be working on one project indefinitely with no way out.
Tip # 5. Don't sweat the small stuff. If an important editor/client requests a different word or phrase, do it. Be happy he/she hired you. You can always write a blog or keep a diary.
This is one in a series of writing ideas. Upcoming articles will focus on finding a writing niche (I'm still trying to find mine), having fun with your work, etc. Please feel free to comment with your own ideas and questions. If I can't answer it, maybe another writer can.
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