Five Things I Learned in The Twenty Plus Years as a Freelance Writer

First of five more things I learned. Be careful who you let read your unpublished manuscripts. If you let a family member read an unpublished manuscript there is one of three things that will happen: 1. You will be told how good it is no matter how poor it is. (This is the most likely to happen since family members don't want to hurt your feelings.) 2. You will be told how awful it is even if it's good. (This may happen if a family member doesn't like you spending so much time writing or he/she just doesn't know how to write for publication.) Or 3. You will get an honest critique. (This is rare, but it does occasionally happen. And if it does--grand. Bounce your material off this person.) The best thing to do is find a good critique group. And remember, whatever is said about your manuscript is not said to be mean or vindictive, no matter how much it hurts your feelings. A critique group's only purpose is to help you improve your writing. If the group has any other agenda, find another group. In my case, I never let any family members read my unpublished work. Once it is published, they can say whatever they want. I do go to a critique group (one I co-founded).

Second of five more things I learned. Never get mad at an editor for rewriting your material. So many beginners think their words are carved in stone and cannot be changed. You're headed for a hard life as a writer if you believe your words can't be change. I once sent a short story to a magazine and the editor rewrote nearly all of the story. I was a bit disappointed, but my first reaction was to find out why. I put my manuscript next to the published rewrite and studied the two. I learned so much about what the editor really wanted that I was able to write several stories which ended up to be cover stories. An editor's rewrite should be looked upon as a favor--not a disappointment.

Third of five more things I learned. Never offer, or accept an offer, to rewrite, edit, or anything else based solely on a percentage of the income the manuscript will make. You are fooling yourself if you think this will make you a lot of money. Most of these offers are made by people who do not know how to write for publication. My experience has been if there is nothing spent up front, the person won't take your advice seriously. Therefore, they will do whatever they feel like doing even if you, the writer who has had years of experience, tell them not to. Always set a fee and ask for payment up front. (I usually ask for half before I start one of these projects.) And remember any percentage of zero will always be zero.

Fourth of five more things I learned. Relatives and friends may not respect your writing time. Many relatives and friends think all you do all day long is sit around twiddling your thumbs. I was working seventeen hours a day trying to beat a deadline when my brother stopped by. I told him I was working on a deadline but he still made this comment about my house: "Doesn't it upset you to have such a messy house when you're not even working?" Dah, what did I just get done telling you? Seventeen hours a day! When do I even have time to think about cleaning the house? So be prepare for when people don't understanding the fact that you are really working and not just sitting around.

Fifth of five more things I learned. During your writing time, let the answering machine take your calls. Most calls are not that important. They are just people who want nothing more than to chat. Today, with caller ID, you can see who is calling so you can answer the calls you think are important. But the last thing you want to do is answer the phone when the words are flowing and lose your train of thought or you get someone who wants to talk for an hour.