Freelance Writers: How to Be Successful in a Recession

When you're a full-time freelance writer, your earnings potential comes down to one thing: your time. It doesn't matter how much you're paid per article as how long it takes you to write that article. That's why finding ways to reduce the amount of time it takes to write an article is tantamount to giving yourself a raise.

Can you relate to any of the following statements?

"If I get one more notice from a client/site telling me how they're scaling back because of the recession, I'll take my laptop and take a long jump off of a short cliff."

"I'm writing more but I'm not getting paid any more. Meanwhile, my bills are more and more."

"There aren't enough hours in the day to write enough to do well for myself. I may have to get a brick and mortar job, after all."

What's the Verdict?

If you can identify with getting as much as 60% less per article as a result of a tough economy, you can breathe a sigh of relief. There is a solution that you have probably not even considered because it's contrary to what you've become used to. However, strange and unusual circumstances call for strange and unusual solutions. Here it is...write your web content offline. Yes, offline.

What to Do

Sit down with a pen and pad and write down what you want to say. Now, before you click away to another article, wait just a tick. Take a moment to consider how much time you might be wasting as a result of writing online with its one million and one distractions.

These days, for a freelance writer, the thought of writing without the use of a computer is equal to eating without the use of your mouth. Remember "strange and unusual." It is highly likely that you don't even know how much time you waste checking email over and over, supposedly "just looking something up" or whatever other electronic distractions you succumb to. My fellow writers, I implore you to walk away from the light. The only way to find out how much time you're wasting from waterless surfing is to go cold turkey for at least a day. Try it and see what happens. Then share your experiences with others.