Yes there’s baby blues and even shopping blues, but freelance writing blues? Yep, I think so. If you’re in the low right now, when your phone stops ringing, people stop emailing and your blog is as empty as an ice-cream shop in wintertime, then you know what I mean. You wonder if this is it, the last shebang, the final sign that you didn’t make it, that your just not that good of a writer and you’re ________ (mom, sister/brother, father, uncle/aunt, cousin) was right. But before you throw in the towel and raise that white flag, let’s see if you’re not just jumping the gun.
A few things you should ask yourself:
- Have I been here before? If this isn’t the first time that fear and doubt has got you wrapped up in its little self-sabotaging web, then maybe it’s a sign you’re still in the game. Maybe this has more to do with faith than it does with reality. You’ve been here during the lows, but you’ve also risen above it. Sometimes we forget and only focus on our failures. Use your new downtime to get refocused and motivated by remembering that you’ve been here before and got through it successfully.
- Is this fear calling? When fear calls, it’s hard not to answer. Writers already have lots of worries and vulnerabilities-more than the normal Joe. When there’s no one praising you or giving you feedback, it’s easy to jump from uncertainty to rejection. In this case, call your writer friends and ask them what they think. Meditate. Leave your computer for a bit and go outside. Do anything to take your mind off of the fear. Then get back to work.
- Is this seasonal? Sometimes there are lulls according to season. Summer is when lots of clients take off on vacation. But so do other writers. There are things you can do to get ahead while everyone else is relaxing. This article gives a few tips on what you can do. But if this is the reason for your freelance writing blues, know that it’s not you.
- Have I been marketing myself and working on my craft? You know that saying, “It’s not you. It’s me?” Well maybe in this case, it is you. The reason why you’re not getting the business you so deserve is that you haven’t been getting your writing out there or maybe you haven’t taken the time to really focus on your writing. If this is the case, start marketing yourself and if you’re writing isn’t where it should be, go and find yourself a good class. There is a ridiculous amount of courses (online and offline) during the summer so take advantage of it while you can.
- Are people relying on you for income? Can you support yourself financially? Regardless of what you answered above, sometimes you just can’t afford a freelance writing career. If your family is relying on you to make a living and no matter how hard you try, your work isn’t cutting it right now, then go out and find more work. This could mean doing something part-time that’s unrelated to writing or you may need to go back to full-time work. If that’s the scenario, don’t give up on your dreams entirely. Use your lunch break and after work time (evenings and weekends) to keep your freelance writing dreams going.
The thing is you might be feeling the freelance writing blues now, but this is a temporary phase. There are things you can do to get yourself out of the rut. Make sure to connect with other writers and your non-writing friends. Try not to be so hard on yourself and realize that all writers are either facing what you’re dealing with now or have so in the past. Take this as another opportunity to grow as a writer. And when you’re up high again with tons of clients and lots of queries accepted, remember where you were and use that as strength for the next time you hit another valley.
