How to stay inspired as a freelance writer:
At my peak period, I wrote for four blogs and a magazine,
producing a ton of content every month. I wrote 200 such reviews per month. I
won’t tell you that it was my finest literature as a writer, but on top of
that, I was writing around 50 more researched posts per month, about various over
the years, I wrote around 5,000 posts.
And then, what had started out as a
passion gig that made me want to jump around in excitement turned into a drag.
I started having trouble writing my 200 mini posts, and waited until the very
last day of the deadline to turn them in. Mind you, on the other side, the
people hiring you feel your exhaustion too. So how do you keep things fresh as
a freelance writer?
Write down ideas
When I went on trips, I would take a notepad with me and
write down the name of the restaurant I had eaten out, or a few notes about
something interesting that had happened during the adventure. Ideas can come at
any time, when you drive to work, shop for groceries, call customer service…
try to always have a note on your phone or agenda handy to write them down. And
always use the same note, to find your ideas easily later on. I have a note on
my iPod and also a notepad document on my computer. When I don’t know what to
write about, I go back to it for ideas.
Write soon
Then I would go back home with my pad of ideas. If I would
sit down right away to start writing my travel journal, things would be fresh
in my mind and I would have no trouble remembering the name of the special dish
I had, or the neighborhood I ate in. After a month, things were starting to get
blurry.So if you can’t write it all, try detailing your notes a bit more. Set
up the big ideas, write down the names that will require hours of Google
searches if you forget them.
Write when you feel like it
I usually set a time
of day to write my travel posts, and many times, I was not motivated. So it
would take hours to write something that otherwise would flow naturally in 20
minutes. So the times that I was really motivated, I put the writing first, and
started typing frantically until my eyes hurt. When you have something good to
write, write it. Try to make it a priority. The load of laundry can wait for
writer’s block time.
Take breaks
Because I wrote such huge amounts of content month after
month for four years, I burned out. It was to be expected. However, four years
was still a long time, and what helped me last that long is the ability to take
breaks away from writing. I had to turn my content in once a month. So I would
sometimes spend the first two weeks of the months doing absolutely nothing,
then work harder for the other half. Or build a queue of posts before taking
off for a holiday. If I wrote my posts during the first week of the month and
the last week of the following month, I could manage a 6 weeks break in
between. That was usually more than enough to freshen up and come back rested.
Get organized
I usually write my
posts offline. Drafts won’t disappear when the internet malfunctions and I can
take my writing with me anywhere without needing a connection. I write on
Windows Live Writer which is free and pretty awesome because you can format
your text, then add pictures, and upload it in one click to your blog when you
get online. It also saves me from the distractions of being online, when I type
offline I don’t check social media or refresh my mailbox.The less time you
spend around your writing, the more time you will have for your writing.
Read
The last advice to keep your writing fresh is to read around
what is being published. You may get many ideas from old and new content alike.
It is a double edged sword, because sometimes you won’t feel like writing a
similar post, reinventing the wheel every day is hard, and when you saw 5 posts
on how to save money on groceries, you will be hesitant to throw in your own.
However, there are also lots of good ideas you can get from other writers. You
can counter their arguments, reply to their article, or simply make a whole new
post out of a sentence that made you reflect.