Independent but Never Alone

People need people. People are social beings. Each of us need others. We need to be with others. We need companionship. This is true in life, in the family, in the society and in work. Freelance writers included. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Max-Neef’s model of needs and McClelland’s need theory. They form part of the study of the needs of humans and document its body of knowledge.

It cannot be totally or partially denied that, indeed, humans have needs – not only material and physical needs – but also social needs. And so, freelance writers, however independent they appear to be, because they are also humans, have social needs. Part of this social need is to work with others. They also need other people to be effective and to succeed.

Freelance writers or freelancers in general are not the same as office based employees. However, the former also has needs which are similar to those of the latter. Let us see the needs of employees and identify which are similar to freelancers and how are they are the same.

Needs of Employees

According to Inc.Com at http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/the-8-things-your-employees-need-most.html , employees need:

(1) goals,

(2) mission,

(3) expectations (performance review),

(4) input (to give ideas and suggestions),

(5) connection (work with and for others) and

(6) a future [among others].

According to EasyTraining.Com at http://www.easytraining.com/motivation.htm , most employees need to:

(1) win recognition,

(2) be acknowledged and rewarded for special efforts and contributions,

(3) be able to advance career-wise,

(4) have opportunities for self-development,

(5) improve their skills, knowledge and know-how,

(6) demonstrate and use their special gifts and abilities and

(7) realise their ideals [among others].

Employers’ Responses

According to EasyTraining.Com still at http://www.easytraining.com/motivation.htm , at the same time, the employer responds to employees’ needs by:

(1) offering and providing clear and organised work procedures,

(2) a stable and just and fair work environment,

(3) an atmosphere of teamwork and cooperation,

(4) open lines to communication both formal and informal,

(5) systematic feedback,

(6) training and development programs and

(7) guidance and mentoring [among others].

Needs of Freelance Writers

If you are a freelance writer, ask yourself whether you have some of the mentioned needs of employees. Most likely, you do also have. That is because they are needs of workers. Employees are workers. And freelance writers, or freelancers for that matter, are workers.

The question is how can freelancers, specifically freelance writers, address their needs as workers. The answer? They work with others. They should not work alone, even if they can work alone. Yes, they are independent but they also need and actually can work with others.

Being freelance and independent does not mean you should work alone. The two words speak for themselves. Freelance. Independent. You are free and with this freedom, you can choose to work with others. Exactly because you are free. And also, being independent does not mean you do not need or can work with other people. Being independent means you can work on your own if and when necessary. Otherwise, being independent would appear being indifferent.

So how do freelance writers work with others?

How Freelance Writers Work With Others

Writers’ Group

You can enter or form a writers’ group. It can be as small as a duo as long as you are able to disclose your individual goals with each other to help one another work in track towards them. You can boost each other’s morale and accompany each other for when you can or when you need. It is an accountability partnership and more.

According to HappenChance.Net at http://www.happenchance.net/8-reasons-to-start-a-writers-group/ , the advantages of a writers group include, among others,

(1) learning to meet deadlines,

(2) learning writing styles and getting ideas from others and

(3) developing your skills by sharing it with others

According to CarmenPeone.com at http://carmenpeone.com/5-reasons-why-finding-a-writers-group-is-a-must/ , having a writers group gives writers encouragement and fellowship. There are some challenges and struggles being experienced by writers which only writers like them can understand and these they can confide only with other writers. This can also be found in LitReactor.Com at http://litreactor.com/columns/5-reasons-a-good-writing-group-can-save-you at “#1. Writers Know Best and “#5. They Understand.”

Further, LitReactor.Com in the same thread states that having a writers group helps you to sustain your writing work and meeting daily writing work quota imposed by your client or agency or by yourself on you (#2. Staying on Task) and help you get and learn new ideas and techniques (#3 Exposure to Voice, Process and Technique. These can also be found in DeeScribeWriting.Wordpress.Com at http://deescribewriting.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/tuesday-writing-tip-why-join-a-writers-group/

Mixed Group

Additionally or alternatively, you may want to work with others other than freelance writers or freelancers. You may also form or enter a mixed group. What is important is you share the same purpose and goal of having other people to show their goals, updates towards accomplishing such goals and helping each other all along. One important factor here is having something in common especially the industry. For example, one freelance writer who works on academic writing projects is able to derive boost for his morale from his friend by simply casually telling him his plans. The friend is a statistician and, thus, they are in the same industry and knows and interested in academic writing.

The Writer’s Agency

And finally, and most importantly, one best source of support from where writers get answers to their human social needs should be their career agency. At Prospect Solution, they have a writer’s performance monitoring aimed at helping their writers be more productive and develop their potentials. As this helps the career agency increase its income because they are able to provide better writers to produce better written output, it is the writers themselves who raise their skill level, output and income.

Independent but Never Alone

With an annual, or quarterly, or monthly review of achievement of goals and formal appraisal of performance with the writers’ agency, you – as the writer – can also join others in accountability and support groups to help you address your human social needs as a worker, be more effective in your work and achieve success in your career. You are not alone. Other freelance writers, freelancers and employees share with you your needs as a working social being. A competitive and prestigious agency for writers should know this and should help you address your needs. You are independent but you are never alone.

Why I Love My Freelance Academic Writing Job

Last night, I came across a YouTube video where a musician was asked why he chose the drums as the instrument to specialise on and study further at Berklee College of Music. Drums was his “first love” way back when he was a little boy. But the first lessons he took was the piano because it was the condition his parents gave him before he can study how to play the drums.

His parents set the condition for good reasons. Foremost, piano is the standard for music learning and so it is better that he start with it. As such, he could better understand how other instruments including his favourite drums can be played better together with the piano, or any keyboard instrument or string instrument for that matter, or any other instrument or standing alone.

Drums vs. Piano

The musician became known to be an excellent drummer or percussionist while being known to compose songs using the piano or keyboard. But his specialisation is really drums and more known for it compared to the piano.

So when asked, why did he study drums further and specialise in it instead of the piano? And why did he chose drums given the fact that he learned had learned the two instruments well? This is his answer. He narrated that nearing the time that enrolment for higher level studies of instruments, he had to make a decision. He asked one of his professors how can he choose between drums and piano. His professor answered that he should ask himself which between the two instrument can he see himself practising for the whole day and even the night.

The musician pondered on the question. Between the drums and the piano, he can see himself practising the drums for long hours and days compared to the piano.

Office Work vs. Freelance Writing Job

The same goes with my freelance academic writing job. I have educational and government service qualifications to apply for an accounting, administrative or any office job in the private sector or the government. These jobs and sectors are known for job security, stability, tenure and guaranteed retirement pension and benefits. However, I still prefer to stay with my freelance academic writing job.

There were and still are times when I think of how about considering those jobs which are known to be stable compared to the freelance writing work. But I ask myself would I be able to enjoy doing my work in them for 8 hours everyday and 5 or 6 days every week? Would I like to stay long in those jobs? My answer, I can see myself doing my freelance academic writing job the whole day, everyday.

A Love That’s Free

Yes, my freelance writing job is still not full-time and there are times when there are few projects. However, I am working towards a goal of increasing the number of my projects and I am doing it by continually improving my work with more quality time I put in them. And I have seen the increase starting and continuing. And equally important, I can see myself doing this work on a full time basis and until I retire.

Along the way, I also have time to look into other ventures which I can do in addition to my freelance academic writing job and can work on them on the side. That is how flexible this career is. And, I can continue to do so even, hopefully, this service of mine will be much more in demand.

Those are the reasons why I choose to stay with my freelance academic writing job. Specifically, some of the many things I love about it are the opportunities, the variety among the documents I write and I love the skills I develop in them.

I Have Love; Thus, I Can Give Love

Yes, one concern about freelance writing jobs or any freelance job for that matter is that there is fear that there will not be enough work to do to be able to earn and sustain for the cost of living. However, my freelance academic writing job provides me with sufficient flow of work to do. While earning a living for my needs and even for a little over a few wants, I also feel fulfilled. I love what I am doing and know that I contribute to the success of the people who need my work. I can work on different jobs and projects like support for research for academic, professional, business or industry and many others.

Creative Work of the Freelance Business Writer

A freelance business writer can write various content. The materials they work on range from the serious or academic to the fun and challenging. There are assignments which are both serious and fun. They include branding, advertising, marketing campaign and the like, among many.

Branding involves elements of advertising, marketing and press release. These are part of writing for business which you can explore as a freelance business writer. Creativity is very important here. Although a huge portion of creativity relies on originality, much of it also depends on learning from others especially those who have come before and succeeded. These brilliantly creative professionals are called creatives or, more clearly, top creatives.

Creative thinking will be your ace in your work as a freelance business writer doing marketing, advertising and branding campaigns. Search the internet for online tools you which are designed to stimulate creative thinking, specifically for example, branding and advertising. You also need to research, study and develop skills in communications strategy, market positioning, market brief processing and key issues in copywriting and creatives.

As a freelance writer in marketing and advertising, you need to be well versed in the many aspects of branding like copywriting, the role of press release in branding and blogging for brands, among others. Identify the niches of the products and services you are writing about and find out who are the experts and authorities of these niches. Research about them and their writing output. Learn from their successes and their failures.

Be well versed about branding terms and quotes about brands because these will greatly help you. Read case studies about marketing, branding and advertising. Read literature about these involving history, market, brand values, promotion and others. Also, study how to use clearer language in official, business and legal contexts.

Freelance Writing and Your Side Line

Freelance writing has many advantages and benefits. One of them is having control over your time and, thus, the ability manage your time in a manner that you will have time for other responsibilities, endeavours and activities. In turn, one of these is doing other activities for another source of income which is another job, otherwise known as the side gig or side line. Your job as a writing freelancer opens you to personal fulfillment and professional development on top of the earning opportunities outside and inside your freelance writing agency. Here is how:

• Personal fulfillment – Having freelance writing as a main job or a part-time one, you can get and manage another job. Aside from being a source of additional income, your side line or other job can be “the job.” Your side line could be your dream job, in other words. You might be a teacher first and a writer secondly, for example. It might be in your heart and soul that you are a teacher who has the gift of writing, but it happened that writing is the first pasture you have gotten an opportunity to come in. With the time freedom you have in being a writing freelancer, you can fulfill your frustrations of being a teacher by going into teaching with your free time. Other writing freelancers have different side lines ranging from selling cars, catering meals, and many others.

• Professional Development – Your freelance writing job enables you to get into a side line which promotes your professional development. Take for example the case of the frustrated teacher. He or she could be teaching writing or literature and do this in a certified capacity. If you are in this person’s shoes, you will be accumulating certified teaching work experience and corresponding continuing professional education. These things enhance your professional qualifications both as a writer and as a teacher. As a teacher, your teaching work experience and knowledge increases the value of your writing practice. One example would be being one of the top choices for academic writing jobs in your writing agency.

Challenges, Compensation, Dealings and Development in Medical Writing Jobs

Freelance medical writing jobs are like non-lab based career options. Many vacancies are not specific and you can just send your curriculum vitae and you can be asked for an appointment for a writing test. After the examination, you may be interviewed once or twice and will most likely offered a job writing in your field of medicine.

Challenges and Compensation – The diversity of medical writing jobs range from entry or degree level to the PhD. If you have the PhD, you will be compensated for the qualification you bring and that the writing projects require. There is always assignments to work on everyday in the work of medical writers. Scientific papers and marketing materials for medical care products and pharmaceutical companies take the bulk of daily tasks the writers must work on. You may also need to communicate with clients and authors everyday because you have many of them. There is the need to do so because you need to make sure that the projects you are doing with them are progressing well.

Dealings and Development – Teamwork is necessary in medical writing jobs. There are many instances in which you need to work together with the other professionals and your clients to meet the timetable. Although you will mostly deal with medical writing, tasks and nature of work varies. You may work on four or five different projects at a time. If you are a beginner or has just came back after an initial entry to this field, you need and can learn lots of things. The most challenging of which is working in a large team and doing so to make sure that everything in the project goes well. Entering the medical writing career can be very exciting and full of opportunities. You can start with sending your resume, proceed with learning and develop further.

Being Alone in Freelance Writing Jobs UK Agencies Provide

There are times in your life that you want to be alone. There are even people who really need to be alone for the rest of their lives. Here, alone could mean literally or being away from people but with one or a few chosen family, loved ones, friends or neighbours. If you are in these times of your life, you can work in freelance writing jobs UK agencies provide.

Working in freelance writing jobs UK service providers generate allows you to work alone, at your own pace and at your own time. Many people avail of the benefits and advantages that these jobs offer. They have different reasons for choosing this mode of work. One of them is the chance to work in peace. In other words, there are people who do this job because they need time for their personal private problems.

By doing freelance writing jobs UK residents need for their documentations, you will be able to give yourself the time to think about your problems and do what is best. You own your time. You can prioritise what is really important to you. You can have the time to think about your plight and still have the time to work for your sustenance. Having a source of income to provide for your needs while you are still in the process of thinking your problems through is not a problem.

You are able to work in writing jobs while thinking through your life because you are doing what you love. As a writer, you are an artist and you love what you are doing. In other words, it does not seem like work for you. sometimes work becomes a problem; but writing is no longer work for you. It is a passion. It will not be a problem that will add to your burden.

Freelance Writing Jobs are Fun

Have you ever imagined sitting within the comforts of your home and working and earning income at the same time? With all the benefits of staying at home you will have more time with your family. At the same time, you are free from any stress-related incidents inherent in the workplace setting. These are just a few of the basic but big advantages why some people like freelance writing.

So what do you really get from freelance writing? Here are the more lucrative benefits of freelance writing jobs compared to in-house writers:

• You can manage your own time

You are free to decide on your time schedule. In freelance writing, you can do a lot of things within your preferred means of doing the writing task. The only goal you have to achieve is to meet the deadlines for the necessary write-ups. After all that, then you are free – unlike in-house writers who have to spend 9 hours in the office just to get paid.

• You are your own boss

You do not have to submit to direct supervisors. In the strict office setting, direct heads will always go around the office to see the work progress of their employees. In your home, you are free to cultivate your creativity to the fullest, and away from all the rather limiting office conditions.

• You can work wherever you want

If you do not want to work at home, then you can do it somewhere else. Some writers bring along their laptops to coffee shops, public parks, and other more convenient locations just to find a favourable, inspiring environment to continue with the writing project. This fosters better creativity for other writers. At the very least, their minds are not confined to the four walls of a single office.

• You have all the comforts when you need it

You have all the space when you need it. If you want to watch cable television, see some DVD movies, listen to music, prepare your favourite food, or feed your pets whilst working at home, you can easily do so. Nobody will ruin your day.

These are just some the great benefits of freelance writing. Why not become a freelance writer now? The only key to become a freelance writer is to have some guts and know how to work them out. It does not necessarily mean that you have to be the best of the best in order to become a freelance writer.

Common Errors in Freelance Writing

In freelance writing, we dedicate many writing styles to the different writing jobs that we are dealing with. There are many kinds of writing styles that we can choose from so that we can apply it to the different writing jobs. Varying the writing styles is necessary to add variety to the presentation of ideas. If you want to maintain client loyalty you should vary your writing style, or your clients will get bored with the same writing style you use every time you are given a writing job.

Here are the common mistakes of freelance writers in their quest to add more words rather than substance:

• The use of tautology
Freelance writers suffer from writer’s block from time to time. This means that no matter how you think of an idea, you just cannot push through with it. Many freelance writers opt for the use of tautologies just to increase the word count but never the substance in the article. As a result, this affects the content quality of the articles. You will notice this in the writing jobs of some freelance writers where the ideas, arguments and definitions given are just moving in circles around the article. Examples of tautology are: free gift, final conclusion, wrong mistake, and so on. Freelance writers must refrain from using tautologies since their article will suffer and their reputation will suffer too. Badly written articles demean the reputation of a freelance writer.

• Use of active verbs and active words
All freelance writers know that the use of active verbs and active words are vital in all articles that they are going to make. However, due to carelessness, there are some instances when they use passive voice in writing articles.

• Foreign words and phrases
Many freelance writers fall into the trap of using foreign words and phrases in their write-ups. Some freelance writers even think that foreign words and phrases will make their write-ups sound sagacious. Indeed, foreign words and phrases may make your write-ups scholarly but you also compromise the readability of your works. Foreign words and phrases can only be used if necessary and are explained well in the article.

Professional freelance writers can still express well their thoughts even without using tautology. They can even write articles following the rule for active verbs and the use of the active voice. They can even write articles without using foreign words and phrases. In the freelance writing business, you can still write with substance by thinking for and in behalf of your clients.

Writing Style, Good Manners and Freelance Writing Sites

Good writing style means good works. Good writing requires good professional manners. This means that as a freelance writer you must answer promptly the needs of your clients and sincerely do everything you promised. Freelance writers must be honest in what they do. If you cannot do what is asked of you then say no. If you cannot do something for that writing job then say so and do not leave your clients hoping for another chance.

Writing style is just as important as the spoken words. Spoken words can make or break persons while writing styles can make or break writing jobs. Bad writing styles will never get you another writing job or worse you may end up your career early as a freelance writer. Carefully written articles without jargons and clichés are essential to avoid sloppy presentations and still ensuring effective communication.

Good manners in freelance writing are not easy to build. Good manners emanate from the character of the freelance writer himself. He cannot create false identity by writing what he thinks he can write from what he truly is. If a freelance writer is good at faking his write ups then his freelance writing career will eventually prove to be unsustainable. He would not last long.

Many freelance writing jobs are all over the Internet nowadays. These freelance writing jobs offer alluring opportunities to make more money. However, you must know the sites well before entering into contract with them. They may offer good writing jobs but if they are not reputable then it would be a drawback for you. It is good that you must research about the company first and scrutinise how they do business with their freelance writers and clients alike.

It is ethical for freelance writers not to destroy their reputations by affiliating with dubious and non-reputable freelance writing sites. In order to get to a reputable site, it takes more than weeks to know the company well and how they operate. Make sure that these freelance writing sites are not scams teeming with uncertain materials.

In conclusion, freelance writers must be accountable to all their actions. It is not a good manner if you run away from your professional responsibilities. You must relate with your clients well and do writing jobs with ardour.

Freelance Writing for a Story

Not all writing jobs are technical. Sometimes we take some writing jobs that are somewhat easy to make. Freelance writers as we are, we all know that writing stories are very easy to make. There is simplicity in writing stories. The thoughts imparted are not that critically analytical. You do not have to worry about the formalities that you are going to use for the story had it been otherwise an academic writing requirement.

Writing jobs that entail stories in it can be written in narrative form. In the narrative form, it is advisable that you use the freight-train writing style. This style is appropriate for the composition of your story. Take this for example:

There are a number of opportunities in freelance writing and there is always a demand for freelance writers and the freelance writers must be skillful enough in order to write good compositions and they must also see the value of their writing jobs to the intended readers of their write ups.

Notice a lot of ands in the sentence. This is an example of the freight-train writing style. Most sentences are connected by conjunctions or other punctuations except for the period (.).

Here are the benefits of using the freight-train writing style to some of your writing jobs:

• The ideas are continuous
As freelance writers, we often think that periods (.) are necessary to create short and concise write ups. However this style does not use periods as much; that is why this style is good for producing stories because the ideas are free flowing and continuous. Freelance writers can easily see the sequence of ideas in this style.

• This writing style can link ideas together
Writing jobs have different requirements of composition. If you have writing jobs that need narrations of events, situations or experiences then this writing style is very applicable.

• It allows a good stream of consciousness
It is good to see write ups with free flowing thoughts. Good stream of consciousness occurs when readers can easily follow through the ideas of your articles because there are just a few or no hindrances at all to their understanding. Contrast this with the function of periods (.) which create pauses to the minds of the readers.

Freelance writing is always fun when you have writing jobs that require composing narratives. The freight train writing style is always handy when it comes to writing jobs that need detailed expositions. In effect, writing jobs that need narrative prose can now easily be written using this style.