Have
you ever put your heart and soul into composing a spellbinding article, only to
have the entire content flatly rejected by your client? Before you read malice
in your client’s action, perhaps you should consider if you are actually the
problem: probably, you were so engrossed in the narration that your
overzealousness ruined it.
As
usual, rather than tell you how this happens, I’ll show you with an article I
edited recently.
Great Looking Article, But…
This
is a well-written piece that’s also quite intriguing.
I
must admit, the average, low-paying client would readily accept it. However, to
please a more demanding, high-paying clientèle, you’ll have to do a bit better.
Freelance
Writing: The Down and Dirty
Some
stumble upon it, some have acalling, others turn to it as a measure of last
resort. The reasons that drove you to writing notwithstanding, you have to
play by the not so subtle rules that govern the sector.
Sure, it
may have an element of freedom to it but do not let the glitterati fool you;
it takes quite a bit of mastery to play the game profitably.
Unstructured,
unregulated and unpredictable, the deck is stacked against the starry-eyed
newcomer, seeking a place at the table.
Some
people rush to join the sector, driven by half-truths, misconceptions, and
the hopes to strike it rich without working as hard.
So
enticing, so appealing, it sounds much like a fairy tale scripted just for
you.
Or, is it?
Many would
be writers often realize too late that as much a freelancing holds a certain
appeal, it is anything but a walk in the park.
There
doesn’t exist such a thing as a free ride to the riches, the glorified ride
into the sunset that is the ending of many movie scripts.
Speaking
of movies, you might want to note that the hero digs deep into their bag of
tricks to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to emerge victorious.
To defeat
the supervillain hell-bent on ruining the world and save the day, you must
have your best foot forward – unleash the James Bond in you.
If you a
fan of the 007 flicks (apologies if you are not), you would notice that the
hero is ever cool, calm and collected – even when someone is out to get him.
Okay, that might be in the movies, but you could borrow a few leaves (heck,
even the whole branch) from the same:
You may
not be risking your life to save the world, but as a freelancer, you are up
against the entire world. Take the time to hone your skills to art form and
earn your place at the table. From polishing your grammar to researching
skills, creative and critical thinking, do whatever it takes to set yourself
apart.
Nothing
comes easy, and as an adage goes, chance favors the prepared mind. Take
calculated risks, anything to get you out of your comfort zone. Approach new
clients, try out new platforms, new niches – just make sure to put the
feedback to good use.
Learn to
write other types of content – landing pages, press releases, and product
descriptions – anything to push your limits. For all you know, improving your
typing speed makes all the difference as a writer.
Train
hard, fight easy is a common saying among the fighting forces and you would
do best to customize it for your own grind. One more thing, enough with the
borrowing, create your own stuff so others can learn from you.
|
What Turns Superb Articles into Reject
Material?
Here
are the problematic issues I identified (some of them are suggestions, based on
personal preference):
Freelance
Writing: The Down and Dirty
|
Make it bold and maybe increase font size.
|
Some
stumble upon it, some have a calling, while others
turn to it as a measure of last resort. The reasons that drove you to writing
notwithstanding, you have to play by the not-so-subtle rules
that govern the sector.
|
|
Sure, it may have an element of freedom
Unstructured, unregulated and unpredictable, the deck is stacked
against the starry-eyed newcomer, seeking a place at the table.
|
These part seems misplaced. I think it would be best placed in the
section about the harsh reality of the freelance writing world. It’s also
best to keep introductions brief, especially with short, 500-word articles.
|
The
Allure of Freelance Writing
|
A subtitle would be great right here.
|
Some
people rush to join the freelance writing sector
So
enticing, so appealing…
Or, is it?
|
|
The
Harsh Reality and How to Overcome It
|
A subtitle would be great right here.
|
Many would–be writers often realize too late that as much as freelancing holds a certain
appeal,
|
These three phrases are all stating the same thing: “a walk in the
park”, “a free ride to riches” and “a ride into the sunset”.
|
Sure, it may have an element of freedom,
|
Fits better here, doesn’t it? Also, the second sentence seems to have
a dangling modifier, but I’ll let it pass.
|
Speaking
of movies,
|
|
To defeat
the supervillain hell-bent on ruining the world and save the day, you must
have your best foot forward – unleash the James Bond in you.
|
This hero thing is really getting into your head, man. Cool down on
the metaphor and first explain how the previous one applies to writing. If
you wish to retain this metaphor, explain it too.
|
If you a fan of the 007 flicks (apologies if you are not), you would
notice that the hero is ever cool, calm and collected – even when someone is
out to get him.
|
This paragraph doesn’t seem to serves a clear purpose here.
|
Okay, that
might be in the movies, but you could borrow a few leaves (heck, even the
whole branch) from the same:
|
|
If you’re a fan of the 007 flicks (apologies if you aren’t
|
Fits better here, doesn’t it?
|
You may
not be risking your life to save the world, but as a freelancer, you’d be competing against countless others from across the
globe.
|
What do you mean by being “up against the entire world”?
|
Take the
time to hone your skills
|
|
2. Apply
Yourself
Nothing
comes easy, but,
Take
calculated risks
|
This doesn’t make sense: …just make sure to put the feedback to good
use…
|
3. Keep
Learning
Learn to
write different
|
|
Train hard,
fight easy is a common saying among the fighting forces,
|
|
One more
thing, enough with the borrowing, create your own stuff so others can learn
from you.
|
Not clear what this means.
|
The Finished Product
Once
all those issues are sorted, here’s what you get…
Freelance Writing: The Down and
Dirty
Some
stumble upon it, some have a calling, while others turn to it as a measure of
last resort. The reasons that drove you to writing notwithstanding, you have
to play by the not-so-subtle rules that govern the sector.
The Allure
of Freelance Writing
Some
people rush to join the freelance writing sector driven by half-truths,
misconceptions and the hope of striking it rich without working as hard:
So
enticing, so appealing… it sounds much like a fairy tale scripted just for
you.
Or, is it?
The Harsh
Reality and How to Overcome It
Many
would-be writers often realize too late that as much as freelancing holds a
certain appeal, you never really have the glorified ride into the sunset
that’s the ending of many movie scripts.
Sure, it
may have an element of freedom, but
don’t let the glitterati fool you; it takes quite a bit of mastery to
play the game profitably. Unstructured, unregulated and unpredictable,
the deck is stacked against starry-eyed newcomers, seeking a place at
the table.
Speaking
of movies, note that the heroes dig deep into their bag of tricks to overcome
seemingly insurmountable odds and emerge victorious.
Okay, that
might be in the movies, but you could borrow a few leaves (heck, even the
whole branch) from the same:
If you’re
a fan of the 007 flicks (apologies if you aren’t), you would notice that the
hero is ever cool, calm and collected – even when someone is out to get him. You
may not be risking your life to save the world, but as a freelancer, you’d be
competing against countless others from across the globe.
Take the
time to hone your skills and earn your place at the table. From polishing
your grammar, working on your researching skills, being more creative to
enhancing your critical thinking, do whatever it takes to set yourself apart.
Nothing
comes easy, but, as an adage goes, chance favors the prepared mind.
Take
calculated risks – anything to get out of your comfort zone. Approach new
clients, try out new platforms and venture into new niches.
Learn to
write different types of content: landing pages, press releases, product
descriptions… Anything to push your limits. For all you know, a simple
thing as improving your typing speed could make all the difference.
Train
hard, fight easy is a common saying among the fighting forces, which you
should adopt in your own grind.
|
Looks
great, right?
Feel
free to offer your own suggestions in the comments.
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