The 3 Major Freelance Writing Mistakes

With a degree in English/secondary education and over 3 years of professional freelancing experience, I have discovered the 3 major freelance writing mistakes that are commonly made. Of course, with a background in education, maybe these problems tend to 'jump out' at me. But, I believe it speaks to professionalism and ultimately success.

Among the 3 most glaring freelance writing errors I frequently run across are:

• Sloppiness
• Speed
• Lack of Professional Writing Skills

But, in discovering these common writing mistakes, my educational background means I will not simply slam professional writers like myself, without a solution.

Sloppiness

Personally speaking, for those people that expect to get paid for their writing, sloppiness is unforgiveable. But, to add insult to injury, buyers often accept this substandard work and post it on the Web, where it will live in infamy. However, I believe with the ever-increasing world-wide competition on the Internet, freelancers and other individuals that make a living via the computer should be on notice. Strive for a better product or service, because someone that is not sloppy will come along and take your customers.

For example, do not simply depend on spell check, before calling the article complete. It does not catch half of the errors that are made. Take the time to read through a finished article. If you are really tired, walk away. Go do something else for awhile. Leave it until after a good night of sleep. But, do not submit sloppy work. In the end, your reputation as a professional freelance writer will suffer, if you get sloppy.

Speed

Everybody in the business knows that it takes a lot of writing to make a full-time living as a freelancer. It takes a lot of articles per month to pay all of the bills. Even if you write for high-end clients that pay premium prices for work, speed is your friend. But, it can also be the enemy.

Personally, I prefer not to take the high pressure assignments that require unrealistically quick turnaround times. I end up suffering from lack of sleep, neglecting my family, and becoming a less than pleasant person to be around, in order to get the project done on time. In addition, when I am required to speed through an assignment, I tend to make more mistakes, which ultimately reflect on my capabilities as a writer.

Although not one of the fastest freelancers in the business of writing, many of my clients believe I am very good at what I do produce. Because I pay attention to detail and carefully consider everything I write (from scratch-not spun), I have a faithful few that provide a solid customer base. Speed if you must, but put the quality of your work ahead of the almighty dollar. You and your clients will both benefit in the end.

Lack of Professional Writing Skills

A personal pet peeve is the amount of freelancers out there that really lack the skills to be a truly professional writer. Unfortunately, the fallout inadvertently affects the freelance writers that make a living writing well, with good quality, informative writing.

For example, you may use a writing service in order to bid on projects and make connections with potential clients. However, because these resources have essentially lowered their standards, many of you are forced to accept projects that yield less than minimum wage, if you want to do the project professionally. Thus, buyers are offering projects for $1 a page. In order to do an excellent job, a page takes at least 30-60 minutes. How many people can afford to work for 2 dollars an hour?

People in foreign countries take these jobs. But, the buyer gets what he/she pays for in the completed project. In addition to English as a second language, these writers do not have the skills necessary to provide quality material. Sadly, it is not simply ESL writers.

With the economy in a tailspin, more and more people are turning to the Internet as a second income or a full-time alternative, after being laid off from a job. But, writing professionally requires more knowledge and experience than receiving excellent grades in high school English. It is not the same as writing short stories well or keeping a daily journal, or even blogging for fun on the Web.

In summary, 3 major freelance writing mistakes reflect badly on the writer and the buyer. When searching for a product or service, potential customers will often move on to another provider, if they see sloppy work that was obviously done in haste. If the business does not reflect the willingness to look professional and skillful in their presentation, what kind of substandard service will they provide to their clientele? In short, professionalism pays.

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