Can anyone give writing advice please? Should I call it a day?

42 replies
Hello there.

Can anyone here give advice to a new-ish freelance writer please?

I started freelancing in February this year and I'm now charging $20 to $30 for 600 words (depending on research). So far, I've had happy clients, with some coming back for repeat business. I then joined Elance and got hired for blogging, writing posts at rate of $15 for 350 words.

I've run into problems. It started well, but I came down with bronchitis and was very poorly. I didn't want to let the client down, so wrote the posts anyway. As you can imagine, they weren't as good as the others I had sent. First mistake.

I was also started worrying that I wasn't fitting enough information into these short posts. I tried to make them full of facts because I was worried about them being 'fluff'. This was the wrong approach. My client didn't like the work because it was the wrong style for them. Fair enough, the client is always right.


However, (this is where it gets weird) they also told me that that the posts were coming back with an increasing number of spelling mistakes, and the flow was wrong. Now, I truly want to do the best for clients, and I'm not out to rip people off. So, I asked my dad (a retired English teacher who got his BE at Oxford) for a second opinion. He couldn't find these spelling mistakes that I had missed, and he also thought the posts were written in a logical fashion. Why would the client say this?

I'm not sure what to think now. If I'd been slacking, I would just take it on the chin, but I can honestly say that I've been doing my best. It seems that I can't do anything right with this person and their emails have started to become a tad rude and sarcastic, but I can accept that I'm at fault here. I have started to feel like a nervous wreck and I don't want to carry on working for them! Maybe this means that writing isn't for me.

I'm going to suggest to the client that I'm not a good fit for the job, but will continue until they find someone who is. Should I call it a day with writing? What would you do?


Thanks if you made it this far!
#advice #call #client relations #day #elance #freelance writing #give #writing
  • Well, as long as it isn't one of your main clients or you are desperate for money, I would find a way to "fire" this client in the most polite and generous way you can.

    You can't please everyone, and if they are causing you problems, it's probably best for both of you to look at other options.

    Don't let one or two bad apples take your drive or enthusiasm for writing away - it has happened to more writers than most people think.

    Edit: http://www.businessweek.com/stories/...-that-customer
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  • Profile picture of the author Ravikanth
    Your profile says that you are from England. If you are writing for US clients they would definitely find errors, due to the differences between US and UK English. If that is not the case you could ask the client to point out a couple of errors, and actually understand what he considers to be wrong. Get a detailed and specific feedback from the client. With out this any advice you pick up would be irrelevant to your current situation.
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    • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
      Originally Posted by raviandkanth View Post

      Your profile says that you are from England. If you are writing for US clients they would definitely find errors, due to the differences between US and UK English.
      I bet that's the problem, in addition to the client being an ass.

      Miss Bee... on the other hand, if it's a matter of differences between UK and US english, the client should realize it. At least it seems to me that he/she/they should at least know there is a difference.

      Either way, sometimes you have to fire clients. I've done it a few times, just a few. It goes both ways. And being mistreated in the form of rudeness is my #1 reason for telling them very directly they're fired and why.

      Do not stress over this. There are millions of businesses who can use a good content writer. Just replace the offending client and forget about it.

      Call it a day with writing? NO... never, ever.

      Relax and enjoy the rest of your day...
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post

      Should I call it a day with writing? What would you do?
      It's not easy to imagine how anyone can answer such a dramatic, career-changing question as that without seeing even one of your articles, is it?

      The information you're giving us covers such a small number of "events" that it isn't possible to say whether they're "unlucky", or "coincidences", or "a bad client", or "based on real problems".

      The spelling issue isn't much of a problem, anyway - all you need is a spellcheck that handles both UK and US spellings.

      Originally Posted by raviandkanth View Post

      Your profile says that you are from England. If you are writing for US clients they would definitely find errors, due to the differences between US and UK English.
      I don't agree with this, at all. It's easy enough to change UK to US spellings and idioms. (I do it in almost every post I make in this forum, for a start).
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      • Profile picture of the author KenThompson
        Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

        It's not easy to imagine how anyone can answer such a dramatic, career-changing question as that without seeing even one of your articles, is it?
        Well, I did.

        What are you doing? Even if the writing is challenged, that is still no reason to quit, and I'm surprised you would offer this. Of course that's your opinion, but I don't think you're doing her any good favors by suggesting it's possible that she quit. At least that's my impression and opinion.

        It is possible to improve, you know...
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        • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
          Banned
          Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

          Well, I did.
          Yes - we posted at the same time.

          Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

          What are you doing? Even if the writing is challenged, that is still no reason to quit
          I didn't say it was.

          I said that it's pretty difficult to advise someone whether or not to change their career from article-writing to something else without even seeing one of their articles.

          That's what I think!

          Originally Posted by KenThompson View Post

          I don't think you're doing her any good favors by suggesting it's possible that she quit.
          I don't remember "suggesting it's possible that she quit". I just said that it's pretty difficult to advise someone whether or not to change their career from article-writing to something else without even seeing one of their articles. Seems a pretty incontrovertible observation, to me?
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    • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
      Originally Posted by raviandkanth View Post

      Your profile says that you are from England. If you are writing for US clients they would definitely find errors, due to the differences between US and UK English.
      Not necessarily so! I am Scottish, and I write for several US companies, and I have been doing so for over 16 years without the slightest problem. It's very easy to adapt the spelling, etc, of any writing to make it acceptable to US clients.

      I had once been writing for a client in Florida for almost a year when he discovered that I was not American. He accused me of trying to deceive him, until I pointed out that I had never claimed to be an American, and besides, he had always been happy with my writing, so what was the problem?

      He admitted there was no problem. He just thought there ought to have been a problem, but he couldn't find one, once he actually thought about it. :-)

      John.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
    Hi,
    May be the prob is with client and not with you.

    Actually in freelancing you will get different type of people... some will be good and some will be like... make you work like slaves... (few though) ... you have to be honest with yourself and if you are fully satisfied with the written contents then its ok...

    If people find flaws in the content of a native english speaker whose content is checked by a Oxford illumine then I think the client is playing with you.

    every freelancer has suffered this and every client also has some true bad experiences...

    as a freelancer you have to catch it a bit
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      I have been doing outsourcing for about ten years now, this is the main thing I learnt: Clients hire you to offer solutions to their problems, not to know about yours.

      When you start being a problem for a client, if he is good in his business, he will move on. What he says is irrelevant.

      It sounds cold-hearted, but it is a matter of professionalism actually. The bottom line in business is to maximize profits, not to make friends. This is why I suck at hiring people, btw...

      About quality... the definition of quality is different for a writer than a marketer. For a writer it is all about accuracy, unique view, and reader satisfaction. For a business it is the medium to force an action. If your reader has all the information at hand, he/she will never click in the link that is the life of the business.

      So... deep breadth, re read what you wrote. See if you can rewrite to bring your customer business. And ask the guy if you can start over. If you did get it right in the past and he sees the right attitude, he will probably say "yes", because you are a solution for his problems again.

      And about health... it is your primary asset. You can´t afford to get sick. So take your time to be in the sun, and take your essential nutrients (all 90 of them). I lost all my business and had to start over when I went down with EM hypersensitivity.

      Hope it helps,
      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I recently had a problem with a client who claimed I had grammatical errors in my writing and I did not understand what they wanted and they demanded a full refund or they would go to Paypal. First time ever for me and I gave the refund but was very pissed off by it all. I KNOW my grammar is 100% good quality and I also triple checked it and got somebody else to also check it.

    Don't let them stress you. Fire them and get better clients.
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    Writer/Editor/Proofreader.

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  • Profile picture of the author MarkWMS
    If your father did not find any fault in your writing (considering that he is a retired ENGLISH teacher, from Oxford), then it has to be something from the client's end.

    The client can give you numerous reasons, to cover up the real reason. It would be better to let this client look for another writer, and you can look for another client to write for. I am sure there are ample people, who would give you that opportunity.

    Don't lose hope. I am sure you will do well. Good Luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    I found several mistakes in your post alone.

    Perhaps you should consider something else.
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  • Profile picture of the author jclindayag
    Hi Miss Bee

    I guess this client is just finding a reason to lower down their expense. If this is the case, do not let one client bring you down. Count the number of clients who are satisfied at your work.

    I assume that you are a great writer. As long as you believe in your writing, there is no problem in looking for clients. At some point, service providers must sometimes dictate the pace. There is always an exception for every rule.
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  • Profile picture of the author rosetrees
    One of the hardest thing when you first start being self-employed is learning to get rid of clients who are a pain in the nether regions. You have to learn to do it. There are some people who just like complaining - and will always complain no matter what you do. Just get rid of them and move one. You will be glad you did and firing clients gets easier. I haven't had to do it this year, but I think I fired 2 last year. I can spot trouble from a mile off now.
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  • Profile picture of the author Miss Bee
    Thanks for your feedback on this everyone. I don't think US/UK English is the issue - you can set Word to cover this.

    I did wonder if it could be hyphenation. Sometimes there's no hard and fast rules. That's not really spelling though.

    I've messaged the client since then and they said they're happy with the work, but they've been saying otherwise before now. It's too confusing for me in all honesty. I've suggested that I might not be the best fit, and said that I'll carry on until they find the right writer.

    Sandra, thanks for the advice. I feel very run down recently and keep getting colds and infections. Maybe it's time to ease off for a bit. You don't get much sun in the UK though.


    Better get back to work! Thanks.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post


      Sandra, thanks for the advice. I feel very run down recently and keep getting colds and infections. Maybe it's time to ease off for a bit. You don't get much sun in the UK though.


      Better get back to work! Thanks.
      This is not medical advice and blah blah blah...

      You might want to see into antioxidants: vitamin D, vitamin C and selenium are at the top of my list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Miss Bee
    Actually, my OP is badly written! I think Mr Romaine is right!
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post

      Actually, my OP is badly written! I think Mr Romaine is right!
      I don't think it is. Far from it, in fact.

      I recently considered doing some freelance writing for a bit of extra money, and joined Textbroker(UK version). They rated my initial sample a '3', which meant I would be getting paid very little for at least my first 5 articles. Level 3 articles are few and far between, but after sitting refreshing for a few hours, some appeared.

      The list of articles were all placed there by the same client, were almost all on the same subject and had exactly the same instructions for each of them. You can only 'claim' one at a time, so I chose the one I felt I'd be able to do the best job with. Because of the lack of specifics in the instructions, I wrote to the client and asked for a better idea of what they wanted. It took them a few hours to reply, and in the meantime, I wrote the majority of what I thought was a good article.

      I'm somewhat of a perfectionist, so did lots of research on the subject matter(I knew a bit about it already, as I use one of the company's products myself, but it's a huge company with a long history) to aid me in my article writing. Once the client replied and explained that he wanted a 'generic' article with a list of the 'cons', that was it. I'd spent a couple of hours of work researching and writing a 450 word(I was at around 300 words at this point) article that was going to earn me not much over £3 I cancelled the order and apologised to the client.

      This was a wake up call for me. Why would I write articles to build other people's businesses when I can continue to build my own and earn a lot more in the process? Even if I stuck with this, it would only be a matter of time before I got stressed out and quit. Why? Because I'm a quitter? No. Because I find it difficult to take orders from someone else and be accountable to them when I know I can be far more successful being accountable to only myself.

      My point is that it could be a blessing in disguise that this situation arose with the Elance client. Maybe writing for others just isn't for you. It certainly seems to have caused you some stress. You also sound like me in that you want to get everything absolutely right and it bugs you when you feel you haven't.

      Judging by the way you have written your posts in this thread, I think you're an excellent writer. Maybe there are some technical imperfections(like with me and my 3 star rating ) but you express yourself very well. Have you considered building some sites of your own and maybe promoting products? (As an affiliate or your own). Being your own boss and not having to answer to others(who may even move the goalposts) can take some of the weight from your shoulders.

      Whatever you decide to do, the best of luck
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      • Profile picture of the author cashp0wer
        Sounds like a client I would definitely drop if you possibly can. of course, if they are your best paying client this may be hard to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

    It's not easy to imagine how anyone can answer such a dramatic, career-changing question as that without seeing even one of your articles, is it?
    The OP's thread starter is basically an article in itself wouldn't you say?

    Miss Bee, I hope you continue to write because you seem so talented in this field. Never accept rude behaviour from others, you deserve to be respected. Best wishes to you!
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  • Profile picture of the author Miss Bee
    What vitamin D supplement do you use Sandra? I've read that some aren't effective and that they could even be harmful.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      I take a multivitamin and reinforce vitamin C (6 grams in winter). Both youngevity and nature´s sunshine have a 90 nutrients colloidal one.

      Do a search for Carole Baggerly for vitamin D, and also look into Carolyn Dean to balance vitamin D with magnesium.

      I also put mms in my night stand, it is great to clean the air from mold and bugs (it even works as a healthy mosquito repellent). When you use mms, you can´t mix it up with vitamin C, you need 12 hours between one and the other.
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  • Profile picture of the author Miss Bee
    Lol, thanks Liam, I'm trying to do lots of things at once today and I'm changing my mind about what to write half way through writing these posts!

    I usually leave anything I've written overnight to edit and proof read the following morning. The first draft gets done the day before. That’s probably not the mark of a good writer. I imagine the best writers would do it perfectly first time!

    I’d like to write my own stuff, but I actually enjoy illustration more. The problem with that is you're competing against people in places like India who can do excellent work and seriously undercut you. It's not the same as being an English person who writes English, anyone from anywhere can be good at art and design. There are no language barriers for that!


    I would like to do anything creative.
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    • Profile picture of the author Liam Hamer
      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post

      Lol, thanks Liam, I'm trying to do lots of things at once today and I'm changing my mind about what to write half way through writing these posts!

      I usually leave anything I've written overnight to edit and proof read the following morning. The first draft gets done the day before. That’s probably not the mark of a good writer. I imagine the best writers would do it perfectly first time!

      I’d like to write my own stuff, but I actually enjoy illustration more. The problem with that is you're competing against people in places like India who can do excellent work and seriously undercut you. It's not the same as being an English person who writes English, anyone from anywhere can be good at art and design. There are no language barriers for that!


      I would like to do anything creative.
      I don't think writing something, then returning to it to edit and proof read is the mark of a bad writer, but the mark of a writer who really cares about their writing

      I totally hear you about having to compete with people in countries where they can charge much less. It can be quite intimidating, especially when you are just starting out.

      I'm sure there are clients out there that would be happy to pay you for your services, and pay you very good money for them. Finding them is often the hard part though, as you have found.
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  • Profile picture of the author affilorama-portal
    Hi,

    Do not give up because of one client going to your nerves. Sooner or later you'll encounter things like this. I suggest you finish the job, do it the way the client wants you to. Once you're done, just move on.

    It may be a bad experience for you now but later on, you'll learn from your mistakes. So consider this as part of your experience.
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  • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
    use lemon, grapes and amla (if available) as vit c and milk ae vit D natuuraaal stuffies.
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by dsouravs View Post

      use lemon, grapes and amla (if available) as vit c and milk ae vit D natuuraaal stuffies.
      That´s wonderful when available. If you have time, have a look at this, at about min 28:

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      • Miss Bee, if it's possible for you, get tested for Vitamin D deficiency. It's a simple blood test. Many people have this deficiency and don't even know it.

        fLufF
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      • Profile picture of the author dsouravs
        Originally Posted by Sandra Martinez View Post

        That´s wonderful when available. If you have time, have a look at this, at about min 28:

        Carolyn Dean MD, ND - Air dafe: 12-27-04 - YouTube
        can you please tell what is it there in 28th min

        Thank you
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        • Profile picture of the author CassAngel
          The client is always right BUT only up to the point where they are obviously wrong/don't want to pay.

          As people above say, ditch this one and move on.

          If you are lucky enough to be able to write well, then you should do so. It's a gift.
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        • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
          Originally Posted by dsouravs View Post

          can you please tell what is it there in 28th min

          Thank you
          you can´t see the video? alright...

          (my own version)

          when agriculture became agro-industry after the second world war it stopped being a cultural patrimony to become a for profit business. The bottom line moved from quality to maximization of profit. A second consequence was the development of industrial processes applied to the (now called) food industry.

          Plants need 11 essential nutrients to develop, we need 90. As normal procedure the farmers provide the plant with the nutrients it needs to grow, and nothing else. Besides this they use pesticides - which work via keylation of essential nutrients.

          As a consequence the soil is depleted in time of all the other nutrients and plants from that point forward are just empty shells. This is what is called traditional agro-industry.

          The next step from this was the creation of GMOs... which have been devastating for the farmers in India as you probably already know.
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  • Profile picture of the author Darren Money
    If it's something you are wanting to do, why give up? Each article you write is one more you can chock up for experience.
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  • Profile picture of the author bigdaleln
    Follow your heart and keep writing if that is what you like to do and from the sound your post you have done some good work before this job. Pick your self up and find a client that can see the benefits of your work and get rid of the bad apples.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan Curtis
    Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post


    It started well, but I came down with bronchitis and was very poorly. I didn't want to let the client down, so wrote the posts anyway. As you can imagine, they weren't as good as the others I had sent.
    Miss Bee,

    I know that many people find this to be an acceptable explanation, but really, a professional writer would never offer this as an explanation. Having bronchitis doesn't explain writing that is not up to your usual standard.

    If you were an opera singer, then yes, bronchitis is an explanation. When you're a writer it's just an excuse.

    Writers write. They write when they feel well and when they don't. They write when they are tired. They write when they don't feel like it. And when their writing is not up to their standard they rewrite until it is up to their standard, or they don't send it in.

    And when they get a client that is excessively unreasonable or that is just dragging them down they move on. But they don't quit. They keep writing.

    Dan Curtis
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    • Profile picture of the author Sandra Martinez
      Originally Posted by Dan Curtis View Post

      Miss Bee,

      I know that many people find this to be an acceptable explanation, but really, a professional writer would never offer this as an explanation. Having bronchitis doesn't explain writing that is not up to your usual standard.

      If you were an opera singer, then yes, bronchitis is an explanation. When you're a writer it's just an excuse.
      Sorry, I disagree. Writers not only move the fingers. They happen to use their brains too.

      If your mind is foggy, you can´t write to the same standard.

      Sandra
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  • Profile picture of the author John Coutts
    Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post


    I'm going to suggest to the client that I'm not a good fit for the job, but will continue until they find someone who is. Should I call it a day with writing? What would you do?
    I think you should get rid of the client, but not necessarily "call it a day" with writing.

    Apart from your post, I haven't seen any examples of your writing quality, so it's hard to judge, but I assume you are competent in that respect. Your charges aren't too bad, or at least they are raised decently above the $1 per 500 words bottom-feeders, so if you can find the work, you should do quite well.

    I'd stick with it and get better clients. There's a lot of good money to be made writing online, despite the financial crisis. In fact, I've personally seen the demand for good online writing increase substantially since 2008.

    John.
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  • Profile picture of the author RedShifted
    Yeh, "find something else" because you made a mistake! I'm sorry but thats just hilarious.

    I can't even name all the skills I'd be missing right now if that was my thought process. I wouldn't know how to:

    Swim
    Cook
    Drive
    Ride a bike
    Make music
    Speak English
    Walk
    Fish
    Spell
    Have sex
    Deal with people
    Clean myself
    Wipe my...

    I think you see where this list is going. Mistakes and failure are the last reason you should quit anything.

    "If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake."

    -Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Prize winner in physics

    :rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author Horny Devil
      Banned
      Originally Posted by RedShifted View Post

      Yeh, "find something else" because you made a mistake! I'm sorry but thats just hilarious.

      I can't even name all the skills I'd be missing right now if that was my thought process. I wouldn't know how to:

      Swim
      Cook
      Drive
      Ride a bike
      Make music
      Speak English
      Walk
      Fish
      Spell
      Have sex
      Deal with people
      Clean myself
      Wipe my...

      I think you see where this list is going. Mistakes and failure are the last reason you should quit anything.

      "If you don't make mistakes, you're not working on hard enough problems. And that's a big mistake."

      -Frank Wilczek, 2004 Nobel Prize winner in physics

      :rolleyes:

      I'll second EVERY word of that!


      And if you can't find solace or advice from a father who is . . .

      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post


      a retired English teacher who got his BE at Oxford
      Then who else can you turn to?

      Ahh, good old WF, that's who . . .


      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post


      I have started to feel like a nervous wreck and I don't want to carry on working for them!

      Should I call it a day with writing?
      You feel like a nervous wreck, ask advice as to whether you should quit, and trump that with mutual exchanges of remedies for your ailments (which you blame for perceived writing deficiencies).

      I'm sorry, and this may come across as harsh, but writing IS a harsh occupation. Firstly, GET OVER IT. If you intend to make a full time career of writing then accept that there will likely be many, many more future complaints about your work, no matter how good at your trade you envisage yourself to be. It's a fact of life for any writer.

      Secondly, you're obviously a person who takes criticism to heart. Whilst not a fault as such (as any writer hates to be accused of poor workmanship), it will however eat away at your confidence if you let a single isolated case gnaw away at you. The best writers have the best attributes, and one of the most defining is confidence. Without confidence you're going nowhere fast as a writer. Feeling confident in your research, work, and output, in addition to confidence in dealing with people from all walks of life (and mentalities) who request your services, is all important.

      Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post

      Should I call it a day with writing?
      You, and you alone know the answer to that question.

      If you've got a broad back that can take pleasure with displeasure, and if you're ultra confident in your abilities (as any good writer should be) then you carry on regardless and put this isolated incident down to exactly what it is - experience.

      However, if (as seems the case) you're particularly prone to accepting criticism badly - whether or not it was warranted - then you're just not cutting it, and there's a thousand others that would jump in your shoes.

      Hey, that's life. I've wrote over a hundred books including many best sellers, but still take a deft one from a retard critic on the chin now and then




      .
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  • Originally Posted by Miss Bee View Post

    Hello there.

    Can anyone here give advice to a new-ish freelance writer please?

    I started freelancing in February this year and I'm now charging $20 to $30 for 600 words (depending on research). So far, I've had happy clients, with some coming back for repeat business. I then joined Elance and got hired for blogging, writing posts at rate of $15 for 350 words.

    I've run into problems. It started well, but I came down with bronchitis and was very poorly. I didn't want to let the client down, so wrote the posts anyway. As you can imagine, they weren't as good as the others I had sent. First mistake.

    I was also started worrying that I wasn't fitting enough information into these short posts. I tried to make them full of facts because I was worried about them being 'fluff'. This was the wrong approach. My client didn't like the work because it was the wrong style for them. Fair enough, the client is always right.


    However, (this is where it gets weird) they also told me that that the posts were coming back with an increasing number of spelling mistakes, and the flow was wrong. Now, I truly want to do the best for clients, and I'm not out to rip people off. So, I asked my dad (a retired English teacher who got his BE at Oxford) for a second opinion. He couldn't find these spelling mistakes that I had missed, and he also thought the posts were written in a logical fashion. Why would the client say this?

    I'm not sure what to think now. If I'd been slacking, I would just take it on the chin, but I can honestly say that I've been doing my best. It seems that I can't do anything right with this person and their emails have started to become a tad rude and sarcastic, but I can accept that I'm at fault here. I have started to feel like a nervous wreck and I don't want to carry on working for them! Maybe this means that writing isn't for me.

    I'm going to suggest to the client that I'm not a good fit for the job, but will continue until they find someone who is. Should I call it a day with writing? What would you do?


    Thanks if you made it this far!
    It sounds like one client, and it sounds like the client is the problem. If you really need the money and are trying to gain momentum, it can be tempting to hold onto them, but at the cost of completely losing motivation to build your business, it's not worth it.

    Drop them.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      It can take a few projects to be able to deliver exactly the style and voice a client prefers so helpful criticism isn't bad at all - but if others say your work is good and one person is consistently finding fault, stop working for that person. You can tell him honestly you don't feel you are giving him what he expects - or can just tell him you are cutting back on your workload and not taking any more work for a while.

      If you don't feel well - take care of the problem. Take pride in your work if you feel you do a good job. One client doesn't define you - but you seem quick to blame yourself.
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  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Here's my take. Oh, before I go into it, congratulations on getting such a decent rate as a beginning writer. That should be a lesson to some who come here thinking they have to settle for candy bars for their work.

    The next part actually relates to something I just said. I guess I'm assuming you're pretty new to all of this. It's been going smoothly and you hit a snag. You're fretting a lot over not having pleased a client. That's okay. I think it shows character to want to please. But don't become obsessed with it.

    As many have pointed out, clients can be unreasonable. If you know you're putting out your best stuff and they're still complaining then fire them. That's right. I've had several clients who were literally impossible to please. I went back and forth a few times trying to make it right but finally I just sent them their money back with a little note wishing them the best in finding a suitable writer.

    I haven't been freelancing much in the past couple of years but when I was I found that the majority of people don't even know what they want. I always made it a point to ask them what they were trying to accomplish and you'd often think I'd asked for a dissertation on the theory of relativity. Many just don't know.

    So when you get an assignment be sure to ask. Because when you naturally assume they want what appears logical, they want something completely different. I remember a client who had a 1200-word article he'd picked up somewhere or other on eBay marketing. He wanted me to turn it into two 600-word articles.

    I told him it wasn't possible as the original piece was a mess to begin with and that I didn't do rewrites or spinning. He insisted. He even used the silly analogy that it would be the same as cutting a salami in half. After getting that email I sent him his money back. And this was a guy who wanted a lot of writing. The point of this long winded thing is, don't spend valuable time trying to please people who might have nothing better to do than push your buttons. Good luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Next time you get bronchitis, go down to the local health food store, and pick up "Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar"... will wipe the bronchitis out in like 2 days, and will allow you to get right back to work writing articles and feeling better.
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