What's YOUR Writing Stress?

Next to funtime with my kids and playing the piano, writing brings me the greatest joy. But I found when I had initially made the move from writing for just myself to writing as a job, there were a few initial...stresses...I hadn't realized before. Fortunately, I had loving mentors and fantastic peers willing to share their advice and tricks of the trade. I learned to work through it all and relax a bit into my budding new career.

I'm not saying that it's all easy-breezy now that I have a few years of experience under my belt. The same stresses are out there, ready to take over. I just make sure they don't get the chance to get too far under my skin because once that happens, my writing is affected. And that makes me grouchy.

So, my question today is: What is YOUR writing stress? Here are five of the things that came up when I posed this question to a few of my writing friends who are just starting out:

1) Deadlines. Here's my tiny piece of advice about deadlines: make sure you can meet them. Period. If you're asked to do an assignment and not sure if you can get it done in time, don't take it on. Nothing will stop your career before it has the chance to get started faster than missing a deadline. But don't lose sleep about them either. Divide the work that needs to be done up over the amount of days you have to do it and you'll make it.

2) Writing outside the comfort zone. I always stuck to the same topics because I wasn't secure enough to branch out. A few times, I was asked to write articles on subjects I had no clue about and took them for the experience. I stressed whether I could actually do it. But you know what? They were great learning experiences, I learned about something I didn't know much about before and they led to other assignments! Don't stress about writing on something new. Take it on like a challenge and draw inspiration from that.

3) Research. Okay, I'm a weirdo that actually loves doing research but there are a few people I know who dread it. They don't know where to look or it takes too much time or they just get overwhelmed. I find the best way to cope with this is to tap into your resource for guidance on where to look. Accuracy is one of the main priorities we have as writers so don't be afraid of it. Whether it's searching online, in the library or interviewing people choose the research option that will not only give you the information you need for your work but that you're comfortable using.

4) Contracts. You aren't alone if you worry or stress over these. I have written many articles and several books and still scrutinize over them when I'm given one. After a few, you'll start to understand what are good ones and bad ones and what you need to have in it to ensure your best interests are being met. If you're ever unsure, never ever sign one blindly or be talked into signing one. Ask your writing mentor or friends in a writing group to look it over for you. Or join a group like Mary Rosenblum's Long Ridge Writer's Group Chat Forum where experienced writers and newbies alike join together to ask questions and find answers. After awhile contracts will be no sweat and you'll have the insight to know what to look for.

5) Writer's block. Okay, this is my personal one. Let's face it. I'm sure even Stephen King or Jodi Picoult have days where their muse doesn't feel like coming out. That's what I tell myself, anyway. I have to admit that when I sit down for my writing time and nothing comes out, it drives me crazy. I stress, then the block seems to get stronger then I stress more...you get the idea. What I do is have several WIP's on the go I can turn to. That way, if I can't get my muse to jump in on one project, I know she'll wake up for another. Usually, once I get going on something the block will bust down. The point is, it happens to the best of us and stressing out over it only makes it worse. Do whatever works for you to clear your mind so you can get going again.

6) Rejection. We've talked about this many times on here but this is just a part of the whole writing process. It's disappointing, it can hurt but you have to just keep moving forward. The story you pitched to one place that an editor rejected may be just the right piece for another. Don't give up or allow the stress of rejection to run your writing.

My final two cents is to remember that writing is a job the same as any other office job. And a job, no matter how much we may love it, comes with a bit of stress. As long as you're aware of it, have effective coping tools and a strong support system, you'll get through it.

[Please share your own writing stresses and how you cope with it. You may be helping a fellow writer in need!]

Chynna

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5 comments dealing with stress, dealing with writers' block, freelance contracts, research, writing stress

Been Stiffed? Steps to Getting Paid

There's been a lot of talk lately about slow paying or *gasp* non-paying markets and what a writer should do when this happens. It's a dilemma that practically every business faces. And as a freelance writer, you're certainly a "business." If this has happened to you, here are a few tips on collecting payment.

** This is an excerpt from a column I wrote for Premium-Green, More Than Your Magic 8-Ball (Sept '08)

Steps to get paid

Step 1: If you have sent an invoice and the client hasn’t paid you within the time frame, send him a notice with a late fee. Include another deadline of 15 days for payment and let him know that he will be charged another late fee if payment isn’t remitted on time. You may also want to remind him that copyright does not transfer to him until the work has been paid for in full. Make sure you include all your contact information: your phone number, mailing address, and email address.

Step 2: If the client hasn’t made any effort to contact you within 15 days, give him a call. Be polite, professional, and firm. Most people want to pay their bills. If he asks to set up a payment plan, make sure you are prepared for this or he may walk all over you. If he wants to break it up into 2 or 3 payments, make sure you calculate your late fee into each payment. Whatever you do, don’t let him talk you into paying $10 a month, or something ridiculous like that. It could take him a year to pay you!

If you are unable to get a hold of your client by phone, send a certified letter with return receipt requested. Hopefully, you won’t need it, but it’s good to be prepared. It lets him know that you mean business. Unfortunately, if you did not have him sign a contract before the work was completed, you won’t win in small claims court.

Step 3: If the previous efforts have been fruitless, it’s safe to say that the bridge is officially burned. But don’t worry; there are still a few things you can do.

If you’re a member of a National Writer’s Union or another organization for writers, it’s time to make a phone call. Your union representative can help mediate disputes with clients. You may also want to report his business to the Better Business Bureau.

Another option to consider is hiring a collection agency. If you choose to go this route, there are a few things to look for:

• Look for an agency that works with small or home-based businesses.
• Make sure the agency is licensed in the state your debtor is located.
• Verify that the collection agency employs skip tracing. Skip tracing allows the agency access to various databases to locate the debtor in case he’s moved with no forwarding address (skipped town).
• Make sure the collection agency has Errors and Omissions insurance. This insurance protects your business and the collection agency in case the debtor decides to sue.
• Compare costs. Collection agencies earn income based on either a set fee or on a contingency basis. The contingency is based on a percentage of the debts collected. Before choosing whether to agree to a set fee or contingency, find out the collection agency’s success ratio and contingency fee percentage.

Step 4: If none of the above has worked, it’s time to cut your losses and move on. Yeah, it sucks, but without having drawn up a contract in the beginning, there is not much you can do. You’ve just learned a valuable lesson...the hard way.

The best way to protect yourself is to have a contract in place and signed by both parties before you do any work.

Now I want to know: have you ever been stiffed? Do you use contracts?

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2 comments collecting payment, freelance contracts, freelance writing, getting paid