Writer’s block? Don’t worry; a small break from writing can get those creative juices flowing.
It doesn’t have to be a huge amount of time. Just getting a walk or ride in can jumpstart your brain, and you’re not limited to exercise either. A night out with friends can take your focus off your writing long enough to let new ideas percolate. Spend time doing anything other than writing, and your motivation for creative writing will be there when you need it most.
Absolutely. This is especially true for new writers who don’t have published articles to show as samples.
If you’re asked to provide a specific sample, go ahead and write it. Make sure you save it: You can use it for that application and also provide it as a sample for other freelance jobs you’re applying for.
There’s a limit, though. If the sample required is really long, it might not be worth your while — especially if requires a lot of research to complete. In that case, you might stop at 300 words. That’s enough to show your writing style and some research skills. Let the job poster know that’s what you’re doing, so they don’t think you can’t follow directions.
I feel like it can be worth it to get into writing TV/movies for the money, depending on your personality type. If you naturally lean towards more creative endeavors anyways, then it can represent a melding of talents and interests.
However, if your writing preferences lean more towards strong copy and non fiction pursuits, then writing TV and film could easily be draining. I think like most things in this industry, the answer will be different depending on whether or not the writer already leaned towards highly creative projects to begin with.
One of my go-to strategies for increasing writing productivity has been music. Especially when I’m working on fiction, it has been enormously helpful to put on some high energy music that in some way relates to what I’m writing about, or simply gets me fired up.
If I’m working on non-fiction or copy, then dubstep and electronica especially have been great for helping me to keep focused and engaged with the task at hand. Video game music is another great option for this as well.
As there are many methods to consider, I will explain one or two:
Determine which blog posts are performing well, then create new posts closely related to that topic. Analyze any potential keywords you had used in those previous posts and reuse them (along with new keywords, if possible).
If your traffic is the result of certain actions (such as sharing your posts on any given platform), try to 10x that same effort. This is a simple, but effective strategy when your blog traffic has reached a plateau.
Connect with like-minded people, retweet their posts and comment while adding value and not merely repeating whatever they say.
Another strategy is to post 2-3 times per day and making your tweets varied; come up with a poll question, a relatable image, and even the occasional joke depending on your niche and audience. As a freelancer, make it a point to ultimately sell not only your services, but the value you would bring to your prospects.
