Monday 12 March 2012

Butterflies or Broomsticks: The Discipline of Freelance Writing

Today it will be a broomstick. Since starting to do freelance writing, I have come to realise that writing takes a lot more discipline than I thought when starting out. Deadlines are the essence of freelance projects and sometimes it takes more out of me than I would care to admit. Since I do the writing part-time (yes, I do have a full-time job) sitting down in front of my computer after a hard day at work, is not always easy.
Aside from the deadlines that loom over my head, the subject matter can be either difficult to just be excited about, or takes a few hours of research to get the facts straight. And then I still have to write the required number of words for each article. The hardest is where the project requires many articles on the same subject, and then the creative juices tend to run a little thin after a while.
What I did learn, and really appreciate, is the discipline. Yes, I know, I am repeating myself here, but this time it is not a complaint. It takes practice to keep writing fit, and when a creative thought does enter my mind, it is not that difficult to sit down and do an outline or plot for a new story.
Practice makes perfect, and keeping to my target of 1000 words per day (in any month other than November) is not as hard any more.
So if you are freelance writing, or writing your own short stories (or novel) take the time and write your word target everyday. You will find that soon enough it is part of your routine and the discipline so deeply ingrained that the novel gets written much faster than you planned for.

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