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5 health challenges unique to freelancing (and how to avoid them)

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First times are always the hardest. I know from r First times are always the hardest.

I know from recent experience – last week I gave a presentation, up on stage, in front of a bunch of entrepreneurs. 

Never done that before.

It was completely out of my comfort zone. 😫

I was neurotic about this presentation beforehand, showing a bunch of people my slides and getting feedback. I practiced it multiple times over the course of about 10 days, adding bits and smoothing out parts. 

And then I basically ignored it because I couldn't deal with the pressure anymore. ❌

Finally, I reviewed the slides twice more, decided I was prepared enough, and went to sleep. 

And afterwards, it felt really cool to have shared something awesome with people I respect and admire. 🔥

Guess what? I’d just gone through THE CYCLE. 

This is a cycle: 

EXCITEMENT -> ATTEMPT -> HATING IT ALL -> IMPROVEMENT -> IGNORING -> IT'S TIME -> I'M READY 🎯 

It's the cycle of presenting on stage. 

It's also the cycle of building a service provider business. 

In business, it plays out on a large scale (the client hunt) and small scale (writing a portfolio sample). 

But there's one thing I want you to know about this cycle: 

It gets shorter, the more you go through it. ⏳

If you've never written a blog post before, you get all excited about the possibilities, and then you start to write and you hate it. Maybe you push through but you think it stinks, or maybe you don't even finish, so you run away and hide. 

Maybe you hide for the rest of your life and never come back to it... but maybe you do come back because this is definitely what you want to do, so you decide to push through the discomfort and get it finished. 

Writing your first blog post can be hard. 😫😫

Writing your second can be hard, too. 😫

But by the time you write your third, it's a lot easier. 🥇

Before I even presented, I knew I wanted to do it again. 

Same goes for you... as long as you finish the cycle... do the work, all the way to the end. 

If you’re a freelance writer who wants to learn more about copywriting, or are just curious about freelance writing, check out the link in my bio – I have a podcast, blog, and other resources to help you! ✍️ 🎧
#copychatter #theinkwellguild #thewriterary #write #copychatter #theinkwellguild #thewriterary #writerswrite #writerscircle
I can almost always tell a new writer by the first I can almost always tell a new writer by the first lines of their copy: 
😲 stuffy intro
😲 flowery imagery
😲 "telling me what you're gonna tell me" 

I'm not knocking that last thing, by the way. Supposedly that's one of the keys to conversion. 🔑

But there's a way to do it with finesse... and that way ain't "In this article, I'm going to tell you the 3 things you need to know about SUBJECT." 

Here's the thing. 📢

A lot of us get into copywriting because we always wanted to get paid to write. That's certainly MY story, and I'm guessing it might be yours, as well. 

But the thing about writers -- and I say this as one of them!! -- is that we can, at times, be an incredibly self-centered lot. 

We approach writing with a ME-centered attitude. 🙋‍♀️

🙋‍♀️This is MY story/book/article/scoop/whatever. 
🙋‍♀️What story do I want to tell? 
🙋‍♀️What do MY characters want? 
🙋‍♀️What synonym in the thesaurus do I like best? 
🙋‍♀️How do I want this to end?

That's all well and good if you're writing the next great American novel (or the next great 99-cent Kindle read), but it absolutely will not work to take that approach to your copy. 

(COPY = "everything you write for someone's business." Not just sales pages - blog posts, emails, Instagram captions. It's all copy.)

The answer? 👇

✨ Write what the ideal reader needs to hear, using the words they would use to describe it. ✨

If you’re a freelance writer who wants to learn more about copywriting, or are just curious about freelance writing, check out the link in my bio – I have a podcast, blog, and other resources to help you! ✍️ 🎧
Honey jars at the tea station… surprise & deligh Honey jars at the tea station… surprise & delight!
Beautiful thing about running my own business... I Beautiful thing about running my own business... I can change my mind!

As I look back over the years, the times I got the most stuck were the times I was doing something that "everyone else" said I SHOULD do... even if it wasn't something I wanted to do and certainly didn't NEED to do. 

No more of that nonsense. 🦸‍♀️
To quote some Elton John, “I’m still standing! To quote some Elton John, “I’m still standing!”

For you young folk, bless your hearts, that’s the title of a song in the first “Sing” movie. 😉

To wit, in the past few weeks:
💥 my house has TWICE tried to kill me (once by gas leak, another by faulty wiring)
💥 a virus has stolen my voice for longer than a fairy in a legend
💥 my 4 kids have continued to enact their full energy upon me

And, yet!

I’m smiling, and peeking out at you (maybe a BIT cautiously, like in a scary-movie-what’s-coming-next kind of way) from between my fingers.

I’m excited to go forward with all of you freelance writers. 😎

I’m still standing, and so are all of you.

If you’re a freelance writer who wants to learn more about copywriting, or are just curious about freelance writing, check out the link in my bio – I have a podcast, blog, and other resources to help you! ✍️ 🎧

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