Have you ever dreamed of waking up on a Monday morning full of sun glitter, stretching into a sprightly grin that even makes your cat look grumpy, and boomeranging out of bed with the fervent amusement left to three-year-olds on Pop Rocks? I know, it seems like a distant reverie that you could ever be that…happy.

Instead, how did your Monday morning play out? Was it damp and dark when you limped out of bed? Did you ransack the bottom of your closet for a tangled piece of clothing to stumble into while sponging fleshy cereal down your throat with kamikaze shots of coffee? Did you manage to get into your car, maneuver down the assembly line of street along with the cluster of other slack-eyed drivers and steer through the concrete artery of highway just to park in the same space as you did last week? Do you remember how you arrived at your job today or can you navigate it while your brain hibernates in the back seat?

I am here to tell you to pick your brain up and put it back into your happy head. If you have ever wanted something more for yourself, a life that rejuvenates you and makes you excited to be alive, then keep reading. These are the delicious reasons why you want to be a freelance writer:

1. I am my own boss.

While my neighbors scrambled out the door at six-thirty-two this morning, I lingered, still buried in my snuggly blanket dreaming of unicorns and rainbows. Now, I am not saying that being a freelance writer does not require hard work. It does.

But, because I work for myself, I set my own hours. I do not have a watery-eyed, chain-smoking manager breathing on my every move. I do not have to get authorization so I can leave my desk to pee. I never have to fill out a sheet of paper to request an hour to see my daughter win an award at school. I am an adult, and I am responsible, and I treat myself that way.

2. I determine my worth.

Did you ever work for a company that for countless years you toiled in peonage without as much as a thank you, much less a pay increase? Yeah. They were basically notifying you that you are not worth it.

Even worse, did they ever tell you that you should be thankful to have a job? Ouch. How does that make you feel when you step into the office every day? You see, when I sit down at my laptop to write or I speak with a client at a meeting, I am authentically excited to go to work and deliver my very best.

Why? Because I am the one in charge of my rates. I decide how much value I bring to the table and people pay. I give myself a raise when I consider it appropriate. Consequently, I am more confident and I know that my life has a significant purpose. Being a freelance writer feels nothing like what I experienced working at a corporate job.

3. My office is my home.

There are actually pros and cons to this, but I generally look at the benefits. I can skip out of bed, flip on the coffee to start percolating and sit down at my desk to begin my day.

Sometimes I stay in my jammies for far too long. Sometimes I snack all the way through lunch. But, hey, I can. I listen to Pandora while I work. I take breaks to lounge in the sunshine next to the potted lavender. I pet the cat. I do all this and still accomplish all the work for the day.

The thick sullen power suits collect dust in my closet. My pointy heels have already seen their glory days. My work as a freelance writer makes me smile, barefoot, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

4. I run the customer service department.

This reason coincides with the “I am my own boss” motive, but I wanted to take extra time to turn up the volume on this idea. Have you ever been informed at the company you work for that you care too much about the customer? I remember my managers as well as my coworkers advising me that I will never prosper in my career because I continually went the extra mile for my customers.

I needed to stop being so concerned if I wanted to be successful. Wow. I am so fortunate that I am innately stubborn and therefore never listened. Now, I can deal with clients how I see fit.

I can “care too much” all I want. Yes, it has bitten me sometimes, but overall, people appreciate my service so much more and they reciprocate. In the end, 99% of my clients have been a pleasure to work with, paid me sufficiently and spoken highly of me to others. That makes all the difference.

5. I get to do what I love.

Every day. And get paid for it. Enough said.

So the real question is, why do you want to be a freelance writer?

About the Author

Kari Jenkins is a freelance writer living in Southern California who enjoys writing, travel, reading, documentary film, strong coffee and dark chocolate, but not always in that order. Visit www.hotkofe.com to learn more about her personal journey to freelancing. You can also find her on www.facebook.com/hotkofe and www.twitter.com/hotkofe.

Starting out in freelance writing is an exciting time. Dreams of typing all day in a sunny coffee shop and nonchalantly telling people you write for a living are seductive. The alternative stereotype is also appealing to many: getting up at noon and working in your pyjamas, perhaps in bed. Surely this career is bordering on perfect.

However starting out is also a time of many fears. Will you be able to make it work? Will it be secure? How will you find clients? Will you manage to pay the bills? What if…?

One fear in particular is that paid work will never materialise. This can lead new freelancers to take on work that is incredibly badly paid, due to a fear that this is the only work available, or that you’ve “got to start somewhere”. Opportunities to write for mere pennies abound and there can be a great temptation to take up these chances. But is that really a good use of your time and energy?

There are many myths which are commonly used to justify buying, and writing, very cheap articles. They can initially appear to be persuasive, but what if we look at the other side?

MYTH #1: As long as there are people writing articles for $2, a freelancer can never charge a decent hourly wage

FACT: This seems logical, right? There are people writing articles for $2. If I price my articles at $20 or $200 why on earth would anyone hire me?

In reality, it doesn’t work like that. There are different markets. The clients who want to pay $2 an article won’t pay you $20 for one, that’s true enough. Trying to persuade them is fighting a losing battle even if you have worked for them before and they liked your writing. The trick is to find the clients who pay more, who value their writers’ time and skills enough to pay them, at the very least, a minimum wage and, ideally, a living wage.

These clients do exist, but you won’t find them on sites that pay their writers peanuts, or those which encourage writers to pit themselves against each other for pennies. Look elsewhere, approach businesses or magazines and offer your services. When they ask what your fees are, be prepared to state, with confidence, what you are worth.

MYTH: It’s better to earn a small amount than nothing at all

FACT: In the short-term, this looks like it makes sense. At the end of any given day you can have earned $10, or you can have earned nothing. $10 must be the better choice. Then the next day, and the next day, and the next day, there are more $10s and occasional $20s but within weeks you feel like you are going nowhere.

Are you living the dream? Of course not! Instead, you feel trapped, because to keep earning those few dollars, you have to work all the hours you have.

For every hour you spend writing a cheap article, you could be updating your own blog to tempt customers or emailing local businesses to suggest a meeting. You could be marketing your services to clients who pay a decent wage or writing a great article for your portfolio. This may seem scary because there is no immediate money coming in but it is the only way to get decent clients, and work, for the future. Take a deep breath and start to sell yourself. You know you are worth more than this.

MYTH: If I do this work at a low price, it will lead to more, better paid work in the future

FACT: This is highly unlikely. Some people consider their work for low-paid sites as a “teaser”, from where they upsell and bag a generous client. However most of the time the people who pay low prices do not waiver from these fees. And, frankly, they have no need to because there are so many people willing to write for those low prices. Whether that’s because they live in a part of the world where the cost of living is low or because they are just starting out and lacking in confidence, there seems at times to be even more sellers than buyers at that level.

Raising your fees, raising expectations and raising your sights is the only way to break out of the $2 article market. Bartering up to $2.50 may seem like a success but it is a hollow victory. That buyer will never pay you $50. Ever.

Some people dismiss cheap article writers as inherently unskilled chancers who produce poor quality, often plagiarised work, but such a vast generalisation is untrue and unfair. There are many good writers amongst them, but if they have any gumption they will be actively seeking ways to climb out of that particular pit after a matter of days or weeks.

And there is unfortunately some very poor quality work associated with these prices. If you fall into the trap of working in this price range you will inevitably be associated with some of the standards that those cheap prices lead to.

Spending every hour of the day writing cheap articles can soon lead to you feeling disillusioned with your new choice of career. Spending at least some of that time promoting your services is the only way to get the kind of work you dreamed of when you imagined what writing for a living could be like.

To build a long-term freelance business, you need to play the long game. Work out how much you want to be paid per hour, work out how long it takes you to research and write, and unapologetically price your services accordingly. Then take a step out of your comfort zone, forget bidding for the projects with tiny recompense and set out to find serious clients who value and appreciate the work you do.

About the Author

Philippa Willitts is a British freelance writer who specialises in social media writing. She lives in the north of England.

Have you wondered whether you are making it as a freelance writer?

I hear a lot from writers who’ll tell me they haven’t “made it” yet. “I’m not a professional writer, like you,” they’ll say.

I know how they feel. As a college dropout, I was plagued by insecurity about my writing for years.

Even after I was a regular freelancer for a section of the Los Angeles Times — a gig I landed a big nine months after switching from songwriting to prose — I didn’t feel legit.

I wrote broadcast scripts that won awards, for shows that were syndicated and rebroadcast to millions. Still, I felt bogus.

My work was appearing weekly in the local alternative paper. And I felt like a fraud.

I got a staff-writing job for a Park Avenue-based trade publications company and wrote full-time for five years. One year, I won a $1,000 prize for writing the best article in any of the company’s publications that year.

But I kept waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and say:

“Hey. We’ve noticed you out there, trying to do this writing thing.

But you didn’t go to journalism school. You have no credentials.

And now you’re busted. You can’t join our club.

We’re not going to publish any more of your stuff.

We’ve told all the editors in America not to assign you anything.

So stop writing.”

But here’s the funny thing. It never happened.

So there’s a question I’d like to ask you:

Has someone paid you a dime to write something, ever?

Then guess what — you are a professional writer.

That feeling of not having “made it” is just in your head.

There is no arriving in writing. Comparing yourself to other writers is not a productive activity.

No matter where you get to in your career, there will always be somebody whose writing career is more awesome and together and lucrative than yours.

All you have to do if you want to make this your lifestyle and your livelihood is keep improving your writing. Keep learning.

Keep marketing your writing. Keep getting published.

Keep finding better-paying markets, and keep growing your income.

And don’t let anyone tell you you’re not a writer. Ever. Don’t buy in.

There is no secret grapevine where all the editors decide at once that you’re not a writer. It doesn’t exist.

Even if you totally screw up an assignment somewhere, you can find other markets to write for.

So what if you have a full-time job and write on the side? If you are getting paid to write, you are a professional. You may be a part-time professional, but you are a professional.

That judgment mostly comes from you. So look in the mirror and say, “I am a professional writer.”

And me? You may think I’m over my insecurities about my writing at this point, but I’m not.

It’s better, but they’re still around. Every article I write, I feel the fear and write it anyway.

I’m scared to pitch Parade, or Inc magazine, or my other dream publications. Or to write a government agency’s 200-page annual report. But I just go for it anyway.

That’s the only difference between you and the professional writers you admire. That and loads of practice.

Just figure out where you want to go, and write your way there.

Do you feel legit as a freelance writer? Leave a comment and tell us why — or why not.

Carol Tice writes the Make a Living Writing blog. Her writer’s learning and support community is Freelance Writers Den.

If you’re about to launch a “commercial” writing business (writing for companies, and the subject of TWFW), or are 1-2 years into one that’s plateaued, you need to check out this program. It’s solely focused on commercial writing, NOT magazine writing.

As I told Peter directly, I think he offers some of the best resources around for freelancers. His products and services are always top-notch, and judging from the testimonials from past series’ participants, this is no exception.

Details and testimonials can be found at http://wellfedwriter.com/groupcoaching.shtml. (Note: This is the first series he’s done since May of last year and he says he likely won’t have another for at least 6-8 months).

There aren’t many available spots, so sign up now before the coaching series fills up!

Let’s look at three signs it’s time to rethink your rate structure for your freelance writing services.

1. Prospects Aren’t Biting

If you aren’t contacted by many prospects even though your site and rate chart get adequate traffic, something’s wrong. Your first thought might be that your rates are too high and that you need to lower them. But that isn’t always the case. You have to remember that rates are somewhat open to interpretation. How you want to charge clients is irrelevant. How they expect to be charged is what really matters.

Let’s say you offer blogging services. You list your rates as $75 per hour, and you can typically write a blog post in your specialty area in one hour. Your competition generally quotes per post (let’s say $100 per post for this example). The client is willing to pay that $100 per post.

Your rates are actually lower than the competition, but the prospect never contacts you. It has nothing to do with your fees being too high and everything to do with how they interpret your rate structure. For example, they might have a set word count in their head which they (wrongly) assume will take you two to three hours to research and write.

You don’t make it clear how long a post takes, how many words per post your rate covers, etc. That’s because you think you have a more adaptable rate structure to account for things like research time and different lengths.

Clients just want to know what they’re going to be billed. Your rate doesn’t tell them that without them making an extra effort to contact you for a quote (many won’t). Your competition does. They charge more. They get the gig. Yay for them! Sucks to be you.

It’s time to rethink how you advertise your blogging rates. The wrong rate structure will turn off prospects before you ever get the chance to talk to them.

2. You’re Frequently Asked to Explain Your Fees

Here’s another sign you’re using the wrong rate structure for the type of freelance writing services you provide. You shouldn’t have to constantly explain how your rate structure works. If you’re asked to on a frequent basis, it might be time to try something else.

For example, let’s say you’re trying to transition from magazine writing to business writing. You’re used to charging per word — a rate structure magazine editors are accustomed to working with. So you advertise per word rates for your business writing services. Commercial clients are much less familiar with this rate structure, so you’re asked to explain or justify your per word rates.

Your rate structure shouldn’t cause confusion. You should adapt to the norms of your specialty area. If clients are comparing writers based on per project rates and quotes, you should provide rates in the same structure. If you write features where per word rates are the norm then you should quote in that fashion. If you specialize in some area where hourly quotes are typical (I’ve yet to find a good example of this in freelance writing), then stick to that. You’ll spend less time explaining your fees and more time on actual billable hours.

3. Add-On Fees Have Become the Norm

Rate structures are about more than the way you charge. They also encompass what’s included in those fees. You have a set service level covered by your advertised rates. Let’s say that includes a draft and one round of edits. Anything beyond that incurs extra fees.

When you review recent orders you find that 65% of clients end up paying add-on fees because they request a second round of edits (minor changes to the first round of edits you completed). That’s a sign something is wrong with your current rate structure. It says the current package you offer isn’t adequate for the market you’re targeting. Your true base service isn’t actually what you advertise. This can alienate clients — not something you want to do.

In this case your best bet is to rethink your packages and rates. If you insist on keeping the current package, perhaps advertise a second package that includes extra editing time (or more interviews, or whatever clients regularly request). No one likes being charged “extra” fees for something that seems like a basic project necessity.

At the same time, you should absolutely charge more when clients increase the scope of a project. The idea is to do so using a rate structure that gives clients flexibility without feeling like they’re being nickel and dimed to death every time they hire you.

Have you changed your freelance writing rate structures recently? In what ways did you change them and why? I’m about to revert my rate structures for a few services back to my old model. Why? I noticed that prospects were dwindling for those specific services since the previous change. Originally I assumed it was because rates went up. But so did other rates, and those services continue to attract new prospects on a regular basis. I had to rethink my rate strategy. Do you?

Here are three simple ways you can better insulate yourself from bad writing clients.

1. Be Choosy

As a business owner, you can’t say “yes” to everyone. You have to be able to turn work down when there are signs that a prospect will turn into a nightmare of a client. If you take on that client anyway, you really have no one else to blame. So say “no.” Sure, that means you won’t have that gig bringing in income. That’s life. You move on. You find another, even better, gig. The more time you waste with bad clients, the less time you have to find and land great ones.

This is one of the reasons I push the idea of building a writer platform so much here. You build your visibility and your network and gigs find you instead of the other way around. If you have an effective platform, chances are you’ll have more prospects coming to you than you can take on. That means you can choose to work with the best and not feel guilty about saying “no” to others. It’s also another chance to network as you refer the “no” gigs to other colleagues (just don’t refer gigs with major warning signs or you could hurt relationships more than you help them).

2. Charge Professional Rates

The lower your rates, the more likely you are to come across these bad client types. That said, there are lousy clients in higher paying markets as well — just not as many. Why does your pay level play a role? For a few reasons:

• Clients who pay very little don’t have much invested in the project.
• If they aren’t willing to pay for professional work, they’re less likely to respect you as a professional (in their mind, you might just be some amateur doing the job for “play money”).
• It’s easier to say “it’s only a few bucks, so it’s not a big deal if I pay late.”
• They know it doesn’t make much sense for you to go to collections or sue them in small claims court if they screw you out of a very small payment.
• Clients who pay next to nothing are either cheap or not properly funded. In either case, they need to squeeze as much value as they can out of every cent they can. This is why low paying clients are sometimes even more demanding than those paying professional rates.

The best way to avoid this kind of treatment is to raise your rates to professional levels. Don’t sign over all rights to an article for $10 for example. Those writers are, and always will be, replaceable. If you want respect as a professional writer, you need to show that you’re not that easily replaceable — that you offer value the extremely low-priced writers do not. Charge what you’re worth, and you’ll immediately kick a large number of bad prospects off your doorstep.

3. Build Alternative Income Streams

When you’re desperate for income you’re probably more likely to say “yes” to any project that comes along, bad client or not. So you need to come up with a plan to get out of that desperation phase. One way to do that is to create alternative income streams. This is an especially good idea early in your freelance writing career when you probably don’t have clients beating down a path to your door yet.

These are income streams that don’t rely on you landing new freelance writing clients. It’s income that fills in the gaps so you never make bad decisions out of desperation. You know something else will still be coming in. Here are a few examples:

• Offer another freelance service (like design or marketing consulting) so you can choose the best prospects from both markets to work with at any given time.
• Publish and sell short e-books and reports.
• Run a niche blog. Earn income through ad revenue while you build an ongoing portfolio piece to attract new clients.

It’s all about diversification. Just like you shouldn’t rely on any single client too heavily, you shouldn’t rely on one income stream either. The more you diversify your incoming revenue, the more insulated you are against one of them failing (like a bad client refusing to pay on time).

4. Nurture Relationships with Regulars

It’s basic math. The more clients you need to work with, the better your chances are for coming across a dud in the mix. So rather than looking for short one-off projects, focus on existing clients and building regular contracts. Regular clients are people you have an ongoing relationship with. They’re more invested in that relationship. After all, it’s easier to keep a good freelancer they’re happy with than to spend time and energy trying to recruit one that could adequately replace them. It’s win-win.

Reach out to past clients and pitch ongoing gigs (like one or two articles into you managing their blog on a monthly basis). And keep existing regulars happy (within reason). The more regular gigs you have with clients you know and trust, the less time you’ll have available for those potentially bad prospects to get on your schedule.

You won’t always know up front if a prospect is going to turn into a bad client. Look out for warning signs, and know when to say “no.” If you do land one, don’t be afraid to “break up” with them after your current project. And work hard to maintain the relationships you have with good clients and build other income streams. If you do these things and make a conscious effort to avoid the cheapskate, deadbeat variety, you’ll never have to take on a bad client again.

Because I missed a compromised script in places I wouldn’t even think to look (dead sites and ones in development that aren’t public yet), my server remained vulnerable. And my host wasn’t much help even though the account was supposed to be “fully managed.”

It took me a while to find a server security company that had some decent recommendations. But eventually I came across Rack911. And I can’t recommend them highly enough if you need your own server or VPS account hardened (secured) or a hack attempt cleaned up.

When I get awful tech support, which is frequently, I have no problem laying into a company about it. There’s no excuse for the terrible support so many companies offer. Rack911 was different. I can honestly say they provided the best support I’ve seen in a long time.

Emails were answered very quickly. There was no delay in having them check out the files. They identified the likely culprit script even before their scans were completed so I could remove them. And they drastically improved the security features on the server to prevent against future issues. And the price was extremely reasonable and much less than I expected.

I know several freelance writers and other bloggers whose sites are growing rapidly. They’re moving to VPS accounts and dedicated servers. And even with “managed” options, there’s still much more to worry about than they might be used to. Security settings are a great example. If you fall within that group, I highly recommend hiring Rack911 to help you harden your server against potential threats.

* This is not an affiliate review or any other kind of compensated review. I just adore these guys and the incredible customer service. So if you need help with server security issues or want to bring someone in as a precaution, show Rack911 some love.

In my previous post here on AFW, I covered 6 alternative jobs that might interest freelance writers. There were some questions about starting an article idea/blog post idea generation business, so here are some tips and steps for getting started.

What is a Micro-Service?

Before I tell you how to start, let’s talk about micro-services. Idea generation is what I call a micro-service, i.e., a service that is cheap, quick, and easy to do. These are the kinds of services you’ll see on places like fiverr and gigbucks. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to those venues when creating a micro-service. I consider banner design and per-article editing (like 250 words) a micro-service. Basically, this is a service that everyone needs and that’s hard to screw up.

Price per Idea & Set Minimums

Generating article ideas (e.g. How to Write a Great Article) is a micro-service. People will be coming to you to get multiple unique and well thought-out ideas at once. Since you aren’t actually writing the article, pricing on the same scheme you would an article doesn’t really make sense.

Namely, nobody’s really going to pay $0.50/word for 6 words. Your customers are probably going to be hiring a writer (maybe you!) to write the ideas into full articles, so try to keep base prices (just the price of a title) as reasonable as possible. My suggested price is $0.99/article. If you’re creative, that’s pretty much a dollar a minute.

The key to running a successful micro-service like blog post idea generation is setting a minimum amount. You don’t want to kill yourself promoting one-off orders. A good place to start is 25 ideas.

Take Money Upfront

The problem with lower-end services is that people will walk off without paying if you aren’t careful. There’s no real way to trademark something like a headline, so collect payment upfront before you start thinking up ideas.

Automate as Much as Possible

Micro-services can become complicated very quickly if you don’t stay on top of things. My suggestion is to automate as much as possible. Use a plugin like Gravity Forms to have clients submit all of their information and pay upfront. That way all you need to do is confirm payment and deliver the finished product via email.

Speaking of the finished product, use templates to make the process faster. Have a document saved with 25 bullet points already setup or create an excel file with the columns pre-defined. The more of the administrative stuff you can get out of the way, the better.

Set Work Hours

The temptation to do an order when it comes in will lead you down the path of burnout. Set aside some time each day for completing ideas, then sit down and plug n’ chug through as many orders as you can before your time runs out. The great thing about these services is that it’s nearly impossible to deliver a low quality order, so speed is a key factor.

Are you interested in starting an idea generation business? What other questions do you have about micro-services?

About Corey Freeman

Corey Freeman is a professional SEO blogger. She also runs Writing Whale, a site dedicated to helping aspiring freelance writers get started.

In early 2010, I made the difficult decision to leave the public sector in order to start my own writing and strategy firm, Inkwell Strategies.  After serving as a speechwriter for the legislative and executive branches of government, I was ready for a new challenge.

After making the decision to go out on my own, my first step was to seek advice from friends and former colleagues who had done the same.  One of these associates – the presidentof a small public affairs firm – had this to say:

“You’ll start out with a client or two, but if you’re successful, pretty quickly you’ll have to decide whether you want to be a freelancer or a business owner.”

Many freelance writers will face this decision at somepoint in their careers.  There’s no wrong answer, but there are persuasive arguments on both sides:

Pros to Freelancing

• Low overhead. A freelance writer caneasily work out of a spare bedroom or kitchen table.  The only barriers to entry are talent and an internet connection.  You don’t have to payfor rent, salary, office supplies or other equipment – and the basic items you do need are still tax deductible.
• You’re not “locked in.” If a great full-time job comes along, you’re free to take it without much difficulty.  Once you’ve built a company with employees and accounting, there’s a lot more involved with winding down.
• You can focus on writing. Many of the professional writers I know prefer to write in quiet isolation.  Writers aren’t generally known as outgoing people.  The skills necessary to be agood writer aren’t always compatible with those necessary to build a successful business.  By staying a freelancer, you can focus on what you’re best at.
• Quality control. Because freelancers are the sole author of everything you produce, you can have complete confidence in yourwork.

Pros to Building a Business

• Greater capacity. As a freelancer, you will be writing and editing every word.  Writing is a time-consuming trade; as a result, there’s a limit to how much work you can take on.  As a business owner, you can keep hiring to meet demand and theoretically there’s no limit to how big you can grow.
• Building a brand. Even if your company serves only a small writing niche, it can be a powerful marketing tool to build a recognizable brand name.  It’s much easier to do this as a business owner rather than a freelancer.
• Thrill of the chase. If your goal is to build a business, you’re likely to spend a significant portion of your time marketing.  For some, this is daunting –for others, it’s rewarding.

As I said, there’s no right answer to this question – it’s entirely personal.  My freelancer friends tend to strike a healthy work-life balance. Because I chose to build a business, I’m “always on.”  On the other hand, it’s gratifying to build something that will hopefully continue to grow for years to come.

David Meadvin is President of Inkwell Strategies, a professional speechwriting and executive communications firm based in Washington, DC.  He was chief speechwriter to the U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senate Majority Leader.  You can email David here and follow Inkwell Strategies on Twitter @inkwellstrat.

For me it’s about a  problem with project overload. I try to keep busy at all times (working hours at least), but right now there are more projects than usual in the pipeline. And my normal contracts don’t leave me with enough time to do everything I need to do. That’s where the working vacation comes in.

What is a Working Vacation?

A working vacation as a freelance writer involves taking time off from client work to focus on your own projects. As far as your clients are concerned you’re on vacation. Period. You won’t be checking in on emails. You won’t be working on client projects. You’re taking time off.

Think of a working vacation as a sort of staycation. You don’t actually go anywhere. You stay at home (or wherever you prefer to work). Rather than taking the time to relax or travel or do whatever else you would normally do on vacation, you work on your own projects. You cut down on the stress of client work so you can turn your full attention to other areas of your business for a short period of time.

Why You Might Take a Working Vacation

There are a lot of things you might do during a working vacation that you wouldn’t have time for in your usual work schedule. Here are a few examples:

• Pre-write a large number of blog posts if you’ve fallen behind on your own blogging.
• Write an e-book.
• Work on writing a book or editing an existing manuscript.
• Focus on some new marketing tactics you’ve wanted to try.
• Develop a new professional website or overhaul your existing one.
• Develop and launch a new blog or other type of site you’ve been putting off.
• Focus on administrative work like backups or an updated business plan.
• Overhaul your records or financial system.

How Long Should a Working Vacation Be?

I’m taking a week-long working vacation at the end of the month (followed by a long weekend off of all kinds of work due to a holiday that happens to come at that time). You might not need that much time off. Or you might need more. There is no right or wrong length for a working vacation.

How long should yours be? Well, how much time will you need to finish the things you want to finish? How much time can you afford to take off from client work? The trick is to find a balance between those two things.

If it’s possible to clear up some regular client work early, that can make it easier to take an extended working vacation. Focus more on client work before your time off, then take time off to focus on projects where you aren’t being pulled in all different directions each work day.

In my case I have one client with regular weekly blogging work, and I’ll take care of their work a week early. For others I’m turning down additional projects or only taking on what I can work into the first three weeks of the month. Falling somewhere in between like that means that while your income will take a temporary hit, you can minimize that.

Should You Tell Clients About Your “Working” Vacation?

I chose to tell my clients that I’ll be on a working vacation. I mostly work with regulars that I’m very comfortable with, so discussing plans isn’t a big deal. And I know they’re understanding. If you aren’t as comfortable discussing plans with your own clients, you don’t have to.

A vacation from client work is a vacation from client work, and what you choose to do during that time is no one’s business but your own. So don’t feel pressured to tell them you’ll still be at your computer if you don’t want to. Either option is completely fine.

So tell us. Have you ever taken a working vacation? Do you tell clients exactly what you’re doing, or keep it to yourself? What did you use the time for? Share your stories or tips for others interested in taking a working vacation from normal freelance writing work in the comments below.