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The following list includes items that may be taking up space throughout your

workday, but probably aren’t generating any income. Take these things away and

you’ll have more time to practice good writing habits that will bring in the moola!

1.

Worry.

Any kind of worry, when taken to extreme, can be debilitating. It doesn’t have to

be a work-related worry at all. The kids may be sick, the dog may be sick, may be

the dog bit the kids, or may be even the kids bit the dog!

If you’re a worrier then you know you don’t even need something plausible to

worry about, as pretty much anything will do. Worry uses up the space in your

head that should be filled with creative activity.

Worry is to creativity what the California forest fire of 1993 was to what used to

be trees. Put it out! Good. Now get on with your work.

Having trouble? Hold on. There are many ways to get your worries or worrying

habit to subside long enough to get some work done. Meditation is a good place to

start.

Lean back in your chair or on the couch and close your eyes. Lay your hands at

your side and chant with me, “Publish…publish…publish…” I never liked “ohm”

anyway and besides, perhaps you can subliminally bring about your publishing

success!

2.

Checking up on queries or manuscripts too often, too soon or both.

Not only is this a time sink but it can drive income away. If you’re a pest, you can

be replaced. Have faith in your work and just keep creating and forwarding new

queries to their appropriate destinations as fast as you can.

Get a move on those assignments too. Good work will get you that return call or

e-mail you are looking for, and some dough.

You may be spending enough time each year checking up on queries and

submissions to have completed one paying assignment. Would you rather have

the money or the response that, “No, we haven’t gotten to it yet, and, boy, you

sure are a pest!”

3.

Chatting by e-mail, phone…and chat!

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Socializing can be addictive. If you were someone’s employee you’d be

concerned about not letting them down or else not getting paid. You are your boss

and the source of your income. Don’t let yourself down; get off the phone (or

other means of communication) and get writing!

4.

Procrastination, from a different angle

Writers put off generating ideas, querying, marketing and writing for a number of

reasons, two of which in particular come to mind.

One is the fear of rejection or failure. Actually the two are combined in our line of

work. Expectations of failure and rejection can bring on the fight or flight

syndrome.

That can cause us to take flight away from that which we fear, namely that risky

query letter or finished assignment that could bring rejection just as easily as it

could generate a nice, fat check.

Withhold judgement and fear about the future. Fear won’t keep that rejection

from hurting if it does come, and it certainly won’t pay the bills.

Another reason for procrastination is the kind of overconfidence that impaired the

hare in his race with the tortoise. If you think financial success as a writer is a sure

thing because “you think you’re all that”, you probably need to think again, get

humble and get to work.

Your head may be in the clouds, but that blank piece of paper or that blank

computer screen is still waiting for you here back on earth.

One last pointer – add to this list of things you should take away, and create a list

of things you should add or continue doing. Forgive me for saying it, but the

money will start to add up!

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I was a songwriter before becoming a freelance writer. I worked hard to learn my

craft. I was set on writing a hit song.

After several years, the pain and defeat of failure as a commercial songwriter led

me to give up my pursuit, and kept me away from writing for a while.

However, the experience taught me lessons about writing, and the challenges of

writing as a business. It gave me perspective. What I learned from song writing

eventually helped to make me a better prose writer when I became a freelancer.

Lessons About Writing - First, I learned that good lyric writing is not simply

singable poetry. Good lyrics are smooth, rhythmic and symmetrical, yet clear,

concise and conversational. The words and phrases are carefully selected to be

easily sung.

This way, the artist won't sound tongue-tied, and listeners can readily (usually)

sing along. Song lyrics should flow. Good lyrics employ a subtle balance of

literary tools like alliteration to entice listeners and draw them in.

All these things are applicable to nonfiction writing. Enjoyable prose is made of

these traits. Easy reading, clear communication, and entertainment are qualities of

good nonfiction as well as good songs.

Lessons About the Business of Writing - In commercial song writing, the

rejection comes always or almost always and is often more cruel. (Somehow

music executives don't have a problem telling you that your work sucks.)

You have to persevere longer in song writing with less to show for it to even get

anywhere, and the anywhere you get to is usually still nowhere.

Failure as a commercial songwriter gave me a perspective that has been

invaluable. It is so much easier to be a truly successful, financially self-supporting

freelance writer than to be a financially viable songwriter.

Don't be taken aback; freelancing isn't easy and I don't discount the work that

others have done. But, songwriters number in the hundreds of millions. Many

write hundreds of songs a year.

They must submit entirely on spec and with a much greater up-front expense in

the form of demo recording and mailing costs. All this to have a chance at filling

a space for a song on an album, a space that opens up much less often than in

magazines for freelancers.