Let me clarify here. Freelance writers are anything but lazy. After all, any job that lacks in paid vacations, company picnics, and communal water coolers is far from easy breezy. However, even the most productive of writers can suffer from lazy ideas, lackluster imagery and repetitive repetitiousness. See, once you have written 99 product descriptions about bath towels for a cheap article writing service, you run short of new and innovative ways to use bath linens. Same issue with 50 blog posts written about vampires. I don’t care how big of a Twilight buff you are, you are going to eventually run out of engrossing things to say about this blood thirsty genre. Yet, that is not the most devastating issue faced by lazy writers.
Contracting the Plague
Plagiarizing one’s own work is the epitome of evil for a writer. Not only will this tarnish your talent, but many clients and writing services will send you packing. Of course you could argue all day long that you didn’t steal anyone’s ideas, but you did. Plus, it looks sloppy when you use the same groovy grammar and perky phrases article after article. It’s time to give your writing a workout. Here are some penning ‘pops to help you over this hurdle.
Become a Hoarder
Not at all in the physical sense, by the way, but with your published pieces. Save everything you do for a client, and then when they offer new work, check yourself. Look for previously written articles on similar topics, and make sure that your new stuff features original thoughts and examples. Of course in the writing world it is perfectly normal to use previously used ideas for inspiration on new work. However, you do not want to rewrite your own words while keeping the same focus. While storing everything on a hard drive is acceptable, make sure to save it into a couple of clouds just in case. Printing just wastes paper and creates dust mite mansions, so avoid if at all possible.
Love a List or Two
As you write a blog post, scholarly piece or how-to article, list all of the websites and printed works that you use for research and reference. Then, create a spreadsheet that includes all of the titles of your published work along with the list of references used for each one. This will prevent you from using the same ideas and examples for similar articles. It will also help you to get out of that lazy rut when you run out of chipper thoughts. For instance, if your brain has turned to mush halfway through your behemoth butterfly migration article, you can search through your list of articles for references on similar topics, such as global warming, endangered species and animal habitats. You might find a website related to endangered species that has a special section regarding insects that is just the key you needed to keep your article fluttering.
Miranda B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
