Blast Your Writing Blocks

Written by Angela Booth


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Summary: Writing blocks are usually related to some form of anxiety, or to a lack of information. Here's how to conquer them.

Category: Writing

Words: 800

Blast Your Writing Blocks

Copyright © 2003 by Angela Booth

How many words do you write a day? Some novelists manage 2,000 words a day or even more, but most writers feel they've done a good job if they can turn out 500 to 1,000 words.

If you're writing zero words a day, you're blocked. Writers get blocked because they're anxious, or because they don’t have enough information.

=> Dealing with anxiety

Anxiety can show up in various forms, either physical, mental, or emotional. You may feel tired, or have a head-ache. You may decide that you're bored with what you're writing, or so depressed you can't think. Or maybe you convince yourself that you're just too busy (the lawn needs mowing, and you should spend time withrepparttar 129258 kids). You'll do your writing tomorrow.

The anxiety block is hard to manage because you often don’t realize that it is a block. You have terrific reasons for not writing. No one would expect you to write with a migraine, would they? And you really do need to mowrepparttar 129259 lawn.

The only way I've found to manage this block is to be tough on myself. I set myself a daily word target, usually 1,000. I may not reach that target, but before I go to bed, I MUST write 500 words. Every day.

Paradoxically, I've found that even when I'm not inrepparttar 129260 mood to write, or when I have a headache that would fell an ox, I feel better when I've written my 500 words. I often go on to writerepparttar 129261 full 1,000.

The most pernicious anxiety block occurs when you're convinced your writing is worthless. This block may happen as a result of chaos in some other area of your life: perhaps with relationships, or illness, or finances.

Handling this block takes careful management. First, try to see that it's a block, which has happened because ofrepparttar 129262 stress you're under. Your writing is fine --- you've just lost perspective. If you can convince yourself of this, it's a major achievement.

How to Safeguard Payments as an International Writer

Written by Brenda Townsend Hall


Freelance writers operate on a basis of trust. Whether accepting commissions or sending off unsolicited material to likely buyers, they probably concentrate far more onrepparttar quality of their output and their marketing effort than onrepparttar 129256 honesty of buyers. Inrepparttar 129257 days when writers worked primarily for publications in their country of residence, it was easier to checkrepparttar 129258 soundness of potential buyers of material, even ifrepparttar 129259 checks were fairly casual, such as recommendations from other writers. Now, however,repparttar 129260 opportunities afforded byrepparttar 129261 Internet, electronic publishing and e-mail mean that writers quite literally haverepparttar 129262 world as their market. Overrepparttar 129263 past few years I have sold material to Hong Kong, Singapore,repparttar 129264 USA, France, Belgium, Jordan andrepparttar 129265 UK.

To be fair, I have only twice encountered problems over payment. On one occasion I receivedrepparttar 129266 promised cheque but unfortunately it was ofrepparttar 129267 bouncing variety and I ended up paying bank charges forrepparttar 129268 privilege of trying to cash it. I decided that in this caserepparttar 129269 publisher, who did not respond to my requests for explanation, had forfeitedrepparttar 129270 restrictions imposed inrepparttar 129271 contract and I soldrepparttar 129272 article elsewhere. Onrepparttar 129273 second occasion I made repeated requests for payment and was promised thatrepparttar 129274 cheque was on its way. However, no payment ever arrived and I am not sure how to go about recovering my money.

Nick Inman, now resident in France, highlightsrepparttar 129275 difficulties surrounding payment of freelance writers in Europe: You'd have thought that it would be easy to collect a debt inrepparttar 129276 civilised countries ofrepparttar 129277 European Union and thatrepparttar 129278 National Union of Journalists (NUJ) would help you to do it. But not always so. I am particularly concerned aboutrepparttar 129279 burgeoning expatriate press,repparttar 129280 worst of which behaves as if it were a entity unto its own: out ofrepparttar 129281 reach of British law andrepparttar 129282 NUJ's solicitors; and not quite a full member (because ofrepparttar 129283 language) ofrepparttar 129284 host country's own media. Besides which, many countries of Europe barely understandrepparttar 129285 concept of a freelance contributor. But it shouldn't matter who you are or where you choose to live: a debt is a debt. The unpaid supplier has legal right on his side under EU regulations which came into force last August: these state that a client has to pay you 30 days after he (or she or it) becomes aware of how much he owes you, or after you have deliveredrepparttar 129286 work - whichever date isrepparttar 129287 later. This rule can be overridden by agreement between you but that isrepparttar 129288 only legitimate excuse for late payment.

In theory then, non-payment, particularly within Europe, shouldn't be a problem. But it still happens. So what isrepparttar 129289 answer? First, I suggestrepparttar 129290 freelance writer needs to put in place some means of self-protection. Work out a simple set of terms and conditions and, whenever a new client is proposing work, send these torepparttar 129291 client and ask for them to be signed and returned to you before you deliver anything. Say what your fees are and when you requirerepparttar 129292 payment but also say what you undertake to do on behalf ofrepparttar 129293 client. A further safeguard is to request an advance payment of 25 - 30% ofrepparttar 129294 agreed fee. If, onrepparttar 129295 other hand,repparttar 129296 client has a contract, look carefully atrepparttar 129297 payment provisions and ensure that they are acceptable to you.

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