Feast or Famine?

One thing I’ve learned about the writing biz is that its very much feast or famine. In one week I might get a freelance job, a request for a full manuscript, an email asking when the sequel of one of my novels is coming out, and a couple leads on some gigs. Then I might not hear anything for several months. This used to drive me nuts, until I figured out how to deal with it. My advice is geared toward the head games this business can bring on and not how to manage your bank account. It’s a given that writers, unless you have a steady job or steady book contracts at all times, must plan financially for the weeks (or possibly months) when work is in short supply. But what should you do when you’re waiting for work and the work doesn’t come?

1. Make sure you keep pursuing new projects. Whether your niche is nonfiction or fiction (or like me, you write both) make sure you have plenty of ideas brewing and that you pursue as many leads as possible. That doesn’t mean take any job you can get or write a crappy proposal, but there’s something about actively pushing forward that can keep your mind off of the fact that at the moment, nothing is really happening.

2. Work on your website and blog. If you do find you have extra time on your hands, use that to generate some buzz. Update your website (yeah I’m preaching to myself on that one), post more regularly on your blog, create a contest or two, or anything else you can think of that will help market yourself and your writing.

3. Get smart. Catch up on blogs, ezines, articles and whatever you’ve had to put to the side while you were up to your ears in deadlines. If you have a lot of time on your hands, take an online class. Always be willing to develop your craft, and using your downtime to do that is a wise investment.

4. Pursue a new niche. Dabble in playwrighting, if you’ve always wanted to write a script. Or learn how to copywrite, or write a short story, or polish your proofreading skills. Learning a new area of writing can open up new opportunities.

Bottom line–always keep busy during the famine times of writing. This will keep that internal editor from rearing its ugly head and convincing you that this writing thing is too hard and so not worth it. It is–as long as you keep your mind and keyboard busy.

Happy writing,

kathy