Freelance Writers Set your Limits

As a freelance writer for almost five years now and a heart attack survivor, I have learned that you need to pace yourself. Yes, the work needs to be done, but you need to have a plan here folks. If you have no attack plan then you will face burn out and increase your risks for stress related illnesses.

I write a mix of web content, some of it latterly bores me and I have to switch it out or I will get so tired that I will experience what I call ‘brain drain’.  My friend Nick, (God rest his soul) would call it CRS disease. It gets hard to focus on the article at hand and my mind begins to wander.

To prevent the brain drain I find that I need to write a fun article and then go to a brain drainer. After that is done, I can go back to a fun one.  My fun type articles tend to be 300-500 words but the brain drain ones are typically 500-1000 words. Some fun articles tend to go up over the 500-word mark, but not usually.

Typically, I set a limit of 1,500 to 2,000 words a day for web content stuff because I feel the need to leave a decent amount of time for my fiction. Fiction is my passion and I so wish I could focus on that and leave the mind numbing big boring content alone.  I cannot skip the web content because it is what pays the bills here. 

However the fiction is picking up, and its way more fun to write. 

Here is my smashwords link where you can read some of my short stories.  Most are free  but there are 2 which are low price. http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/amybrowne

I also have short stories and books over on Amazon.. be sure to search for me there. Amy Browne.