We’ve done quite a bit of talking here on Freelance Parent about all the different “specialties” we freelancers have picked up over the years based on the clients we get and the projects in which we immerse ourselves. The results always tend to be amusing; with everything from body armor and beekeeping to vibrational medicine and carrier pigeons, we freelancers represent a smorgasbord of random information.
However, while the laughs are (in my opinion) a vital component of the work we do, it’s only fair to note that the topics we address are not always entertaining. For every ebook I write on one of my personal interests, diving in and learning about the subject from all angles, I write one that requires a bit of daily self-motivation that consists primarily of, “Tamara, suck it up and do this. It’s not as boring as it seems. Don’t put it off. Just get it done.”
And it’s not just the big projects like ebooks; it’s SEO articles, website content, and blogs. Let’s face it: there are some pretty dull and less-than-endearing topics out there, and in order to meet financial goals, these topics sometimes wind up on our plates.
While I’ll admit that my writing and project commitment are at their peak when I am in love with the topic (or am at least interested in it), I like to think that the boring topics get equal consideration and care. In fact, I sometimes think they get more, since I work extra hard to give the appearance that I don’t think the topic is a bunch of junk. It’s like a quote from Emma (the movie version – not the novel, I’m afraid), where Emma decides she must throw a party for her nemesis, because “otherwise everyone will feel at once how much I dislike her.”
That brings me to the point of this post: do you have to believe in a topic to write about it?
I say no. As a writer for hire, it is my job to make a topic appealing to the audience, despite their initial reservations or lack of interest (or my own initial reservations or lack of interest). This can be done by:
- Presenting the facts with minimal embellishment. If I am writing about payday loans, I do it in a way that garners interest without lying or luring people into something they cannot afford. This is not always the easiest thing to do – especially if sales are the expected outcome – but I try very hard not to let my work conflict with my morals.
- Finding the interesting angle. Yes, even subjects like paper shredders can be at least a little bit interesting. There are always little factoids to be discovered about things like the annual output of a paper shredder and how that compares to the weight of a queen-sized mattress. If you can find even small things that make you smile, your article and/or web content will be much richer.
- Using your imagination. So what if you will never have a need for cloth diapers in the Phoenix region. Imagine you are a parent whose child is allergic to paper diapers but who still has to live in the stifling heat of Arizona. Imagine you really are curious about the ecological benefits of going cloth. What information would you most want in that situation?
- Breaking the project down into manageable chunks. Sometimes, no amount of dedication in the world will make you be able to sit down with wedding invitation product descriptions for hours at a time. So don’t do it for hours at a time. Schedule five of them in for the top of every hour. Do it for one hour and then move on to something else. Your dislike of a subject is less likely to show if you aren’t working on it for the fifth god-forsaken hour in a row.
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