Challenge your ideas

When writing for a magazine, the key is to be original - bring a fresh take to an old topic. You want to stand out from the crowd to ensure a regular stream of assignments (and income).

Can you introduce a new idea or concept that hasn't been tackled before?

Will the target market (readers of this particular magazine) connect with the subject matter?

Do your research and put together a readership profile for each magazine you want to work with. File these for quick and easy reference later on.

Will it hold the reader's attention? 

Make sure your article has substance and keeps them wanting more.

Surprise your readers with an amazing fact, figure or funny anecdote, but avoid going out of context and sidetracking them.

Can you bring it home to the reader? 

The point of any type of writing is to make an impact. Give your reader something to think about.

Be sure to challenge each new idea using the above guidelines, so you stand a fighting chance of avoiding the dreaded Editor's slush pile!

Staying focused

When you finally come to sit down to do some serious article writing (because this is where you'll earn as a freelancer - if you're good), take some time to brainstorm your favourite topics.

When you have a list of all the things you think you might like to write about, pick your top two and run with them for a while. Any writing or research activity that sits outside of these top two subjects should be left on the shelf for the time being.

STAY FOCUSED

At the end of each week - in preparation for the next - put together a marketing plan for that week. Keep your top two in mind when doing this and brainstorm what I call your "spin offs" - ideas that come from ideas. Remember, the aim of all this is to put a new spin on an old topic. Start studying magazines that relate to your top two either at your local book store or library - or both - and analyse the articles they publish. To target these publications, you need to be able to write in a similar style and with similar content. Start by finding out the name of the editor/s and writing queries to a few of your chosen markets.

STAY FOCUSED

Include in your marketing plan how you will network with other businesses and other writers each week. This is an integral part to staying focused, but one that is often overlooked (and I'm guilty!) However, thank god for Twitter... Contact with fellow writers will keep your passion for writing and freelancing alive and networking with businesses might just result in a few leads or assignments.

STAY FOCUSED

Working from home

How do you fight isolation, disorganisation and lack of motivation when you work from home?

Here are 10 pointers to combat these negatives:

1. Create your work space

2. Stick to a schedule

3. Ensure other people stick to your schedule

4. Keep the variety in your writing alive

5. Get out and meet people - network

6. Take breaks

7. Massage your creative brain

8. Exercise and eat right

9. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done and celebrate

10. Have a life outside of your work space

The conundrum

Photo credit Shutterstock

This is what it all boils down to:

Focus on the things that pay at the expense of the writing projects you feel so passionate about

OR

Take the plunge and risk investing all your energy into something that might or might not pay off

If you can sort out the practicalities, then I believe Life is too short not to pursue what really matters to you.

Frame of mind foundations

Here is my five point foundation for staying on track during freelancing:

• Create your own definition of success based on what is important to YOU

• Be prepared to make sacrifices

• Don't panic if you lose your mojo, it happens! Bring yourself back to the status quo gradually

• Surround yourself with people who will support you

• Keep the vision clear so you keep moving forward 

Society of Authors

Consider joining the Society of Authors. They work to protect the rights and further the interests of authors in the United Kingdom.

The Society has over 9,000 members writing in all areas of the profession. Whatever your specialisation, you are eligible to join as soon as you have been offered a contract from a publisher, broadcaster or agent. Services include the confidential, individual vetting of contracts, and help with any professional queries. In addition, the Society organises a varied calendar of events, publishes a quarterly journal, The Author, maintains a database of members’ specialisations, and administers a wide range of grants and prizes such as the Authors’ Foundation, which is one of the few bodies making grants to help with works in progress for established writers.

And they have a free tax helpline!

Tax IS taxing

"Tax doesn't have to be taxing..."

Despite what the adverts say - it is.

I remember doing my homework the first time round and the blind panic when I thought I’d missed the tax deadline.

Then I came across the following on the HMRC website:

If you have been working for yourself for less than 12 months, you will have to choose your accounting date (and you usually keep to that date each year). You can choose any date you like (I did) but as the tax year ends on 5 April you may find it easier to use 5 April. The beginning of your accounting period, that is, the period (usually a year) from one accounting date to the next, covered by your books and records, will be the first day of your business or trading year.

Here's some more advice:

A tax return lists your income for the year and all of your allowable business expenses and capital allowances. Deduct the latter from the former and you get your taxable income. The online system automatically tells you exactly what you owe and then you pay it.

You need proof of everything so keep good records and receipts. Enter every job and expense into a spreadsheet on a daily / weekly basis, and buy everything that could constitute a business expense on plastic.

Internet banking and online statements come into their own when trying to work out your expenses!

What you can claim:

Business travel - including petrol, train and bus fares and even taxis

Office expenses - if you rent an office or a space somewhere you can claim this cost, but what happens if you work from home? You're entitled to claim some of your home running costs as long as you only claim for business usage. Use this as a guide - you will spend a third of your time working in your home if you do an eight hour day, so work out a third of your bills such as electricity and gas.
However, you have to account for the fact that your work space is not your entire home, and you can only claim for the space you use – for example one third. So a third of a third might be the amount you could claim as an expense. Say I spend £90 a month on gas and electric, I can claim £10 a month on my expenses. Also ensure every household bill is in your name - if you're looking to claim on your home.

Phone costs – same rule applies as office expenses, you need to work out what is spent on work and personal use if you don’t have separate lines. Broadband costs can also be claimed. If you use a mobile smart phone to run your business (like me), you can claim that too.

Misc expenses – paper, postage, repairs, stationary are all tax deductible, provided they are needed for your business and you have receipts.

There is a difference between your running costs and fixed assets, like computers, a car, printer or photocopier, which you can claim under capital allowances.

Each year you can claim 20% of the cost or value of new equipment and machinery as an annual allowance, meaning you do not claim it all in one year.

NB: In your first year you can claim 100% of items that fall under capital allowances definitions.

HMRC states:

Box 48 Annual Investment Allowance
You can claim a capital allowance called an Annual Investment Allowance (AIA), if you bought equipment (but not cars) during the year up to an annual amount of £100,000. Add the cost of all the equipment together and, if the total cost is £100,000 or less, you can claim 100% of that whole amount as your AIA. If the total is more than £100,000, then you can claim up to £100,000 of the total as your AIA. Where you use an item of equipment for both business and private purposes, the AIA claimed has to be reduced by the private use proportion.
Example
Gordon buys some tools for £5,000 and a van costing £10,000. The tools are used only for the business. The van is used 60% for business and 40% for private motoring. As the total cost is less than £100,000, Gordon can claim the full amount as AIA.
However, because the van is used for private purposes, Gordon must restrict the amount of AIA that he claims on the van to reflect his private use. This means that the AIA he can claim for the van is £6,000 (£10,000 less 40% private use).
His total AIA claim is £11,000 (£5,000 for the tools plus £6,000 for the van).

For more information on tax deductible items, visit here.

Visit HMRC for help and information about your tax return.