There are many reasons why I decided to get involved with freelance writing a few years back. It is easy to say now that I made the right decision. But as you probably know from your own experience, starting a career as a freelance writer is full of uncertainty.
Here are three reasons why I got involved with freelance writing:
1. I wanted to be my own boss. After working for other people for a few years it became obvious that I would do better on my own. I wanted to call the shots on everything from when to wake up to how to market my services. When you work as a freelance writer you are in charge of your business. While this is a big responsibility, it also feels real good!
2. I received my college degree in journalism. When researching opportunities I decided to focus on industries in which I had experience. Writing was something that I studied for many years so it only made sense to move in this direction. While I could have worked for a newspaper, this did not align with my other goal of being my own boss.
3. Freedom. Perhaps the biggest benefit of being a freelance writer is the freedom. I can wake up when I went, take breaks when I want, and basically make any decision that I feel is good for me and my business. In my opinion, freedom is more important than money.
As you can see, I did not get involved with freelance writing for the money. While I eventually began to earn a decent income, this was not my primary goal. I figured as long as I was earning enough to make ends meet that I would be fine for the time being.Â
If you are trying to decide whether or not to get involved with freelance writing consider my reasons as well as any of your own. Soon enough you should be able to make a well informed, educated decision.
Every week I receive emails asking me for advice on becoming a freelance writer. Some people want me to tell them if they are cut-out for the freelance writing game. While I do my best in giving advice and guidance, this is something that you have to decide on for yourself. There is no way of saying if you will succeed as a freelance writer. It is up to you to review your situation, and to decide whether or not you have the skills and determination to make your mark.
In my opinion, freelance writing is not for everybody. That being said, it is a career path that a lot of people should follow. If you are looking for a new career and have always been intrigued by the freelance writing world, you should definitely consider a closer look at the pros and cons.
It takes particular skills to succeed as a freelance writer. On the surface, you would think that writing skills are enough to take you from start-up to success. And while this is true to a certain extent, it is important to note that you need more on your side than the ability to write. The most successful freelance writers are also skilled at marketing their services, organizing their career, and communicating with clients. Yes, the most important skill is the ability to write, but don’t forget about everything else that will help you along the way.
The only way to decide if a career in freelance writing is a good idea is to give it a try. I am more than happy to lend my advice when possible, but in the end it is you who has to decide if freelance writing is the best career move. This is not a career for everybody, but it could be just what you are looking for.
Finding good clients is a goal of every freelance writer. These clients pay on time, are easy to get along with, and always have more work. But what happens when a good client goes missing? This is something that has happened to me in the past. While it was not a huge deal it still made me think about what was going on.
A good client can go missing just as easily as a bad one. In my situation, I had been working for the client for roughly one year providing blog posts. Every month, on time, they sent my money. To go along with this, we had a good working relationship and often times spoke about other topics as well. All in all, they seemed to be the perfect client even though the pay was not the highest.
But guess what? All of a sudden the client stopped answering my emails and phone calls. For many months I attempted to make contact with the people I knew within the company, but had no such luck. If they didn’t owe me money I probably would have walked away without much fuss. But with a few hundred dollars owed I felt that it was worth my time to try to collect.
Believe or not, I have yet to hear back from this client. It is amazing how somebody who was so easy to work with could disappear without paying what is owed.
Instead of letting this client sour my relationship with others I simply wrote them off as a “bad apple.†You never know when somebody is going to get what they want from you, and then decide that the relationship is over. I have no issue with a client telling me that things are not working out, paying what they owe, and parting ways. It is those that don’t communicate and don’t pay that can be frustrating to deal with.
This is not meant to scare you into thinking that all your good clients are going to take off on you. In fact, this has only happened to me a handful of times in all my years as a freelance writer. Nonetheless, you should always be careful about who you do business with.
