Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
Is freelance writing a good choice for making money? That really depends on you. Everyone needs to find their proverbial “cup of tea” and stick with it. In reality, not everyone who loves writing loves having a life as a freelance writer. It comes with a few caveats, but for me, it works well exceptionally well.
I’m not saying that people shouldn’t try being a freelance writer. However, there is far more to it than just sitting at your desk at home in pajamas cracking out content for online clients.
In other words, don’t get sucked into the hype of working from home and “being your own boss.” It’s hard work, but the payouts are worth it for me in the long run.
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What to Expect as a Freelance Writer
You can’t just jump into writing and expect to make it big. It takes a lot of dedication, motivation and determination to really become a success. While some can fall ass-backwards into a pile of money, most of us will have to focus more on building a professional practice.
Effort Dictates Success
Like anything you do in life, the amount of effort you put into freelance writing is going to dictate how successful you are. This doesn’t just mean being able to create something grammatically correct or have few spelling errors.
For example, marketing is an important facet for any freelancer regardless of your skill. If clients don’t know what you can do, they’re not going to hire you. This means creating portfolios, establishing a professional network in social media, updating your writing profiles and expanding your knowledge.
Perhaps the best approach is to ensure that not a single moment in an eight-hour day is wasted. Practice blogging, read up on trends, engage on social media and use content brokerage systems like Textbroker. Clients are not going to flock to you because you have “freelance writer” after your name.
The Value of a Good Daily Routine
I know a lot of people who get excited about the prospect of working from home. After all, who wouldn’t love to make their own hours doing what they enjoy? The problem is that it doesn’t always work out like this.
The truth is, as a freelance writer, a vast portion of your clients are probably businesses. This means you need to keep regular business hours of some kind to get the most clients. I’m not saying there is no success writing at night. But it’s far more difficult to accumulate a livable wage.
A good schedule for yourself is required if you want to get the most out of the experience. When you work from home, you don’t have that pressure of the time clock weighing over your head, which means you are far more relaxed. Unfortunately, this could cause problems because you can easily waste your day with various diversions.
Most freelance writers are paid per job. Which means you don’t get a paycheck if you don’t work. Every second you spend not writing for a client is money lost. As a result, you need to be more diligent in being productive than at a traditional 9-to-5 job. This is where the schedule comes into play.
Far More Financial Responsibilities
Life as a freelance writer also means an increased responsibility for financial needs. You need to set up your own accounts for things like taxes, insurance and retirement. It’s easy to forget or bypass these so you can keep more money in your pocket. But in the long run, it can cause a great deal of stress if you don’t have a plan.
Personally, I try to invest as much as I can into stocks which pay dividends. It’s a great way to save for the long-term and often yields far greater returns than any savings account.
The point is you need to consider more of your financial situation than just paying the bills and keeping food on the table.
Difficult Clients
Not all clients are going to be professional or patient. You’ll come across many who are very uncompromising in their content requirements. The hardest part is sucking it up and delivering exactly what they want.
Handling difficult clients isn’t all that problematic, though. As long as you keep a cool head and approach each situation with rationality and logic, you can turn difficult clients into ardent supporters.
Unfortunately, not all clients will appreciate your own sense of professionalism. Some people are going to hate for the sake of hating. Don’t let it affect your own professional outlook and move on.
Why Life as a Freelance Writer is Ideal
While it’s true there are far greater demands and responsibilities in a life as a freelance writer, it’s not all high-stress. In fact out of all the jobs I’ve had, it’s been one of my favorites. Although, owning my own computer company is still one of the highlights of my life.
Great Potential for Pay
As a freelance writer, there is a great potential for a decent income. I’ve been a freelancer since January of 2012 and am fully capable of paying my bills and having a bit of extra cash.
Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned over the years is to put in the effort. I could have made far more money in the past six years if I would have tried to market myself or commit to a workable schedule. Today, I’m doing well…but it could have been better.
If you’re thinking about starting a life as a freelance writer, I suggest keeping your regular job and working up to it. I was a freelancer for more than a year before I quit my job at the school district.
Flexibility in My Day
While I do stick to a traditional 9-to-5 type schedule for my business writing clients, it’s still flexible enough to give me some freedoms of my own. For instance, I maintain three blogs, a Twitch channel and am getting ready to put in work on YouTube. All of this is done while still keeping clients happy with content.
It’s all in a matter of how you set up your day. For me, it was getting rid of the hours I spent watching YouTube and Netflix. When I started focusing more on work, I realized I had a lot more of my day to do my own projects on top of freelance writing.
If I got a regular job today, I’d have to give up on half of the projects I am working on. And so far, everything is playing out nicely – so I don’t see a reason to stop doing what I love.
Content is Ageless
If there is one inescapable truth about the Internet is that content will always be relevant. This means there will always be people willing to pay freelance writers to maintain blogs, social media accounts and eBooks to further their own business. Not to mention the income you can create by making your own blog.
Even apps often have writers for smartphone marketing. The written word is perhaps one of the few platforms that will always have a place in society regardless of what stocks do or who is in government office. The Internet just makes finding those jobs far more easier.
I Simply Love to Write
Lastly, a life as a freelance writer is perfect for me because I love to write. Whether I am doing a WordPress tutorial for a client or creating my own works in Wattpad, I enjoy putting words together.
And that’s perhaps the crux of it all. Is freelance writing going to be something you enjoy, or is it a passing hobby that you’ll wind up hating in the long-term? I’ve seen many potentially good writers fail because they didn’t want to dedicate themselves to the desk for hours on end or because a client said his work wasn’t as impressive as the author thought it was.
A Life as a Freelance Writer isn’t for Everyone
Freelancing is fun and has potential for profit. But it’s not for everyone. It takes a great commitment from yourself to make sacrifices, organize your day and engage clients on a personal basis if you want to make some serious money. Keep an open mind and prepare to take on a lot of responsibility for yourself.
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