Is Freelance Writing For You? Part I

Date: Aug 25, 2009 Category: Freelance Advice, General

Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag: Is Freelancing Really For You? is a really interesting article, that talks about what us freelancers (often) think about. Is this really for me? Will I really make a good living just by writing and live happily ever after? Will I bring home a paycheck every week by writing? Freelancing is rewarding, but it is not easy. I also dislike very much when people tell me how awesome working from home is. It can be nice. The niceness is not guaranteed. Just like earning a full-time income with freelance writing is not guaranteed.

I was self-employed before becoming a full-time freelance writer. My self-employment taught me the basics of having to fend for myself, pay taxes, get health care on my own, and controlling my income. With freelance writing, the uncertainty of your income can be overwhelming. I know I can make $1,000 a week just by writing for Demand Studios. I know I can, but sometimes I just can’t. My income is negatively affected if I take a day or even an hour off. Some weeks I have other obligations and responsibilities, so I can only make $150 from Demand Studios alone. That is a huge drop in income. Such is the life of a freelance writer, if you want to get paid every day you have to work every day.

The same can be true if you are writing for a private client. Private clients can give you a huge contract, but it comes with rules such as deadlines. You have a set amount of time to turn work in and once that is done the ride stops. That contract will only bring in money while it is valid and while you are working for the client. Once the client is gone so is the paycheck. It can take weeks or months to find another private client. And then again, what happens if you do not get paid?

Scams are always out there and unfortunately for us, freelance writers can fall victim to jerks. You can be the nicest person in the world and very honest, but that does not mean the individual you are dealing with is on the same value level. You can work your tail off on writing projects for someone, only to have them not pay you for any of it. Despite warnings and red flags, it still happens. Scam is another freelance writing fact that affects your income in a bad way.

I will say that freelance writers should never depend on a single website for a paycheck. It is always a good idea to put your eggs in multiple baskets. Mixing upfront, flat-fee payments and residuals is a good way to always get money coming in. It may be a trickle effect instead of a waterfall, but it is still a good idea to have multiple payments coming into a single account.

The way freelancing affects your income can also affect your entire household. I’ll be dead honest and say that some days our household is a little manic depressive and stressed out. We both have to bring in a weekly paycheck in order to pay bills, eat, enjoy life and put money into the savings account. It’s not always roses when mommy’s payments are smaller than expected.

“It’s either feast of famine”, is the quote we like to use in our household.

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Is Freelance Writing For You? Part I

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