The life of a writer appears to have many perks. The uninitiated envisions us working in our pajamas while writing fluff about far away places, beautiful people, and spectacular adventures. After chuckling, we patiently explain how many hours it can take to research an article, or the number of times an article is submitted before it sells.
We possess an intangible element, which prevents us from taking the well-worn route. A regular paycheck with benefits is attractive. I even tried it once, and almost died inside. Face it, we are not free to enjoy an easy life while others toil, writers must write.
The life of a freelance writer is burdened with unpaid bills, deadlines, and rejection letters. But, there are a few blessings outweigh the heaviest burdens, like the joy of being published in a national magazine, studying a truly fascinating topic for a client, or enjoying the spiritual journey only a writer can understand.
Still, it is nice to be paid.
The initial lack of income is where most new writers give up. They soon believe the desire to write is a prank their muse is playing on them. It doesn’t have to be this way.
View the world of freelance writing as a forest. On one side is the writer; on the other is a client willing to pay to have something written. All a writer needs to do is climb through the scrub and deadwood to find the elusive client. It isn’t hard, it just takes a different method of thinking, and a little caution.
The number of companies intent on ripping writers off is daunting. There is no way to avoid every scam. Writers sign with organizations that promise to locate work, only to find they must pay and bid against other writers. We all signed up for at least one newsletter that promised to help us earn a living, only to learn it is only a clever marketing tool to sell products.
Making a living shouldn’t be this frustrating. There are paying jobs out there. There are clients willing, even eager, to pay a professional writer. It just takes a little skill to find them.
Make a Client
This can be fun. There is only one rule, never confess what you write. Many small businesses are more than willing to pay a writer for a good press release, especially if the writer submits it to the newspaper too, but only if the business is named as author.
Each writer can find their own niche’. Some writers find untapped potential as speechwriters, others as copywriters, and still others as business plan writers. It may not be as fun as writing fiction, or magazine articles, but it does pay the bills.
Web Marketing is a booming business. This creates a vast wealth of work for writers. Web designers can make a good website, but they are not good writers. This causes a problem, because search engines want to see text content. A clever writer can convince webmasters to hire them to add articles.
Research Clients
I spend two hours a week looking for work. This results in one new client a month. This may seem discouraging, but good clients are repeat clients. The easiest way to find work is to surf the web. Most of the communities and periodicals listed are scams, but there are dozens of legitimate sites that work hard to promote their writers. But, there is a catch 22 with these groups. The good sites cannot have amateur, unmotivated, writers swamp their clients so they are usually harder to find, and harder to join.
Advertise
A freelance writer is a self-employed professional. No one would expect a lawyer to sit at home and wait for work to drop into their lap. They advertise, promote, and network, without thinking of advertising as a waste of time or money. It is just another part of business. Successful writers share a similar professional mindset. They love their lifestyle and are willing to fight for it, no matter what.
I love being a freelance writer. True, I accept some jobs to pay the bills, but then one request arrives that seems to be custom made for me. The prospect of landing that one assignment keeps me writing late into the night. And, the excitement of opening my PayPal account, or inbox, gets me out of bed in the morning.
Yes, there are downsides to freelance writing, but face it, true freelance writers will never surrender their passion for any other job - at any salary.
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