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If you follow this blog you know I love freelance writing. I talk about the freedom of how I spend my time, the joy of no commute, and on and on. But the truth is there are some good reasons why you might not want to become a full time freelance writer, working in your home office.
Reasons to so ‘no’ to freelance writing include:
- You don’t like working alone – although it’s possible to form coops with other creatives, or to do your writing in a wired coffee shop, most freelancing writing tends to happen when you’re by yourself.
- Uncertain income drives you crazy. If you’re lucky you can land a client or two who will either put you on retainer or pay you a predictable fee monthly, but either is rare. The truth is uncertain income and freelance writing go hand in hand.
- You can’t afford your own health insurance. If you’re in the United States you’ll have to get your own health insurance. Sure, you can get some breaks by joining an association of one sort or another, but you won’t have the advantage of an employer paid/shared plan.
- You don’t yet have sufficient writing credits. If you want to freelance you’ll probably have to build at least some writing credits.
- You don’t have enough money saved to make the leap. (Okay, I made the leap before I had savings, but I don’t recommend it.)
I’m sure there are more reasons, but I”m beginning to reach now.
What reasons do you have for not wanting to freelance?
Write well and often,
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thetruthabout/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
My biggest reason for not wanting to freelance — I hate collecting money from people. I’ve been stiffed a couple of times now and others that are just difficult to get money out of. Let someone else do the collecting and give me a paycheck…
Rhonda Eudaly´s last blog ..The StrangeWords Article
I agree with you, Anne! I love freelancing, even with the uncertain income, buying my own insurance, etc. But I think anyone with a low threshold for rejection and criticism might want to look elsewhere. I was fortunate enough to be raised by a dad who constantly told me not to take things personally, advice which has served me well as a freelancer. A thick skin is an absolute necessity.
Add this one, Anne – you don’t like marketing. If you can’t sell yourself, you’re kinda out of luck in t his business.
Oh, and add this – you can’t separate your emotions from the business. You have to treat this as a business. Otherwise, people will walk all over you.
Lori´s last blog ..Bid No More
How about these:
1. You write like crap.
2. You have the vocabulary of a 6th grader.
3. The desire to be “heard” is a driving force in your life.
4. You have no business acumen or significant career experience that can add value to a project.
5. You write like you talk, consistently using slang, jargon, and cliche terms, and worse, you don’t even know it.
6. You lack the ability to focus and see your writing from another perspective, such that you can’t proof your own work.
7. You don’t agree with the statement, “the customer is always right,” or understand that when they’re not right, they’re still right — they just shouldn’t be YOUR customer.
8. You can’t say “No,” or lack the insight to know when you should.
9. Your self-esteem can’t handle criticism, and you don’t recognize its much higher value than praise.
10. You can’t accept that almost no one values your services as highly as you believe they should.
Having savings before making the leap is valuable. Continuing to build the savings after the leap is just as important. It makes it easier to take the jobs that you want and love (and not to take it for the money) if you have enough to live off of when times get tough.
Kathryn Lang´s last blog ..Write Until it is Right – Building a Better Novel