When is the Right Time to Become a Freelance Writer?

I admit that I lurk around on various message boards and the discussion that I see get me thinking. I’ve been following one discussion about when it’s a good time to launch a career as a freelance writer. These options have been suggested, and both of them have valid points:

• Save up enough money until you have several months’ worth of expenses and go full time.
• Start part time while working in a “day” job and build up a good client base and ease into freelancing.

The idea here is to have some kind of a “fall back” position in case the whole freelancing thing doesn’t work out. I fully appreciate this idea, but there is something to be said for going full tilt and not worrying about the bridges you leave behind. If you are good at your craft and you look after your clients well, you won’t need them.

I must take exception to the idea that “security” comes from working for someone else. It doesn’t. Really. If you are an employee, your employer has the power to decide that your services are no longer required at any time. If the company needs to make cuts, your job may be affected, no matter how well you did your job. Where is the security in that?

If you want to be a writer, then be one. There is no better time than right now to get started. The freelancing has room for people who want to work at all different levels, from those who rely on the income to put food on the table to those who use their earnings to save for something special that they want. If you are waiting for the exact, risk-free time to launch your career, you will be waiting for a long time. It’s not going to happen.

And if you are holding back because you don’t have faith in your abilities, I found a great quote that covers that point too:

“The greater the artist, the greater the doubt; perfect confidence is granted to the less talented as a consolation prize.” (Robert Hughes, Time)

Now is the time. We can’t live in the past, because it’s gone. We don’t know what the future will bring (unless you have a crystal ball that works…I don’t). All we have is the present, so make the most of it and go after what you really want.

You’ve Been Turned Down for a Gig…Now What?

by Jodee Redmond

Most of the time when we apply for freelance writing jobs, we don’t hear back from the person hiring if they didn’t think we were a good fit. Sometimes, though, the potential client actually does get in touch to let us know that we won’t be working together on the project.

I used to think that it would be better if they didn’t get in touch at all. After a certain amount of time has passed, my attention has move on to other things and I’ve forgotten all about the job in question. There have been a few jobs that I have applied for that I really, really wanted to get that I didn’t. And when you get the word, it may sting slightly or it might throw your confidence off for awhile. (I actually cried over one “Thanks but no thanks” e-mail I received. Then I briefly thought about running off to join the Foreign Legion and forgetting all about this freelance writing thing…..)

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Freelancers Need Flexibility to Succeed

by Jodee Redmond

When it comes to your freelance career, how flexible are you? We live in uncertain economic times, and I would suggest that the freelancers who are the most adaptable will fare the best.

Like a number of people, I read What Color is Your Parachute a number of years ago. One of the things I took away from reading that book was to stop thinking of myself as only one thing when it came to my work life. I am not simply a content writer or a copy writer, an e-book writer, a blogger, or whatever. I am a person who can [fill in the blank here.]

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Breaking Up With a Client is Hard to Do

by Jodee Redmond

We’ve been talking about how to find new writing assignments here at Freelance Writing Jobs, and I wanted to take some time to talk about ending a working relationship. There will be times in your career when either a client will decide not to work with you any more or you will decide that it’s time to move on.

Sometimes, the end has nothing to do with your work at all. Your client’s needs may change due to economic factors or for personal reasons. A couple of months ago, one of my long-time clients had to tell me that he needed to end our professional relationship because he had been diagnosed with cancer and he needed to focus his attention on making choices about treatment options and trying to get well. Perfectly understandable in my book, and since we had become good online friends, we still keep in touch.

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We Get (Client) Feedback About Following Instructions

by Jodee Redmond

I received the following feedback from an employer who posted a job ad on Freelance Writing Gigs.

I know we’ve talked about how important it is to follow the instructions in an ad and these comments underscore that fact:
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Stop Looking for a Freelance Writing Job; Look for an Opportunity Instead!

by Jodee Redmond

The title of this post may strike you as a bit unusual, since I spend my early morning hours looking for leads for Freelance Writing Jobs. I think that constantly pitching new clients and answering job ads is a necessary evil when you do this kind of work.

The truth is that no one really enjoys looking for work. I would go so far as to say that looking for work really sucks. You find an ad that you are interested in answering and submit your resume and possibly some writing samples. Then you wait to see whether the person who reads your materials is interested in hiring you.

Every time you put yourself out there to respond to an ad, it requires an effort on your part. You are expending valuable energy on the exercise, and most of the time you won’t end up getting hired.

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Three Lessons You Can Learn from Wal-Mart to Boost Your Writing Career

by Jodee Redmond

With all the recent doom and gloom in the headlines recently, Wal-Mart stands out as a company that is showing a profit. What lessons can we learn from this retail giant that we can apply to our own freelance writing careers?

Lesson 1: Change your offerings as the market changes.

Wal-Mart is doing well because it has changes its product line in response to changing market conditions. The company knows what its customers wants….and responds accordingly.

Be flexible enough to adopt a new niche (or expand the one you are currently working in) if you find that the market for it is drying up.

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