Imagine this. You wake up in the morning, not by the shrill noise of your alarm clock, but because you just happened to wake up. You make a steaming cup of coffee (or tea!) and open the newspaper. After browsing though it to your heart's content, you get up, shower, get ready and go to work. But instead of hustling through horrible traffic to reach a drab building with stale AC air and an uncomfortable chair, you just enter another room in your home. You open your laptop and start working. You are doing what you always wanted to do. You are writing what you want, when you want and the way you want to write. No boss breathing down your neck as you finish an article, no need to smile politely at the co-worker you hate with your guts and the freedom to work in your pajamas if you please; freelance writing does seem like a dream come true.
It is this, and such similar scenarios one pictures in one's mind, as soon as we think about freelance writing. But if you want to make a career out of freelance writing, you need to perform a reality check. It is imperative to find out the pros and cons of freelancing before you kick your day job.
Freelancing is not easy
Freelancing demands equal, if not more, efforts as a 9-to-5 office job. You need to be self-motivated. There will not be a boss constantly urging you to finish your work. You need to be strict with yourself. You need self discipline. There will not be any co-workers around to give you a quick, refreshing dose of gossip. There won't be a sense of competition while working alone. You need to find your own source of recreation and inspiration. Freedom at the cost of uncertainty
While you are sitting and cribbing about the never-ending onslaught of work in your day job, remember, that as a freelancer, you are going to crave for the same. Your organisation probably has a marketing department which religiously generates leads and contracts. As a freelancer, you are your own marketing manager. You need to generate leads, follow them up scrupulously to convert them into contracts and then complete the tasks faster and better than your competitors.You must acknowledge that you might not find work for days on end. There could also be months when you are so loaded with projects, that you'll ultimately need to refuse a few (a BIG mistake in my opinion! A post on managing multiple projects is coming soon.)Freelancing is not Free-dancing
Unless you are writing for yourself, you have to conform to the guidelines, rules and format provided by your employer. Even when hired as a freelance creative writer, you have to keep your creativity in check to suit your employer's needs. You need to adhere to the subject matter, word limits, SEO objectives, writing styles and other constraints as prescribed by the employer. Yes, freelancing gives you the freedom to choose your projects; but once you have chosen a project (or you have been chosen for that project, to tell the truth) you need to stick to the emplyer's instructions, like a gecko to a wall.
Managing Expectations from a Freelancing Career
There are several people who earn a lot of money as a freelance writer. You could be one of them, too. But your first paycheck as a freelance writer could be disappointing in terms of the numbers on it and also the time it takes to arrive. If you are used to seeing a fixed amount in your bank account at the 1st of every month, it might some time for you to adjust to the varying income generated by freelancing. You might also come across clients who haggle like there's no tomorrow or who want to defer payments till the Armageddon strikes. You need to follow up for payments, referrals and repeat assignments. If you are an introvert, who would rather die hungry, than to ask for work, you need to reconsider freelancing as a career option. Taking your Career Seriously
"So, what does she do for a living?"
"Nothing, she just freelances."
This is a conversation that I have heard too many times but I have still not gotten over it. You MUST take your freelancing career seriously, as there is a high chance that other people won't. If you undermine the time and efforts which go into developing a freelance writing career, you might as well back out now. Many people around you, including family and friends may not understand the demands of your career, but you should. People might think that you have all the time in the world, just because you work from home. If you have similar misconceptions about a freelance career, think again.
Freelance writing can be very rewarding in terms of money as well as job satisfaction. But before you take the plunge and quit your full time job, you must assess all the potential risks and identify if it is a career suitable to your lifestyle and personality. It is important to decide beforehand about the type and amount of work you want to take up. It is equally necessary to match your expectations with your needs. It is always advisable to give freelancing a test run. Taking up projects along with your full time job, can give you a realistic idea about your prospects as a freelance writer. You can hopefully soon enough live the life you always wanted to live.
Happy freelancing!
