As a freelance writer I was once dependant on private clients to make up the majority of my income. When I didn’t have a client I fell back on online content sites to maintain my income. Changes in the payment structures made me reconsider writing where I chose when I chose. I even thought about bidding on projects for private clients again. I have not yet went back to this for a number of reasons.
Time Restraints
There are restraints on my time that make meeting short deadlines nearly impossible. Often to make sure paychecks continued to come in I’d take projects with the shortest deadlines and cram work into all my free time. The past year saw increasing demands on my time that meant I had to work during normal business hours. I used to stay up all night long to finish a project on time.
Communication
The restraints on my time mean that I am no longer able communicate with private clients instantly. That means that requests for revisions could go unnoticed with the amount of time spent away from home for various appointments. When communications such as emails aren’t answered in a timely manner it can make you look bad, and being so tired means that I may end the day early. Ending the day early means that the possibility of missing an important email or not being on a messenger when I need to be is very real.
Tired
I’m tired because of the restraints on my time. Each day we have an appointment of some sort that makes it impossible to say that I’ll be working all day to finish something. The appointments and getting up early to get my child on the school bus also means that there are only two days a week that I could even consider staying up into the wee hours of the morning to meet a deadline. I thought for a while that I would be able to keep up the pace, but I was soon shown through exhaustion that I was mistaken.
Earning Requirements
I have to make enough to cover my expenses. That is my main earnings requirement. A lack of private projects means that I have to be more productive and promotion conscience to earn what I need to survive. I have to be able to set my own hours to earn what I need to.
Researching
I have been dedicating some time to research but not on the subjects that I write about. Instead I am researching long forgotten grammar and punctuation rules to enable better editing of my own content. Research is important not only for sharpening skills but for improving writing as well.
Earnings are Dependent on Everything
Earnings as a freelance writer are dependent on everything that a writer does and the environment around them. The decision of whether or not to take private clients is a personal one, so is the decision of whether or not to write online or for traditional print publications. Only a close examination of the current financial situation, working conditions and life in general will help freelance writers to determine which choice is best for them.
