Many thanks to Rich McIver for sending an email about the most recent blog posting over at HR World called 101 Reasons Freelancers Do It Better and giving me a reason to update the old blog. I read the list and it’s fun and actually quite inspiring. I now have 101 reasons why I’m right to try and freelance while the masses continue to go into work.
Having such reinforcement is surprisingly helpful, especially when the rent isn’t paid, a client just told you to stuff it and you’re still expecting payment from a project you finished in May!!! Just about every day I have a serious bout of ‘why don’t I just go get a freaking job’ syndrome and even catch myself looking through the classifieds. Luckily, I credit the overwhelming support of my family and one very strong stubborn streak to keep me plugging away.
I recently joined a nice little writing community called Inked-In. It’s nice and cozy with only about a 100 people or so and many are serial published authors. ‘Course, everyone should go join and try to double or even triple the number of members!
Don’t be so disdainful of the work-a-day world. Paid bills equals freedom from worry and the chance to travel and to partake of other mind broadening experiences. Most accomplished writers start out writing for someone. Even Hemingway worked as a journalist for a while. He honed his craft, traveled and learned about life, so that he had something substantive to say. Lots of people work 2 jobs. Why can’t your freelance make room for another? Yeah I saw your organizational piece before writing this. But someone told me that “if you want something done, give it to a busy person”. Maybe you aren’t busy enough. Lucky your family can afford to support you.
You are entirely correct ‘Gil’, ; ). A good job or career can fulfill one’s other dreams of travel, owning property and living a good life, but, you have to enjoy your job.
Otherwise, you’ll spend every single day dreading the commute to work and you’ll hate yourself for wasting your life eight hours a day. Writing is my life purpose, my dream job and I want to give it every possible chance of succeeding.
Many people have let me know, some nicely and some not so nicely that other highly successful writers have worked regular W-2 jobs. It gives them life experience. It provides fodder for their stories and so on. Working a job is also a great way of supporting yourself, so you’ll have time to create your own fiction.
I apologize for giving the impression that decent work is beneath me or other people are beneath me. It’s just that I’ve worked some of those jobs and entirely understand how hard it can be to make oneself get out of bed in the morning to face another day of something that you can really grow to hate.
In an ideal world we’d all be able to work in the fields that we enjoy best. I once knew a guy who dreamed of becoming a Meteorologist. : ) So, I entirely encourage everyone seek out that dream job, that life purpose, including you Gil.
I think you should borrow a page from the stock investor’s playbook and diversify.
By that I mean block out about 20% or so of your work time and devote it to finding new projects. By increasing your clientbase you can better make sure that there is money coming in even if one doesn’t pay.
If you’re going to take a job, get a part-time job to subsidize these lovely fuel costs and plan on having it be temporary.
From where I sit, steadying free-lancing might be a life-saver. I raised two children and wouldn’t have paid anyone else any amount of money to separate from them more than is necessary. Separating from them, after all, is the whole goal of being a mother and it becomes more and more necessary from the moment a baby’s born.
But every minute I was with them was so sweet and irrevocable, it was and is worth the world to me. Not that I didn’t feel isolated and harried and sometimes even angry. But who doesn’t? I viewed rearing them as an incredible privilege, despite the many sacrifices involved: we never had enough money to go anywhere or do anything.
Meanwhile, I wrote fiction. For a long time, I thought it might work out. A few times my novels were accepted only to be rejected when the season’s catalog was going to print. That rejection hurts the most, if you haven’t faced it yet.
Now, I’ve written fiction only for twenty-two years. You think I can get a free-lance assignment? When the children were very little, I wrote product releases, which paid almost nothing and was ridiculous work. Now my husband’s laid off. I’m not sure I could talk myself into a job tearing movie stubs in half. But I’m proud of my fiction and well used to not having money to travel or visit a doctor every time I experience pain.
I accept my situation and am not sure I’d have chosen another route. But: Do I advise for someone else? Not unless they have big savings, big faith, and big collateral. One thing’s for sure: I would never want my daughter to end up where I am.
Sorry before, im not so good in english, even i ever made this blog`s owner confused with my blog title
Im from Indonesia, You should know Bali i thought.
That is a great condition to learn to make a choice for destiny my friend. Maybe im influence by my rich dad “Kyosaki”. Job is identical with safedom (my own lexicon
) isnt freedom. But if that job could bring you to your “DREAM”, why not?
You already know the answer before this comment I thought. But you think you need the 2nd opinions to choose the perfect one. There is no perfect things in this world until we made it become the perfect things. Choose with your deepest heart, which way you want to walk.
Gratefuly with this condition sis. You will learn a great value from this life after you passed it. Imagine you could share your experience to your children even your grand children when you retired. That would be a fulfilling life
Best wishes…
Thanks for the replies all. I must admit that I have been looking for a part time job to supplement my income whilst I established a freelance career. These are all very positive suggestions.
Thanks Alien, I’ve already set up my new schedule which includes an hour of time promoting myself, looking for clients or working on my blog each day.
Kathleen, It sounds like you are on the verge of being discovered. I’d suggest you keep pushing. Have you tried those novels at other publishers? There are tons of small publishers and even internet publishers that will will pay a small yet decent advance or give you up to 50% royalties. Stephen King sold his book, Carrie, to a small publisher for only $2,000, then of it’s own volition the publisher managed to resale the book to a much larger publisher and Stephen King got a nice check for $250,000 or so. Out of the blue.
Hi, Qhoen. Thanks for dropping by. You’re right I probably already had the answer to this particular question, but it’s good to get some discussion going about the idea of freelancers and getting additional jobs.
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