After pursuing a liberal arts degree, you decide to land a traditional job as a writer. Soon you feel swamped by deadlines and overwhelmed by certain topics you have to cover. Freelance writing is often better than a traditional writing job because you have more choices and flexibility. While it might take awhile to get started, you have the pleasure of running your own writing business rather than answering to a demanding boss.
Choose Your Clients
When you have a traditional writing job, your employer chooses the clients. Some are demanding and belittle your work despite the long hours spent on research, production and editing. Others have unreasonable time expectations. These concepts are difficult to convey to a boss who wants to maintain a certain client base. You are victim to the whims of your employer and his clients or face losing your job and income.
Working as a freelance writer means choosing your own clients. If a client makes unreasonable demands, you can say no. While you lose that client, you still have the opportunity to work for someone else. You define your hours, boundaries and tolerance level. Often you will be surprised to discover changing your approach won’t mean the client walks away. Some clients realize your worth and work according to your terms.
Choose Your Topics
Working for an employer means writing about the assigned topics. Some of these might be unfamiliar, requiring additional research to be done within the same time constraints. Others may go against your personal beliefs or value system. Keeping your job means covering these undesirable topics and doing it well.
As a freelance writer, you have more control over the topics you cover. For example, if you don’t want to write adult content you can dismiss those clients. If you have a certain area of expertise, you can take on clients who need your special skills. This makes your job as a writer easier and more enjoyable. Furthermore, the writing is better because you like the topics and aren’t forcing yourself to cover them.
Earn What You Want
Many traditional writing jobs start as internships. This means you provide writing for free while gaining experience. This can open doors but also means tightening your belt to an extreme as you wait for a chance to earn money. An employer may decide to hire you at minimum wage and it could take months or years to start earning what you need.
As a freelance writer, you can start small to gain valuable experience. Some beginning writers work for as little as one dollar per article but add this experience to their resumé. In a short time, you have enough experience to start charging more for your work. The ability to advance is only limited by hard work and the desire to succeed. In just a few months, you will know what it takes to earn what you need to cover expenses while having extra cash in your pocket.
The freedom of freelance writing allows you to express yourself, choose your clients and write your own paycheck. You also create your own hours and become the proud proprietor of your own business.
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