Comments on: Do You Have What It Takes?

By: Walker

Walker — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:09:55 +0000

I'm fairly new to this, having left a job to write 'the book' then deciding that freelance writing was for me. I'm plugging away at freelance marketing and promotion while the book/memoir collects dust.
Your suggestions are so timely! I found you via Get Paid to Write Online.
I have gotten 3 jobs in this past month, small ones and not what I'm worth but I consider it like "interning". I'm learning to walk away from jobs that would cause me sense of self-worth to crumble! Ha!
Long hard road and I'm living on my retirement but I know it's worth it. So!! Thanks for the wonderful insight.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 06 May 2010 20:21:16 +0000

Katharine, I'm sorry to hear about Prince. You have what it takes. It's just a speed bump, okay?

Susan, I made the same mistake. I was cruising along and thinking my career was set in stone! The only stone were the rocks in my head. LOL

By: Susan Johnston

Susan Johnston — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:44:43 +0000

When I first started freelancing full-time, I had a ton of work lined up (that was part of why I left my full-time job when I did). But eventually, those projects finished and I reached a lull. Could have been my inexperience (I was marketing but maybe not as effectively as I could have) or it could have been the economy. Fortunately, things have picked back up again, and I'm one busy bee these days! I agree with all the requirements you mentioned, though.

By: Katharine Swan

Katharine Swan — Thu, 06 May 2010 17:10:16 +0000

Lori, I started freelancing full-time with virtually no planning. My job as a technical writer was going in a direction I didn't like, so I quit and turned my part-time freelancing into a full-time job. The first few months were VERY slow -- I think I made a measly $300 the first month! Luckily, though, my then-boyfriend (now-husband) was willing to pick up the slack until my income picked up.

I have to admit though that I'm terrible at planning ahead -- I don't have anything in savings (though he does). If you go to my blog you'll see how that affected me when everything blew up in my face in April. :o(

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:43:18 +0000

Paula, what a great dad! You're not missing a thing. I've been in the cube farm - shudder to think how I'd be if I were still captive.

Hi Lindsey. :) I know you told me once before, but thank you for the reminder. I forget things. You've got a great mentor in Eileen - she knows her stuff!

Milton, I love your posts. :) I smile every time I read them. Hope Muttie an Paw are doing well. :)

By: Milton

Milton — Wed, 05 May 2010 19:02:32 +0000

Hi Lori, Muttie went freelance again after losing her job two months ago. It's taken her a wee while to build up contacts (she was a freelance journalist for five years before going into PR for eight years) as most of the commissioning editors had moved on. She also found the job has changed so much today. Most of the time she's writing for on-line sites and not printed newspapers. She didn't have savings but rented her flat out and moved in with Paw. She'd make more money if she didn't sit reading blogs for a huge chunk of the morning!

Milt x

By: TheNormalMiddle

TheNormalMiddle — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:22:42 +0000

Thanks Lori 🙂

My name is Lindsey. For whatever reason, blogger won't let me sign in today in any other capacity.

I have a little writing blog in the works, nothing fancy.

http://www.lindsey-writes.com

I thank you for your encouragment! Eileen is mentoring me and she pointed your blog out to me a few weeks ago and I've enjoyed it very much.

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:11:31 +0000

BTW - I doubt any/many of my contemporaries would consider my annual income to be a decent wage. A starting salary, maybe. Decent wage? Not by most of their standards.

As long as I can pay my bills, that's decent enough for me. Having a little left at the end of the month or year? That's gravy.

By: Paula

Paula — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:09:26 +0000

I stared sort of backwards. Blame it on my dad. He was a graphic artist/cartoonist who worked most of his career for companies that paid their artists and copywriters less than their salesmen (emphasis on the men). I was maybe 14 or 15 when he was laid off - he was in his 50s and couldn't land another full-time job, so he went freelance. He always said that was the best thing that happened. He found his own clients, set his own terms, had more free time, less stress, and really enjoyed his work.

Knowing I wanted to be a writer, straight out of college he said he'd give me two years to see if I could carve out a freelance business. I did. Not a huge income, and with the current state of freelancing being what it is (overrun with content mill "writers" and others underbidding the rest of us)I'll probably never earn what many of my contemporaries do in the corporate world, but how many of them really love their jobs?

That support from my dad so early on is probably along the lines of people who quit or lose their jobs and go freelance while relying on their spouses to help out. Only I didn't have the health insurance. LOL.

By: Lori

Lori — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:25:49 +0000

Glad you're here, NormalMiddle! It's a tough first step, but if you do a little work ahead of time, you'll be fine. You've also got the summer to get your feet wet, assuming you'll still be collecting a pay check. Stick around! We're here to help.

Excellent point, Mridu. You have to separate the rejection of your services from personal rejection. It's not - it's business.