Writers Worth: Fear of Freelance Writing

Let me tell you about Joy Drohan.

A number of years back, Joy reached out and thanked me for my part in a joint webinar Jake Poinier and I had held that Joy had attended. We got to talking (with me, we always get to talking).

She’s now my accountability partner, and — I’m admitting it here for the first time — my own model for how to excel at freelance writing.

See, Joy wanted to improve her business. She said what we’d talked about in the webinar was going to help.

But what happened next is all Joy.

She was reporting decent part-time income each month. Then over time, that income began to increase. Then more. Pretty soon, Joy was surpassing her own targets consistently and building name recognition in her field of concentration.

That has nothing to do with that webinar or anything else. That’s all Joy. She’s that kind of driven.

Yet like the rest of us, Joy started out with the same fears and worries — will I make it? What if I can’t? How will I know?

The difference is she has pushed herself far outside her comfort zone on a number of occasions. She’s tried new things, she’s amended the way she’s doing things. She’s made her own path and she’s dedicated to making sure it serves her well.

That’s a lesson we can all embrace.

—

Fear of Freelancing

By Joy Drohan, Eco-Write, LLC

Fear that I’ll overschedule. Fear that I’ll have no work. Fear that I’ll miss a deadline. Fear that I’ve missed important errors in my editing. Fear that I’ve suggested edits others would have let go. Fear that the editor won’t like my story idea. Fear that I’m being left behind by not adequately keeping up with technology.

Lori asked me to write about fear. Apparently there are umpteen fears in freelancing. Or … I’m afraid it might be just me.

Yeah, it’s probably not. So many of us spend our workdays alone, often at home, away from people who might be our support systems. It can be easy to let the fear creep in and discourage us from moving forward.

So how do I keep ahead of THE FEAR? By being proactive—by making those new contacts each week; by signing up for courses and conferences offered by the Editorial Freelancers Association, the National Association of Science Writers, Copyediting.com, etc.; by nominating myself to serve as secretary of the Editorial Freelancers Association (yes, I am going to do that—and let me add to my opening list the fear of getting volunteered-out).

Do I do all those things as much as I should in an ideal world? Of course not, but I’m plugging away on lots of fronts and regularly scoring successes.

I’m privileged to work part-time, but earn more than I could at many full-time jobs. I’m privileged to be excited and inspired by my subject matter much of the time. I’m privileged to be able to work until the end of my kids’ school day and then drive them around to their various classes, and to have it be not a very big deal if a kid has to stay home sick.

I keep beating back the fear and moving forward so that I can continue to live this life I’ve styled for myself and my family.

Did I mention the fear of seeming too fearful?

Through her company, Eco-Write, LLC, Joy specializes in writing and editing about environmental and agricultural science. She works with federal and state land management agencies, colleges and universities, publishers, private companies, and individuals. 

Writers, what do you beat yourself up about? Why?
How does that help/hinder you?