Simple Advice For The Freelance Writer

The life of a Freelance Writer is one that resembles many other professions that rely upon the work other people need done. This is what make our profession so difficult to count on.. financially. Our income relies upon other people, whereas some other jobs or professions have the ability to manufacture their own opportunities. This requires us, the Freelance Writer, to be a bit more crafty.

I for one have for some time now relied upon what I thought was a pretty solid financial plan. It was temporary of course, I am not naive enough to put all of my eggs in one basket or to think that anything lasts forever. At the same time however it still disappoints me that certain "jobs" have fallen through. Even though their recent hiccups might only be temporary, I cannot allow my need for income to rest on the shoulders of a inconsistent source. So... other things need to be put into action. Time for "plan B".

For anyone out there who fancies themselves a Freelancer of any kind you know what I am talking about. It can be hard to make ends meet sometimes. Then again there are times when work is plentiful and you feel like it will never stop coming in.. all is well. The smart Freelancer knows however that nothing is permanent and to always prepare for those times in which the work fries up. It is much like the seasonal construction worker or tradesman. They work all Spring and Summer so they can put away for the Winter. They know how the money flows in and then out again and they prepare for those eventualities. We must do the same.

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So what is the message here? Essentially just to be prepared. I hate to use tired old cliches but when they fit, they fit. But do not put all your eggs into one basket. Find yourself some valid income sources that you can pull from when you need to. When one job stops giving out the work that you are accustomed to, start writing for the other jobs or clients that you have. At the moment I probably have about 8-9 places that I can write for and bring in solid income on a weekly basis. So at least I have work.

That is the biggest  thing that I am trying to share. Get hooked up with more than a few writing positions and keep them current. Write for them every so often to make sure you account does not go stale. You also want to make sure that if they have a ranking system (which most do) you want to do what you can to climb that ladder. You want to be able to put out some work for various places should your main client dry up for a bit or forever. Plan ahead and keep your goal in sight at all times.