Living a freelance life has its advantages and disadvantages. Sure, you can write in your pajamas, but you can also be left waiting by the mailbox waiting for that check to arrive so you can pay your mortgage. But you get to be in control of your work and your life.
The benefits will vary depending on the person. What I find an advantage someone else may not, but here is how I see it:
THE ADVANTAGES:
Work for Myself
Being my own boss is great. I get to control my work life, to a point. (Clients do have a say.) But if I want to work in sweats, I can. If I want to skip a day, I can. I also get to pick my topics for my own projects and which clients to approach for work. Being in control is empowering. I also like knowing that success (and failure) is of my own making.
Make My Own Hours
This is my favorite perk of the job. If I want to write from 8pm to 2am, I can. If I want to sleep in one day or one week, I can. As long as I get my work finished, my hours are completely my own. This means I can be there for family events or make time for a friend. What typically happens is that I will work long hours during big projects and the have small breaks in between. But the production calendar is mine to manage and fill. If I need a few days, I can make that happen.
Firing Bad Clients
When I get a bad client (which, thankfully, is not often), I can fire him. There is no reason to work for someone abusive, rude or unreasonable. See my blog on when to fire clients for more on this topic.
No Commute
Another great perk, especially where I live. Not having to be stuck in my car for hours on end makes life sweeter.
Pick My Clients/Projects
I know which subjects interest me and which do not. I avoid those types of jobs. The only caveat is that I often work with agencies or production companies and end up working on projects that are not directly in my interest zone, but I will refuse jobs that hold no interest, no matter the budget. I get the last say. It helps to work on projects that are interesting or meaningful to me.
Indulge Curiosity
The best part of being a writer is indulging my curiosity. If I am fascinated by a subject, I can learn more about it and query articles to justify the time I’ve spent learning something new. It’s the best job for someone who wants to grow and share knowledge.
Work Wherever
Not being locked to an office or even a town is heaven. I don’t require much. If I have my laptop, I can work. If I want to work at the park on a pretty day, I can. If I get tired of my own company in my home office, I can go to a local coffeehouse. Plus, if my family wants to move, I can move. My options are unlimited. I can work on a plane, train or my kitchen table. I love the freedom of that.
Work-Life Balance
I am in charge or managing my life and work. If I have a family emergency or vacation, I can rearrange my schedule to accommodate them. I can swap my hours around so I can eat dinner with my family every night or have date nights with my husband. As long as I finish my work, I can make time and room for the things that really matter in my life. It’s about priorities. Of course, this needs constant managing to keep life in balance.
THE DISADVANTAGES:
Don’t Work, Don’t Get Paid
If I choose to take time off or don’t land a client or article for a particular time period, I don’t get paid. My salary is based on work completed. There is no set salary or regular paycheck. There are no vacations or sick leave. No time off for good behavior. I have to schedule those in and manage my cash flow to cover them.
No Stability, No Guarantees
There are no salaries in a freelance career. Your work determines your pay. The work is variable and so is the pay. Clients quit, leaving you without a contact or, worse, a replacement who wants to use her own writer. Editors change publications. Contacts change. Since freelancers are independent contractors, there is no guarantee of work or renewed contracts. You can’t count on continuing work, even from existing clients. There are no guarantees. The freelance life is full of instability.
No Paycheck
You’re supposed to get paid for work completed, but that payment doesn’t arrive by direct deposit and certainly not on a regular basis. Most times, clients sit on bills. Invoices rarely get paid within 30 days of receipt. You have to be able to handle not getting paid for a long time. It once took a client nine months to pay me for a job and more than once for clients not pay at all. It helps to have a good contract drafted by an attorney who is willing to write letters asking clients for payment. I have found a letter from my attorney works wonders in getting paid. Obviously, when this happens, I never work for that client again. But it doesn’t help the checks arrive sooner.
Distractions of Home
Working from home can be distracting. Writing takes discipline, which is obvious when you’re working from home. Somehow when the words won’t come or the muse has left the building, there is nothing more enticing than dirty dishes, laundry, a dog that needs walking. The distractions are endless, but they won’t get the work done.
Work-Life Balance
Yes, this item also appeared under advantages. It belongs in both places because as a small business owner, you will be pulled into work more than you imagine. Work takes over, especially when you have a home office that is never out of sight. It’s easier than you think for projects to become your life, to realize you haven’t left your home in weeks or seen your family in days. It’s up to you to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Isolation
With a home office, there is no one to talk to about last night’s big TV show or what you are doing over the weekend. Sure, there’s social media, but it’s not the same as grabbing a cup of coffee in the break room or going to lunch with the work gang. Being a freelance writer can be isolating. It’s important to find ways to engage with other people. Join a writer’s association, start a book club or become a regular some place where everyone knows your name. It helps.
No Delegation
It’s all up to you. You can’t pawn onerous or tedious jobs onto someone else.
There is no assistant to file paperwork, do billing or handle the administrative tasks every business has. There’s just you. You have to do it all.
Selling/Querying
If you want to find work, that’s up to you too. It’s not enough to just be a writer.
You have to be the sales team, marketing department and web developer. You have to handle every role involved in getting work if you want to make money. This means getting really good at landing clients and querying projects. You need to know how to pitch yourself and your ideas. It doesn’t hurt to know all about SEO, social media and websites either.
No Benefits
I’m the boss, but that means I’m also the one who has to provide health, dental and vision insurance, retirement and all the regular benefits most employers offer. There are no perks. No matching investments in my 401k or paid sick leave. No incentives for doing better, no merit raises. And, the way insurance works, the self-employed pay more for their benefits. We also pay more in taxes. But there are some ways around this. If you join an association, you can often get group rate insurance. A good accountant can help you reduce your tax load and increase your retirement fund at the same time. Since it’s you to you, it helps to have a good team behind you. I highly recommend a good accountant and attorney.
THE VERDICT
There are many advantages and disadvantages of being a freelance writer. You have to be able to weather the variable conditions and the instability of finding your work. But even with the long list of cons, I can’t imagine doing anything else.