Oh, the dreams are big. Quit your job. Write all day. Make a living in your PJs, working your own hours. It’s so romantic. So appealing. The image of the writer is part of why so many people want to embrace the life of a freelance writer or novelist.
I won’t lie. Being a writer for a living is a great way to live. I wouldn’t want to do anything else. But it’s not all great. There are pitfalls no one talks about. Until now.
This life is not for everyone. You should know what you are getting yourself into before you quit your day job. I once met a popular novelist who talked about how he quit his job after his first few books and had to return to it because he hated being a full-time writer. He didn’t stop writing his novels, he just did it while having another successful career too in a totally different field.
There are options if you want to write. So before you quit your job or spin a fantasy about life as a freelancer, consider the following. It’s my top 10 list of things people don’t tell you about this way of making a living:
1. It’s a solitary existence. Most freelancers work at home or in coffee shops, parks, cafes. But no matter where you are, it’s always just you and your computer. There are no colleagues and no water cooler talk. A freelance writer must be comfortable being alone. A lot. This is an introvert’s dream job, but torture for an extrovert. Be sure you can handle the quiet. Or build in a strong support system.
2. Agoraphobia can set in. When I started my freelance company, I didn’t leave the house for three weeks. It happens. I realized it wasn’t healthy and joined a martial arts studio to have set classes and a reason to leave the house. I met my husband there and haven’t looked back since. I still make an effort to get out in the world. They know me by name at the local coffee shops and bookstores. That’s not to say I don’t have a wonderful home office that is my main base of operation, but it’s not the only place I work or live. It’s easy to isolate yourself, but it won’t serve you or your writing. Get out in the world. Go for walks. Go out for lunch. Live in the world, not just on the page.
3. PJs lower your energy and focus. I know it sounds great to hang out all day in pajamas or sweats, but being that comfortable will diminish your energy and focus. At least, it does for me. I always do better on days I get up, shower, dress and make myself ready for the world, even if I never leave my home office. It’s about feeling engaged and awake.
4. It’s even more important to be professional than at a traditional job. Being your own boss sounds like heaven, but the truth is you’re not the boss as a writer. There are always clients, editors, agents—people who pay you to write. These are your bosses, for lack of a better word. The only difference is they hire you for individual projects, not for a long-term position. This means you have to be professional every time you connect with them. Professionalism is everything if you want a successful career. You are working without a net. There is no security. You have to earn the right to write every time. There are no guarantees.
5. Selling is a big part of this. There’s no way around this one. If you want to write for a living, you have to sell your work and your skills. This means marketing and pitching. It’s not fun, but it is necessary. Writing is just part of you what you will be doing. There’s a whole host of small business skills you’ll need. It’s best to learn how to run a small business before you begin. Talk to the Small Business Development Center near you (part of the SBA). They can help prepare you for sales, finances, legal issues, and so much more.
6. Money is not guaranteed, even when there’s a contract. That’s right. Sometimes people don’t pay. Or they pay late. And I mean LATE. Once I had a client who took a year to pay and only did after legal action. Another disappeared on me (to another country) and stiffed me thousands. It happens. Be prepared for it. Don’t spend money you don’t have. Don’t assume you’ll get paid on time. It’s rare when that actually happens. Get used to budgeting your money and prepare for lean periods. If you’re a person who likes financial stability, you may want to find another way to work. This is a precarious lifestyle, especially in the early years.
7. There’s no sick leave. No paid vacation. You’re your own boss. There’s no one who is going to give you paid time off other than you. You have to plan for it. If you get sick, you still have to meet your deadlines. If you want to go on vacation, you have to make sure there is money for the trip and your bills while you are gone, plus to cover the time you will be gone because you won’t be earning during that period. Get used to the idea of “You don’t work, you don’t get paid.”
8. Deadlines are absolute. No wiggle room. It’s amazing to me how many people think deadlines are negotiable. They are not. Not if you want to work with that client again. Deadlines matter. Make sure you can handle the work load and make all your deadlines. If this means working non-stop, do it. Then adjust your load next time so you can handle it better.
9. Being nice matters. People like working with writers who are pleasant. This means during edits too. You can’t blow a gasket if a client asks for an outrageous edit, and some will. Here’s what I do: I nod my head, I listen respectfully (trying to hide my true feelings), and then I explain why I wrote it the way I did. Sometimes that’s enough to convince the client to keep it the way I wrote it, sometimes not. The only time I put up a fuss (and again, I do this as pleasantly as possible) is when a client wants to change the writing to something ungrammatical or heinous (again, it happens). In the end, though, they are the client. They are the ones who will pay you, so they win. This is mostly true for editors too, although they tend to listen better and have much better skills that can strengthen a piece. In the end, this is a business. You only have so much control over your part of it. Fight for your vision, but be flexible and professional. Listen. And always be nice.
10. Keeping a work-life balance is hard. I won’t lie. It’s tough to find time to write, manage deadlines, run a family, and have a life. In the beginning, I was terrible about balancing my work and life. I worked all the time, rarely taking a break. I didn’t take a vacation for the first few years. And I burned out. If you are going to make it in this business, like any job, you have to find a balance between work and life. Take too much time off and you won’t be able to pay your bills. Take too little and you’ll burn out.
There are other realities to this lifestyle, but these are my top ten pitfalls. What would make your list?