The Proven Ugly Truths of Being A Freelance Writer
Tags: Self Improvement, Freelancing, Creativity, Writing, Freelance Writing

Photo by Matthew LeJune on Unsplash

If you are a writer, whether you’re a newbie or an expert, I’m pretty sure you’re familiar to some of these ugly truths.

Some of these experiences are prevalent especially if you’re still learning how to navigate your way inside the world of how to be a writer that earns money through writing.

Each creative’s dream is to make a living out of their creative skills. But by living in the real world, it will never be that simple. It will be a constant challenge.

The ugly truths that I’ve written are not just based on my own experiences but also what I learned from other creatives.

Low Pay or No Pay at All

If you’re just starting out as a writer, it is maybe normal to accept low balls writing gigs. There will have a few exceptions where you’ll need to write for a free test article just to get your clients project. This is a common scenario when you’re building your writing portfolio.

But be careful to those clients that will pay you less than what you should be getting for a long period of time. It is more heartbreaking when your client disappears without you getting paid and you can’t even get a thank you after what you’ve done for them.

The main battle of making writing as your career is the sustainability of your income. There will be times where you’ll experience what I call the “drought season.” It is when you’ll have no writing project for a month.

Even the established writers can have a difficulty to get decent clients that are willing to pay them for what their work’s worth. That’s the sad truth.

What To Do:

The beautiful advice I can give you to avoid these incidents is to know your worth. And of course, always ask a down payment before starting a project.

Yes, there are times where you need to accept low pay writing gigs to support your income. Money is still money but don’t go below your limit.

If a client will ask you to write a 1,000-word post for $3–5, never ever accept it. Even if you live in a third world country, you shouldn’t accept it. Why? Because that will be a total insult to your capability as a writer.

Raise a red flag immediately. These are the signs of a toxic client.

Remember this:

You don’t lose a client but that client definitely loses a wonderful writer.

Never settle for less than what you deserve. You always deserve what’s best.

Reach out to potential clients to avoid the drought season.

Slaves than Creatives

To support what’s been written above. This one is definitely an ugly truth.

Plenty of clients are treating writers as if they’re their slaves.

They will treat you as if you’re just an easy-to-rid-off employee. They will make you feel that being a writer is not a career. Aside from having a low pay, they will make you do plenty types of works.

They want you to become a jack of all trades. It means you will be their copywriter, blog and SEO writer, editor, proofreader, sales manager, graphic designer, and virtual assistant. Then they will pay you a penny for all of those job requirements.

They would even ask you to do your work over and over again without even giving you an additional payment.

Beware of content mills or bidding sites. This is where you’ll mostly find these type of clients.

I’ve been in this situation before and it is not a happy experience.

A Beautiful Tip:

You must know that your clients are not the only ones who are running a business online. You should know you are also a business owner.

By writing online, you are making money for yourself.

Aside from being a writer, you are also an accountant and a marketer. You need to market yourself to get clients. You need to be an accountant at the same time because you are responsible for evaluating your monthly income and expenses.

Lastly, make a contract before working as a freelancer. Only do the work that you both agreed to do. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to clarify things about the project.

The Struggle To Be Published

Having your written piece published to huge publications is an award-winning experience as a writer.

The pride of seeing your name as a writer for a certain publication is what gives you extra confidence to write more. It is also a big boost to your portfolio.

But let’s face the truth, it is never that easy.

Being a writer to your chosen field, getting published is a backbreaking work to do. You need to go through different processes and phases of failure.

If you have a weak spirit then writing can be for you but being a writer that earns is not your fate.

What To Do:

If you want to be published then you need to fight your way to get noticed.

Pitch your ideas to right editors. Make sure you’ve studied what type of articles they need.

You will taste failure more often than winning but you will not learn if you do not fail.

Learn from feedback and criticisms to improve your writing.

Never be ashamed to hit publish. If you’ve written something that you’re proud of and can help others then it is worth sharing and reading.

Lack Of Social Interaction

Working as a writer means you need to devote most of your time writing. You need to work with no interruptions so you can focus on your thoughts and bleed it out into the blank space.

This is typical to all creatives. This is something you should accept if you want to become a writer.

You can still expose yourself to other people if you are working online. You can write while you are in public places such as cafes. But there will be no real conversations with other people because once you start writing, your mind also needs to be in the zone of writing.

A Beautiful Tip:

As a writer, it is not bizarre to spend most of your time writing. You need to be alone but that doesn’t mean you are a loner.

You just need to be alone for a limited amount of time so you can finish your work. What happens after doing your obligation as a writer solely depends on you.

On The Bright Side:

Every career has its own ugly sides.

What I’ve listed above is just a few reminders of how hard it is to become a successful writer. If you don’t know how to deal with the situation, then you’ll definitely give up.

You can certainly make a living out of writing. The world is changing. You don’t need to have a huge sum of money to start a business.

In these days, you only need to have an internet connection, perseverance, patience, and your skill to earn money online.

Guess what you lucky little mortal, writing is one of those skills.

So use your fingers to type what your brain wants this world to know. Keep writing and don’t stop.