Hey writer bugs!
Wow, you guys seemed to really like the first post from ‘Notes of a Lady Freelance Writer’. Duly noted, writer bees. Since last week I talked about the pros of freelancing, let’s talk about some of the cons that come with the job.
Side note: This is solely based on my experience as a Freelance Writer. Freelancing is different for everyone.
Work Ethic and Distractions
Let’s face it, schedules are unpredictable and life is full of distractions, especially if you’re working from home. Family, kids, other jobs, chores, the list goes on and on. Battling procrastination everyday is a real thing. The responsibility of managing projects is entirely on you. You need to have strong work ethic and motivation to be a freelance writer.
With the freedom to work whenever comes working at odd hours. For me, I’ve caught myself writing around midnight. This may be because I’m a night writer and usually get more work done when the rest of New York is asleep. Even though I’m an easily distracted procrastinator, I still meet every deadline. (I’m actually binge watching Cardcaptors as I’m writing this. Multitasking or distracting? You tell me.)
Broke and Lonely
In my experience, it took a while to gain momentum and build a presence online. At the start, you might get underpaid for work, which is discouraging. And sometimes, it’ll feel like you’re putting in more work than your being paid for. Don’t expect to make the big bucks right off the bat, the chump change comes first.
Since you are working by yourself, except for the occasional email, you may feel a bit detached from the world. Personally, I miss those face to face interactions with people. If I’m completely honest, it’s lonely as a freelance writer. I don’t have the luxury of collaborating with coworkers in person, like someone else would in an office environment.
Side note: I know a lot of freelancers have had trouble with receiving payments from buyers. For the most part, I haven’t had trouble with that, with any client I’ve worked with (knock on wood). Be sure to keep open communication with whoever you’re working with.
The Uncertainty
There’s a lot of uncertainty with freelancing. Job security is difficult to find. Your monthly salary is up in the air. And benefits, like medical coverage, is incredibly rare. Some days, you might have a ton of work to do, other days might be a dry spell. You’ll definitely be on your toes with freelancing. Frankly, it’s a tumultuous job, nothing is ever truly steady and secure (unless you have a solid client).
I worry a lot about this job. Can freelancing support me long term? Can I juggle multiple responsibilities at once? Would being a full time freelance writer ever be – enough? That uncertainty weighs me down. But, you take what you get, right?
Well, there you have it writer bugs, the pros and cons of being a freelance writer (from a lady freelancer). If you have any ideas for posts on this topic, let me know in the comments. To all the freelancers out there, what are some negatives to your job?
Write with heart,
Lady Jabberwocky
Lady Jabberwocky 
I’ve been toying with the idea of freelance writing for a bit, so this was a great post to read! 🙂 Also now I’m in the mood to watch Cardcaptors lol, that brings me back!
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That’s awesome! Good luck with that! Hopefully, I’ll be making more posts about freelancing soon. 🙂 And oh yeah, that original Cardcaptors anime, definitely nostalgia vibes!
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I signed up with Upwork to be a freelance writer back in May. To say it’s been slow would be an understatement. I’ve been a Stay at home mom for years, book reviewing as a hobby and occasionally helping to copyedit. As an introvert just doing this is downright daunting! You’re post was awesome and we’ll put! The biggest con for me at the moment is the unpredictability of the day to day schedule. The last two days have been a perfect example for me.
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I’m glad you liked this post! Dealing with unpredictable schedules by yourself is a tough part of the job. I’ve actually been thinking of signing up to Upwork. I’d love to know more about your experience with the site. Thank you for your comment and good luck in your freelancing endeavors! 🙂
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If you are starting out entry level it’s a little more difficult in landing jobs but if you are more experienced and have a portfolio with writing samples ready there is a lot available! For being new to freelancing so far my experience hasn’t been a bad one. 🙂
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I think you nailed it Trishaann! Starting out can be quite daunting, I tried the Upwork site but my profile got rejected because I don’t have the experience. Do you have any other suggestions for someone starting out?
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Hmm. I didn’t know they did that. I started out no professional experience in freelance writing. So far I have mostly done product testing and beta reading. I have only done one paid article and that has been it. So for the moment, I am focusing not so much on Upwork but on building my writing samples and uploading them to contently. There are a ton of free or low cost courses available as well and support groups on Facebook. My favorite is The Inkwell Guild with Ashley Gainer. (With that said I am not affiliated with her in anyway.)
I wish I had more advice but I am still finding my way as well. 🙂
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No this is great thank you for the insight Trishaann!
I’ll look into the courses and FB groups, didn’t think of taking that avenue before. And yes certainly continue with my writing, that is the best way for us to showcase what we got! Thanks again for your time😊
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I have a bad tendency to “multitask” as well. It’s tough to write and do other things at the same time. Still, reading, emailing, and everything else in the world needs done! It’s a struggle.
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I completely agree. It’s tough to juggle so many projects at once. But things have to get done!
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Great post touching on some of the cons of freelance writing! Any idea of where someone might start from an entry level?
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Thanks so much! From my experience, I found my first two freelance jobs on Indeed (one was a paid writing gig and one was an unpaid internship). Having this blog on WordPress helped me get noticed by employers. Later on, I started offering freelance work on Fiverr. Hope that helps! Good luck! 🙂
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You’re welcome!
Oh nice, yeah even an internship would allow me to gain some experience so I’m open to that idea for sure. Indeed sounds like my next stop, really appreciate your guidance, Thanks! 😀
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No problem! If you’re interested, I actually wrote a post about my experience with the internship. It’s called “What I learned from an unpaid writing internship”. It might be insightful for you. Good luck with your freelancing endeavors!
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Thanks for the well wishes😊Yes of course I’ll go check it out now! Knowledge is power after all!
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I am trying to become a successful freelance writer. I have 2 pits I would love to write about their everyday antics and likes and dislikes because i havent seen any websites like this with Pits. Pitbulls are underappreciated babies. I just dont know where to start. Ive made a writers website, I have some samples of writing I have worked on. And im stuck. I clean houses once a week but that’s not enough to live. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
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It’s tough once you get started, but keep consistently posting about the topics you’re interested in (like your adorable pitbulls) and you’ll slowly gain more attention to your content.
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Great! Although, I think these tips are good not only for freelancers but for others too. Definitely, I’ll try some of these tips. Thanks for sharing the article.
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Loved reading thiis thank you
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