The Pros And Cons Of Becoming A Freelance Writer

Hi! I’m a freelance writer. My friends and family are always asking me what that’s like, so I decided to write this blog post about the pros and cons of being a freelancer because you probably have some questions about it too. So without further ado, here’s what it’s like to be a freelance writer.

Nobody talks about these freelance writing pros and cons.

Takeaways
Freelance writing offers flexibility in work schedule and project selection.
Freelancing allows for potential higher earning potential compared to traditional employment.
Freelance writers have the opportunity to pursue their passion and work on projects they enjoy.
Self-motivation and discipline are crucial for success as a freelance writer.
Freelancing comes with challenges such as inconsistent income and the need for self-promotion.
Building a strong portfolio and networking within the writing community can help attract clients.
Determining fair freelance writing rates requires considering experience, project complexity, and market standards.
Continuous learning and practice are essential for improving freelance writing skills.
Freelance writing provides the opportunity to work independently and be your own boss.
Freelancers need to be proactive in managing their finances and planning for periods without work.

Table of Contents

The Pros Of Becoming A Freelance Writer

Becoming a freelance writer can be a great way to make money on the side. Whether you are looking for additional income or trying to cut down on your day job, it is possible to do so as long as you work hard, network, and put out quality content. Here are some of the pros of becoming a freelance writer.

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You Get To Choose What You Write About

When you’re working for a publication or company, your assignments come from the editor or client. You have no say in what topics you cover. If a project is too broad or requires writing on something that doesn’t interest you, then it can be difficult to complete. Working as a freelancer allows you peace of mind because the topics are totally up to you, allowing for greater flexibility and creativity in your writing career!

You Can Do It From Anywhere

While you can work from anywhere, many freelancers make their homes their offices. This allows them to spend more time with family and friends, as well as save on gas and parking expenses. Some freelancers enjoy working out of coffee shops or cafes because they love being surrounded by people while they get their work done.

Others like taking advantage of free Wi-Fi at hotels; they may choose to stay at one location for several weeks at a time while they knock out projects before moving on to the next city or country. If you’re looking for a little bit more solitude, consider renting a cabin in the woods or mountains where there’s less distraction than bustling cities like New York City or Los Angeles would provide!

It Is A Skill That Is Always In Demand

You can be assured that your writing skills will always be in demand as a freelancer. There are always new topics to write about, and there is a need for writers in many different industries. Plus, the demand for freelance writers is growing. This means that you might see an increase in work coming your way as time goes on!

The great thing about freelance writing is that it’s not only something people need help with today; but also something they will continue needing tomorrow and beyond – which means you’re never going to run out of job opportunities if you become a writer!

Knowledge And Skills Will Grow As You Write More

As you write more and more, you will begin to understand what type of writing is best for you. You will also learn more about the industry and types of writing that interest you. For example: if your goal is to work as a magazine editor, then you must know how to write an article.

If your goal is to become a technical writer, then practicing technical writing can help improve your skills in this field. If it’s not working out for me, then I’ll go back to school or something.”

You Can Build Up A Client Base And Make More Money

As a freelance writer, you’ll have the freedom to pick and choose who you work for and when. You are in charge of setting your schedule and negotiating your rates.

If you have proven yourself as an expert in your field by writing articles for other websites or magazines, then there’s no reason why potential clients wouldn’t hire you for their content needs. This means that if someone likes what they read from one of my articles on this site (thankfully!), then they may be willing to pay me to write something similar for them too!

Journalism offers a diverse range of writing opportunities, and freelancing in this field can be incredibly rewarding. If you’re interested in becoming a freelance writer in the journalism industry, our guide is a must-read. Gain valuable insights and practical tips on how to become a freelance writer in the journalism industry to kickstart your career in reporting, feature writing, and investigative journalism.

Your Writing Samples Will Multiply As You Work With Different Clients And Genres

As a freelance writer, the number of projects and clients that you have is limitless. The more experience and success that you gain as a freelancer, the more opportunities there are for work (and money!).

So if one project ends or gets canceled at any time during your career as a freelancer, it doesn’t mean that this will happen again in the future when working with other companies or people within those same industries.

Instead what it means is that there could always be another client out there who needs someone like yourself around because their business has grown too large for them alone!

You Are The Boss, So There Are No Office Politics Or Policies To Follow

In a traditional office environment, there are policies and procedures to follow. If you don’t follow them, you’ll likely get in trouble with your boss or HR. However, when you’re a freelancer, you have the freedom to set your hours and decide what kind of work you want to do. You also don’t have to worry about office politics because it’s just you at home!

Additionally, as a freelancer, there are no mandatory lunch breaks or meetings on Fridays so that means more time for other things like writing and exercising!

You Don’t Have To Go Into A 9-5 Office Job Every Day

No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you can still find a way to write. You don’t have to go into a 9-5 office job every day. You can work from home, on your laptop or tablet while sitting on your couch watching TV. Or maybe even while on vacation!

Some freelance writing jobs will indeed require you to go into an office once in a while, but not all of them do and that’s because freelance writing is flexible enough for it not to be a requirement at all!

If You’re Good, Your Reputation Will Spread And You’ll Eventually Be Able To Turn Down Jobs That Aren’t In Your Preferred Genre Or Pay Well Enough

This is the point where things become less clear-cut. There are a lot of people who want to write but don’t have any experience with it yet so they take any job they can get if they think it might lead somewhere else. (Not all of these people are necessarily bad writers.).

But there’s also an issue with how much money some employers may expect an entry-level freelancer to earn; some companies might offer low-paid positions without realizing how difficult it would be for someone who isn’t already established as a writer to live on that paycheck alone.

There Are Opportunities To Travel If Your Preferred Genre Involves Travel Writing And Blogging

There are opportunities to travel if your preferred genre involves travel writing and blogging. Travel writing is a great way to explore the world as you learn about different cultures and meet people from different regions. You can also write about your travels, which is an exciting way to see the city from a new perspective. Or you may want to write about travel in your own country or even your city!

Traveling has become more accessible over time because of technology (websites like [Trip Advisor](https://www.tripadvisor) have made it easier for travelers everywhere), so there’s no excuse not to explore every corner of this beautiful planet we live on!

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Choose Your Hours – Although Be Careful Not To Neglect Self-Care, Including Getting Enough Sleep!

When you work for yourself, you are no longer beholden to a boss who tells you when to come in and when to leave. You can set your hours and take time off whenever you feel like it. What’s important here is that, although this freedom is fantastic, it’s very easy for freelancers (including myself!) to become overworked and neglect their health by working too much.

To avoid burnout or exhaustion, here are some suggestions:

Get enough sleep – at least 8 hours every night!
Take breaks during the day so that your mind doesn’t get overwhelmed with stress or boredom. This might include going for walks around town or reading something fun before getting back into work mode. It can even be helpful just to close your eyes for five minutes if that’s all the time you have!

Work May Be Less Stressful Than An Office Job, Depending On The Nature Of The Work Itself

Working from home or setting your hours is one of the biggest perks of a freelance writing career. Freelance writers are free to work when they want, where they want, and how they want it’s all up to you!

If working in an office is stressful for you because of its structure and environment, freelancing may be a much more relaxed option. When it comes down to it, there are many different opportunities for freelance writers; some jobs may allow you more freedom than others when it comes to time off or being in control of your workload.

The Cons To Becoming A Freelance Writer

If you’re thinking about becoming a freelance writer, it’s important to know the cons to consider. Being your boss is a dream come true for some, but others may find that there are some surprising challenges as well. Here are some things to consider as you make your decision.

You Don’t Get Employee Benefits

A freelance writer is not an employee. This means that you don’t get paid sick days or vacation days, health insurance, paid time off, and holidays. When you work for yourself, every day has to be treated like it’s a Monday you have to hustle even if you’re sick as hell or exhausted from a long weekend. If something comes up in your personal life (like a family emergency or illness), then this will impact your writing schedule too.

A lack of benefits isn’t the only reason why being a freelancer can be hard on your physical and mental health the ability to take time off when needed is also important because it allows us to recharge our batteries so we can continue working at our best level when we’re back at our desks again!

You Have To Chase Your Clients For Payments

Chasing clients for payments is a common problem for freelance writers. Sometimes you’ll need to be persistent and keep chasing them until they pay you. However, there are times when you need to know when to stop chasing and move on with your life for example if the client has not paid on time, or if they refuse to pay you at all despite your best efforts at persuasion.

The key point here is that persistence is good, but only up until the point where it starts becoming unproductive (like in our example of chasing non-payers). At some point and this varies from person to person you have to know when enough is enough before it becomes detrimental and starts affecting both your mental health and your career prospects as a whole.

Your Income Can Be Unstable

You will have more income fluctuations than a typical employee. As a full-time employee, your paycheck is generally consistent each month. You know what your income is going to be, and you can plan around that.

As a freelancer, however, you don’t know when (or if) you’ll get paid for any given assignment until after it’s done. This means that at some times of the year especially during slow seasons like winter you may find yourself struggling to meet expenses and bills without any new assignments coming in.

On the other hand, if things go well and you have plenty of work on tap (or even too much), then it will be difficult to keep up with all of the projects while still meeting deadlines and living within your means financially so as not to overextend yourself financially or emotionally.

Overspending beyond your means could lead to an unhealthy lifestyle due to stress over finances caused by having too many financial obligations compared to limited revenue streams available right now due to low demand for content creation services.

At this period but hopefully, things will pick up soon enough because summertime is coming soon so hopefully there will be more demand for content creation services then…

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You Must Pay Taxes Yourself

You will no longer be able to avoid your taxes by having an employer do them for you. You must pay all of your taxes, including income tax and self-employment tax. You will also need to pay state income tax, local income tax, and other forms of taxation that may apply in your area.

If you’re someone who wants to write as a full-time job but doesn’t feel like paying taxes on top of everything else then being a freelance writer isn’t for you!

You Have To Work Hard To Build Up A Reputation And Credibility With Clients

The next problem you will encounter is the work itself. You will have to work hard to build up a reputation and credibility with clients. You may have to spend months writing a few articles before you get your first client, but that’s okay because it can be very rewarding once you finish one article and see how happy your client was with your work.

So there are many cons of being a freelance writer, but at least it’s not as bad as working at McDonald’s or something!

You Have To Learn How To Price Your Time And Skills Correctly.

Being a freelancer means that you are your boss, and as such you need to be able to price your time and skills correctly. If you’re not sure how much to charge for something, look at what other freelance writers charge. You can also lookup rates online on sites like Upwork, which provides hourly rates for professionals in various fields.

You have to learn how to justify these rates with clients as well. Some clients might think that the amount they pay is too high and might try negotiating with you (or worse). It’s important that when this happens, you can explain why your prices are reasonable and justified with facts about industry standards or whatever else makes sense in the situation.

You Have To Do Everything Yourself (Finding Clients, Etc.).

You have to do everything yourself (finding clients and getting them to pay you). You don’t have an office or coworkers who can pitch in on projects. You are the boss, so it’s up to you and only you to find new clients. This means networking like crazy and marketing yourself online; in other words, hustling.

Being A Solo Entrepreneur Means You’re Going It Alone

Being a solo entrepreneur means you’re going it alone. This can mean major sacrifices when it comes to your income and lifestyle, but it also means that you don’t have anyone else to help support you or guide you.

As a freelancer, you don’t have an employer or manager who will guide your work product and professional development. You are responsible for everything that happens in your business: finding clients, negotiating rates, maintaining good relationships with those clients (so they will keep hiring), marketing yourself and your services effectively so more people know about what you do…and so on.

It’s important to be self-motivated! It’s also important to learn from mistakes when they happen instead of blaming them on others (or the economy).

If You’re Not Careful, It Can Be Easy To Fall Into Bad Habits Like Procrastination And Writing When You’re Tired

Creating a successful freelance writing business takes time and energy, but that doesn’t mean it has to be all work and no play. The best way to stay motivated is by setting goals for yourself, then achieving them in bite-sized chunks.

If you’re struggling with procrastination, try scheduling your day in 15-minute intervals instead of longer periods. This allows you to focus on one task at a time instead of multi-tasking which can cause burnout or overwhelm.

It Can Feel Lonely At Times, Especially If You Are Introverted Or Shy

If you are an introvert or an introverted person, it can often be hard to make friends. It can feel lonely at times, especially if you don’t have a community of writers around you who understand what it’s like to be a freelance writer.

It can also be difficult to find mentors or people who will guide you through the process of freelancing. If you are not lucky enough to have someone in your life that has already been through this process before and knows what they’re doing, then finding information online might not help too much either because most of these articles are written for people who know how things work already!

Finding jobs can be another challenge as well since most companies don’t want to spend money on hiring freelance writers when there might not be any more work coming up soon after that initial project ends (especially true if this is their first time hiring one out).

Writer’s Block Is Real And You Will Experience It At Some Point, But You’ll Need To Keep Writing Anyway

Writer’s block is a real thing, and you will experience it at some point. When this happens, you’ll want to keep writing anyway. The best way to do this is by trying something else:

Writing another piece
Taking a break from writing for a few hours or days
Reading up on your craft

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Final Thoughts

Freelance writing is not for everyone, but if it’s something you do want to pursue as a career, you must prepare yourself for these common issues and challenges. Thankfully, they’re all manageable if you know what to expect ahead of time.

And remember: being successful doesn’t mean having any problems whatsoever; it means learning how to overcome those obstacles and find solutions that work best for you!