The Freelance Life

I’ve always wanted to work for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have horror stories about working for a crazy, mean, or disrespectful boss. The vast majority of people I’ve worked for have been good managers. They’ve understood how my brain works and allowed me the freedom to accomplish my tasks without interference.

Working for myself has just been a dream of mine. I’m independent. I like to formulate ideas on my own. I like spending time working through a problem, coming up with a solution, and presenting it. Writing is great for that. Being assigned a task (an article, press release, or report), doing the research, thinking about how best to structure it (outlining), then creating something out of nothing really gets the juices flowing.

Well, working as a freelancer is hard. There are thousands of articles out there about the “freelance life” and what you can do to succeed. I’ve read plenty of them. Some have been helpful, others have been, well, blah. It’s always the same old stuff: “Make thousands as a freelancer with no experience!” “Quit your day job and be a freelancer!”

If you read between the lines - really “listen” to what they are saying - you’ll find that it’s not as simple as just telling your friends and colleagues you’re a freelancer and all of the work you can handle will fall into your lap.

Here’s my story.

My fiancée, Jennifer, and I moved out to Mishawaka, Indiana in December 2015. She’s a sales manager for a couple of senior care communities. This was my chance to fulfill my dream. Of course, I’ve applied for writing/editing jobs here locally, but my main goal was (and is) to be a freelance content writer and editor. When we arrived, I hit the ground running. I started researching local writing groups, marketing associations, advertising agencies, business assistance groups (like the small business development center), and anyone I thought could help me get started.

Things started going well. I was setting up meetings with local professionals. I was learning the lay of the land. I felt confident.

Then things started dragging out. Oh, I was still going to meetings. And more meetings. And still more meetings. No one was buying. I was looking online for freelance gigs. I talked to my SBDC business advisor. I worked on government certifications. I did just about everything short of getting on my knees and begging.

Happy ending? Not yet. I’m still working. I’m still talking to people and meeting people and trying to sell. It’s tough. The freelance life articles never mentioned that gut crunching stress of not working for weeks at a time. Don’t forget, most of the people writing those articles have successful established businesses set up. It’s easy to write about success when you have it. When you’re still working your tail off trying to get something going, it’s hard. Really hard.

So, I’ll keep you up to speed on how things are going. I’ll try to be as positive as possible, but again, it’s hard. I know, I know: keep at it. Good things come to those who wait. Never give up, never give in. I won’t. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’ve found my calling. I’m a freelance content writer and editor. Nothing will stop me. If I have to get a job, I will. I owe it to Jennifer to do whatever I need to do to succeed. I owe it to myself. But, I will keep at it.

This is one of my more rambling articles, but I hope you get the point. Sometimes it’s good to just write and let people read it without the polish. Well, here it is.

Oh. Thanks to all of you who have read my writing and liked/commented on my Twitter and LinkedIn posts. It’s really great for a writer to know people like what’s written. Please keep reading and send me some leads!

Happy writing!

Update: I landed a small gig with a local advertising agency as I was working on this post. Hopefully that’s the beginning of the flood gates opening! Wish me luck!

Finding your Writing Niche

At some point in every writer’s professional life, they face the moment when they ask themselves: “what kind of writing do I enjoy the most?” A writer may be employed to write advertising copy, business letters, annual reports, or any number of types of documents. He may enjoy the work or not find it fulfilling. If you’re in the latter category, here are some quick tips on how to find your writing niche.

Excitement

Are you excited? Does your heart rate increase a bit when you’re thinking about writing something? I don’t mean that you can’t sit still unless you share your thoughts, but it’s not too far off from that. I’ve found that researching, writing, editing planning documents (strategy, communications, management, etc.) gets my synapses “popping” more than writing, say, a business letter. Now, I enjoy writing and editing in general, but those types of documents get me going a little bit more (yeah, I know, it’s weird).

Interest

What are you interested in? It could be anything. Hamburgers, pet care, politics, sneakers, whatever. If you’re truly interested in something, your reader will be able to tell. Most writers write about what they’re interested in, but sometimes you can tell that their heart really isn’t into it. The writing may be good, but there’s just something missing that bleeds through.

Interest is tied to excitement, so it’s natural that your interests excite you. That’s what you should write about.

Praise

Have you written something and your readers (or your boss) praised your finished product? You may have found your writing niche. You can probably tell that these three tips are tied together. If you’re interested in something, you’ll more than likely be excited about it, which will reflect in your writing and ultimately result in praise from your readers.

Do an honest self-evaluation of what you like to do and you’ll not only find your writing niche, but your writing will improve.

Quick story: 

Just last week, I did this evaluation when I was developing a value statement for potential clients. After feeling confused about what writing, editing, and proofreading services I would offer (and to which clients), I looked at my experiences and interests more critically. What I discovered was that government, nonprofits, and politics were my niches. Writing campaign management plans, disaster recovery plans, researching and reports, communications plans, and other documents that could be beneficial to government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and political candidates and groups gets me excited and have received the most praise.

Now of course I won’t cut off my nose to spite my face and turn down writing assignments when offered (I am in business), but my marketing focus will be on those three sectors.

Give that self-evaluation a try and let me know what you find.

Happy writing!