Want to be a Freelance Writer?

Posted by KC Morgan Mar 27, 2008

Ask almost any would-be freelancer, and they’ll say the same: they want to work from home by writing, earning an income and doing what they love. That all sounds fabulous, but the reality of being a freelance writer is often cold, lonely, and filled with the harshest of criticisms. Is freelance writing really the road you want to walk to self employment? Are you tough enough to take on the Internet?

Be a Freelance Writer

You know you’re a good writer, so good that you’re sure other people would pay you to just write. So, you answer some ads for jobs online. You send out resumes, you build a portfolio. You start to get some real-life writing gigs, you may even start to get some money. You get some regular readers, and suddenly the self employed dream starts to come true.

Are You Tough Enough?

If everything has an up, it also has a down. Writers who create materials for the Internet population at large are actually taking a risk every time they present a new piece. For every complimentary comment any freelance writer might receive, there are probably at least ten harshly critical comments to go with it. Every day turns into an adventure when readers start to sound off, and sometimes their comments may impugn not just the writing but the writers themselves.

You’re sitting at home, a place that should be secure, and yet these readers (and their comments) still find a way inside your e-mail, your office…your head. The more popular the writing becomes, the more likely it is these comments will arrive. As if the endless rejections writers face weren’t bad enough - now the general public is rejecting the writing, too. Are you tough enough to take it?