Is the Freelance Writing Life For You?

Nick Usborne Freelancer writers tend to develop something of a superior attitude at times. Some of us feel that we are a cut above our brothers and sisters who work as employees.

But the truth is, working as a freelancer is not for everyone. Working on your own is not always the right answer. Personal circumstances and personalities all come into play.

Here are a few thoughts on why you might, or might not consider freelancing as being best for you and your family.

First, here are 5 reasons why working as a freelance writer might be right for you:

1. You don’t play well with others and prefer to set your own schedules, follow you own path.

2. You have entrepreneurial skills and see opportunities for yourself that are not available to you as a salaried employee.

3. Your personal circumstances at home are such that it makes more sense for you to work out of your own house.

4. You simply become bored when working on the same accounts day after day, week after week.

5. You suffer anxiety over the possibility of losing your job, and the difficulty of finding another.

All that said, there are excellent reasons why writers prefer to work as employees:

1. You want the stimulation of working together with others and do better work within a group environment.

2. Your company gives you access to accounts and challenges you feel you couldn’t find on your own.

3. You don’t feel you have the skills or confidence to get out there and be sure of getting enough work on your own to pay the bills.

4. You may want to go freelance one day, but first want to get the experience and build up a portfolio and reputation while working for a company or agency.

Finally, being freelance or working as an employee is no indicator of how ‘good’ you are. You won’t find all the best writers are freelancers, or employees. I know some excellent writers who work for themselves, and some equally good writers who are employed.

When you come down to it, we all make choices based on what suits our personalities, circumstances and ambitions. There is no best way or even better way. We all have different goals in life and simply find the route that best serves those goals.

About the Author

Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocate of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his www.ExcessVoice.com site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at www.FreelanceWritingSuccess.com