I Would Do It Again ~ #MondayBlogs

Working as a freelancer, in any position, can be nerve-wracking. There are no guarantees of income, paid vacations, or health care. A writer and any creative artist must also split themselves between the creative right-brain and the no-nonsense business left-brain. It certainly isn’t easy.

But after 35+ years of freelancing with only a few years of W-2s in there, I would do it all again if I were starting over.

Not only have I worked as a freelance writer, I’ve also worked out of my own home and have often played around with work hours depending on demand. Some misconceptions that have caused me occasional frustration is when others don’t seem to comprehend that I am indeed working. While I have the freedom of beginning my work day in jammies and with my feet up (I admit, most days), I also have the responsibility of meeting commitments that I’ve made. Basically if I fail to meet my deadline(s) for any one or more of my clients, the chances of my getting future assignments are very low.

As a freelancer I don’t really work for myself, I work for every client I have. I negotiate my deals, accept assignments and promise to get the job done, and sometimes put up with temperamental subjects without losing my cool or grumbling to others (too much). The hardest part of working for myself is not having any back-up (some freelancers work in teams and might be able to avoid this), in my case if I don’t do it I let down my client. I’ll let you know here that I was an adult when I finally came down with chicken-pox (got it from my children) and I worked every day in my office anyway because there was no one else to do it.

Many people differentiate between being a freelancer and being self-employed. The general descriptions say that a freelancer does occasional pieces of work for others and works as a solitary unit; while self-employed means you run your company, serve customers and often hire others to work for you. Sometimes the terms can be interchangeable.

In the long run there is a huge pride in being able to say “this is totally mine” and to know that I am following my calling. Writing is the equivalent to breathing for me and I love knowing that, even though I am working, “I am not working a day of my life.” I enjoy knowing that people read the words I write, and yes, I do enjoy working in my jammies!

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Freelancing Ups and Downs ~ #MondayBlogs

I love the idea of working for myself, but it’s not all sunshine and carefree work days. Aside from the obvious pressure of maintaining enough paying clients and paying for one’s own health insurance, the biggest things I miss from working for someone else are NO sick days and NO snow days.

Okay, sick days… I actually had Chicken Pox at the ripe old age of 40 and I worked during the entire illness… thank goodness I didn’t have to use any videoconferencing; I was very self-conscious about those terrible red marks. That was a couple of decades ago.

And snow days, wow. It is hard to complain about commuting over snow covered roads when all you have to do is walk down the hallway from your bedroom. I even begin most of my workdays in my robe and jammies. The only thing that really puts me out of work is a power failure and/or internet interruption; with the convenience of a fully charged laptop, fully charged tablet or fully charged smart phone I can at least manage a few of my tasks (I just have to remember to plug everything in to keep them charged).

The most important thing is that I am doing what I want to do, I love to write, I love to know that people read my words and maybe, just maybe I can make a difference for someone.

My favorite kind of writing is my fiction; I love to tell stories combining passion and suspense. Let’s face facts though, few fiction authors exist on their writing alone. I am doubly lucky, I enjoy my “back-up” job as a journalist — yes, still writing. I write how-to articles, blog on medical issues, author a monthly column in an Emergency Medical Services trade paper, and publish a Kindle blog filled with writing lessons. I love the research and getting information out to people who need it.

"If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." I heard that adage many years ago and I wind up living my work life by it. There are days I get frustrated, clients are paying on time, I could use more money (who can’t?), a subject I am interviewing isn’t very cooperative, and that’s just the non-fiction part. For my novels and short stories, I wish I had more readers, more reviews, more sales and better Amazon rankings.

I am extraordinarily lucky, I work with several absolutely wonderful editors; of course I try very hard to meet all of my deadlines and get the job done to their satisfaction, I hope they feel as warmly about me. My novel publisher is beyond words terrific, goes out of her way for her authors and always encourages each one of us; she has also become a very good friend, although I have never met her face to face we’ve shared many great phone calls and emails. And the best thing of all is the support I get from my husband, emotionally and, yes, financially.

So it’s off to work I go, despite my occasional sniffles, with a smile on my face.