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Ten Cents a Word, That’s What They Pay Me

At 11 a.m., I rise leisurely from bed.  While I’m waiting for my coffee, I go online to check my e-mail.  There are three new assignments from editors/clients.  The mailman delivers my mail promptly at noon.  Today’s delivery includes a brown envelope with a large check inside as payment for one of my writing assignments.

After lunch, I spend a couple of hours writing on my latest project.  I shut down my laptop and I’m done working for the day.

Ah, what bliss.  The life of a freelance writer is great.

And then I wake up from my dream. It would be nice if the dream of being a writer was the same as the reality.  But it’s not.

To be a successful writer, you need a recipe of three ingredients -- talent, contacts, and marketing skills.  Equal portions of each of these ingredients is vital for your freelance career to taste sweet.

Talent is either something you have -- or you don’t.  If you’re one of the lucky ones who do possess the gift, you’ve got a good start.  But talent alone won’t guarantee you success.

For the freelance writer, cultivating contacts and marketing your skills is often more important to achieving success.  Much of my workday is spent focused on these two activities, such as identifying new publications open to working with freelancers or checking with my business contacts to see if they’re ready to update the copy on their Web site.

Along with these three ingredients, add a dash of perseverance and a few tablespoons of inspiration for a sweeter dish.

Even if you lovingly prepare this recipe, financial success can still be elusive.  Corporate writing assignments can often pay several thousands dollars.  With corporate work, those aforementioned contacts make or break a career.  Writing opportunities are available in small magazines but the pay can be as little as pennies per word.  Writing for popular newsstand magazines is lucrative, but the competition for publication is fierce.

Many freelance writers like to focus their efforts on a particular market or subject area such as healthcare articles for magazines or Web site copy for non-profit organizations.  Specializing can be beneficial as the freelancer is then viewed as an expert in a particular field which leads to more writing assignments.

I prefer to be a generalist where there are no bounds to the writing projects I pursue.  For business clients, I’ve written Web site copy, press releases, brochures, and more.  My essays, travel pieces, and even fillers have been published in major magazines.

Despite the challenges, I am confident that all those who commit to a freelance career will agree that it’s the best job they’ve ever had.

Maryanne Curran freelances from her home in Lexington, Mass. She can be reached at macurran@aol.com.  Samples of Maryanne’s work can be reviewed at www.macurran.com.

©2006 Maryanne Curran. This article may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, in any form, for any reason, without the express, written consent of the author. Violators will be prosecuted.