Three Helps
Writing and Regular Work
Closing
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Introduction
To live off of your words would be like living off of the bounty of the land. At its best it could be like life in the mythical Golden Age, where the earth's abundance came naturally and humanity had no need for toil.
In this metaphor though, things work backwards. Instead of staring in a Golden Age, any writer starts in the Iron Age - maybe even the "Clay Age" considering how low the pay is at many content mills and freelancing sites.
But through your writing, you, like Merlin, could travel backwards in time to a Golden Age. One where your words are being licensed for translations and adaptations, where they're earning royalties, where they're earning you a tidy portion of shared profits, or where the work just flows and your rates are fair and enviable.
Of course, all of that comes after the iron's been turned into gold. If alchemists still haven't figured it out, then it's certainly no easy feat.
Yet, like the alchemists and their mad quest for that mystic formula, the potential to live sheerly from words is what fills the pursuit with promise.
As bipolar as it can be trying to do something so artistic (or even just psychological) in a town of engineers, labourers, restaurateurs, clerks, servers, and such, it is a rewarding thing to do.
On the one hand it's possible to show all of these concrete-thinking, left-brained people that you can live from something as airy as words and ideas, and on the other, well, you can show yourself that you can live on such airy things as words and ideas. Because that's the biggest hurdle starting out. Really, truly, and seriously believing that you can make it as a writer. It's not always a pretty process, but there are certain things that can help you along.
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Three Helps
Being part of a writing group is the best way to start. Regular feedback and the ability to talk to other people about writing can jazz you up and make you feel ready to tackle any project, to mould words into any form.
Getting paid to write, definitely helps. Even if it's not a rate that's going to allow you to work only hours a week, getting something for your writing beyond praise, accolades, or even just serious acknowledgement is great.
Having people ask you to write for them is also a great boost, especially if this contact is made online. For such a person practically could've worked with anyone in the whole wide web, but by coincidence they found your stuff, and your stuff was just what they were looking for. Such an event is great. It's grand. It's a big help when the people around you go silent upon your announcement that you're a writer, or regularly bring up that such and such store has a help wanted sign in the window.
But that's not to say that being a writer means you're a one-job person.
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Writing and Regular Work
People write and hold down "regular" jobs, too. But that's not what every writer does. After all, there's that freedom that comes with writing, that ability to work as hard as you like at it. you can throw all of your weight into it because of one thing or another, or you can just do it, but do it seriously, in whatever spare time you can muster.
Again, here comes a generalization, but if you'd just ended a stint in graduate school and originally been looking to become a professor to "feed your writing habit," then you're probably not going to want to sling fries or assemble boxes while writing on the side.
Turning away from the rush, though, there's the uncertainty. It might mean putting on a happy facade or joining the break room mumblers, but slinging fries and box assembly are at least steady jobs.
People will always love fries, and frozen fries come in boxes. You might not necessarily become CEO of either company, but working at that sort of thing is certain, and probably includes some benefit package or other.
These perks mean there's no need to worry about making it on your own, since you know that at the least you'll be getting your livable wage paycheck at the end of every two week period. And if the work is psychologically draining, well, isn't that what the time that you're not working is for?
Writing isn't necessarily different, though. It can be just as stressful, just as draining at times. But if you're not already plan-savvy, trying to be a writer from a room in your parents' house in a small town definitely gets you planning seriously, planning hard.
Plus, planning ahead doesn't have to be all that intimidating. It could just be a matter of setting goals of having so many articles finished in a given time, or so much money made in a month. Like almost every other aspect of being a freelance writer, it just comes down to will power. Saying you'll do something (even if you're just talking to yourself) and then doing it.
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Closing
So, freelance writing, maybe it's a long climb up to that lofty Golden Age, but you'll definitely have plenty to write about when you get there. I know I will.
Stay tuned throughout the week for an opinion about some recent news on Wednesday, and a review of Hideaway on Friday.
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