So you want to be a freelance writer?

Back in high school, during my senior year, I had a hard time filling out my university application form.  When I discovered my love for writing, I immediately thought of taking Creative Writing or maybe Journalism when I get to college.  But my dad had bigger ambitions for me.  He wanted a scientist for a daughter.  He said there’s no money in writing.  So I obeyed and listed down courses related to sciences.  College was a drag and if it wasn’t for my friends, I don’t think I could ever endure long lab hours, mind-boggling exams in Physics and Calculus, and the super boring classes.  Today, I am already part of the so-called workforce not as a writer, but as a business analyst.   But that love for writing never died.  Without further ado, here’s a quick list of stuff that every freelancer should know or have.

1. A wide vocabulary.  Aside from knowing words, one must know idiomatic expressions and some slang, too.
2. A source of clients.  My dad was wrong.  There’s money in writing.  And I got most of my clients from the internet.  In oDesk to be specific.
3. Time.  Of course, writing takes time! So you’ve gotta have some alone time to write.  You can never rush a well-written piece.
4. Discipline.  Freelancing means you will work and no one will be watching.  Thus, you will need loads of discipline if you want to accomplish your tasks.
5. Creativity.  Every client requires a different approach of writing articles.  A creative mind is definitely a must-have.
6. Excellent negotiation skills.  Whether you are negotiating about the price or timelines, a freelancer must know how to effectively negotiate with a client.  Treat it as your business.
7. A computer and stable internet connection.  It will be very difficult if you don’t have these two.  If you want to be productive and be able to meet deadlines at the same time, you must have these two basic resources to help you.
8. Great communication skills.  Clients won’t hire you right away, some would ask you to go through an interview.  If you can create compelling articles, then you should also practice your communication skills.

Freelance writing can be fun because of its perks – you can work from home, earn extra dough, and learn about different things.  But this is also something that not everyone can do.  Most importantly, this career just like any other, requires a lot of commitment.  So you want to be a freelance writer?

What a Busy Month That Was

I wasn’t able to blog as much this month because I’ve been very busy working on multiple projects (thesis not yet included). Guess what? Next week is late registration week. Plus, tons of things to do at work. I also needed to complete my Annual Physical Exam (APE). I also have a little tête-à-tête with someone somewhere at Jupiter Street. It’s been a crazy month of:

• crash course in VB programming
• learning stuff about project management (the hard way)
• writing about loans and mortgages
• transferring from one survey tool to another

Hopefully, June won’t be as busy as this month. I really need to take a week-long break but I am just trying to figure out how. Hope the month of May was awesome for you.

How to Juggle Your Full Time Work and Your Freelancing Career

How do I stay sane and happy while working two jobs? Here’s what I do.

1. Define your time availability. When a client asks how many hours I can commit, I tell them the truth. I can usually commit about 20 hours each week. But don’t just stop there. Be sure to tell them when you are most available. For example 2 hours every morning on weekdays and as much as 5 hours over the weekend. Not only that, let them know how much output you can produce, say, in a time frame of 24 hours.  And finally, if you have a full time job, do not forget to tell them about it.  Why am I giving you this tip?  By defining your time availability, you are setting clear limits and at the same time, you are also setting the right expectations with the client.

2. Pick your projects and freelance clients wisely. Never ever pick the projects that you cannot do and don’t bid on too many projects.  Why?  Because it will ruin three things: your schedule, the quality of your work, and last but not the least, your reputation.  As for choosing clients, it pays to take the time to go for an interview.  What does the client want done?  What are his expectations?  Are his expectations and timelines realistic?  It’s also recommended to do a little bit of research.  Find out if there was ever a time that they have not paid someone on time or if there was anybody who wasn’t paid at all.  By becoming selective about your projects and clients, you don’t end up wasting your time and you’re also saving yourself from stress.

3. Never forget to take care of yourself! Every weekend, I can still manage to get a massage or foot spa, have my nails done, and go shopping.  I never ever forget to take care of myself again because if I don’t, I’ll end up hating my job and my freelance career.  And that’s something I don’t want to ever happen.  And besides, I work to live.  What’s the point of working two jobs when I can’t even enjoy the fruits of my labor?  And oh, before I forget, get some sleep!  You can’t be as effective if you only have 4 hours of sleep everyday.  If you only have 4 -6 hours of sleep each day, you’ll end up with a cranky mood, huge eyebags, poor skin, or worse, you can get sickly, too.

4. Keep your full time job and freelancing career separate. We don’t want anybody to get fired because of doing freelance tasks during work hours.  It’s illegal and unethical.  The trick is to focus on your full time job during your designated work hours.  Start on time, leave on time.  Personally, that’s what I do.  I arrive on time, do what I’m supposed to do, and leave on the dot.  I have a schedule and I stick to it.  If I don’t, it will definitely ruin the time I’ve allocated for my freelance work.  So, use your time wisely and stay out of trouble.

5. Respect the deadlines. I don’t like missing deadlines but don’t get me wrong, I’ve missed deadlines in the past and it wasn’t very good.  Here’s what I learned, if you think you are going to miss the deadline, tell your client right away.  Right away means, while discussing the project and you think that the timeframe given to accomplish it is too tight, let your client know.  Right away doesn’t mean letting the clients know 30 minutes before the deadline. So what’s the trick?  Apply buffers.  Every task that you do, always apply time buffers.  If you finish the task early, then good for you.  Better be early than late.

To be honest, I didn’t learn this balancing act overnight.  I also had my share of mistakes and had to learn the hard way.  But as you get the hang of it, you’ll learn more and figure out what technique will work best for you.