Home
>
Writing
>
Freelance Feast or Famine?

Freelance Feast or Famine?

Sometimes a freelance writing career can feel very much like "feast or famine".

At the very beginning, it's almost all famine. You spend more time looking for freelance writing jobs than you spend actually writing, and, quite apart from being utterly demoralizing, when you have a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed, it can be absolutely terrifying, too.

Of course, once you get past those early days of struggling for work and start to build up a portfolio and a reputation, you move into the "feast" era of your freelance writing career and everything should be rosy.

The problem is however, that those early days can be hard to forget. You can't help but remember the days of living off ramen noodles while trying to get your freelance writing career off the ground, and there's no way in hell you want to go back there. Like Scarlett O'Hara you vow never to be poor or hungry again ? and so you accept every single assignment that comes your way, and end up working yourself into a greasy spot at the same time.

Rather than a feast, it starts to become a binge, and before you know where you are, you're struggling again ? albeit this time you're struggling to get the work done, rather than to find it in the first place. Your home life and health starts to suffer, and, if you're not careful, so does the quality of your work.

So what do you do?

Well, if you think you could be on the verge of a writing binge, here are a few tips:

1. Dump your toxic clients

Toxic clients are the ones who cost you more in terms of time and effort than you ever get back from them in dollars. These are the clients for whom everything is a problem: they're not happy unless they're complaining, and you end up spending more time coddling and cajoling them than you do working for them. At the start of your career, you'll probably just put up with the toxicity. Once you start to get busy, however, it's time to get rid. If a toxic client feels like more trouble than they're worth, they probably are: so dump them, and stick with the ones who actually reward your effort.

2. Look carefully at your prices

How much are you charging? Writers who are new to freelancing are often tempted to reduce their prices in order to secure work. This can work very well; once you're more established in your field, however, it can start to backfire on you, because once you have a reputation for being good and cheap, you'll end up with more work than you can reasonably handle. If this sounds like you, it may be worth considering accepting fewer projects, but charging a higher rate for them. That way the quality of your work and life remains high, and you still have the opportunity to increase your earnings.

3. Learn how to say no gracefully

Turning down work can be frightening. No matter how successful you are, when you're a freelance writer there's always going to be a little voice whispering in your ear that although you're doing well this month, next month the work could dry up. While it's never a good idea to become complacent, you do need to learn when to switch this voice off. If you're good at what you do, and you've built up a strong portfolio and network of contacts, there will be more work. Sometimes it's better to turn a project down than to take it on when you don't have time for it ? and risk your reputation by doing it badly.

4. Make friends with your competitors

Yes, really. Your fellow freelance writers don't always have to be "the competition". If there's another freelancer in your area, or in your field of expertise, why not contact them when it's busy and offer to recommend them to the clients you don't have time for, on the understanding that they do the same for you next time they're busy and you're not? This kind of reciprocal arrangement can work out very well for both parties: it means that you're not having to flat-out refuse work, for one thing, and it also gives you something of a safety net if things suddenly get slow, but your competitor's workload is more than they can handle.

Amber McNaught is a freelance writer and editor, and the owner of writingworld.org, an online agency for freelance writers, editors and proofreaders.

Chat about all aspects of freelance writing in the writingworld.org!

Amber is also co-owner of writingworld.org, a UK website design and marketing firm specialising in helping small businesses grow through the use of internet technologies and public relations.

kitchen deep cleaning Deerfield ..

In The News:

X Square Robot unveils Wall-OSS open-source AI model that helps robots adapt to unpredictable real-world tasks beyond narrow scenarios.

Airport workers report surge in fake lost luggage claims as scammers retrieve discarded baggage tags containing passenger names and travel information.

Unlike robotaxi competitors, Tensor focuses on consumer-owned self-driving cars that adapt to highways and urban roads with full redundancy systems for safety.

Medicare scams cost $54 billion in 2024 as fraudsters target beneficiaries with fake calls demanding payments and personal information to steal benefits.

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

Freelance Feast or Famine?

Writing