Dreams vs. Real Life

Another week begins and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I can go, "Ahhhhh."

That's right. No pending deadlines. No major stories due yesterday that I'm trying to catch up on. No urgent to-do list items weighing on me. It's a very unusual feeling, and one I can't relish for too long.

But then again, that's what it's like living the life of a freelancer. You have to take the work as it comes, and sometimes it comes in bucketloads. Other times, it's a vast desert of emptiness, with no writing assignments in sight.

And that's what I'm thinking about as I write today -- took a little breather from my usual Monday writing routine since the kids were off from school and all. One of my blog followers, Kristy -- who knows, maybe my only follower! -- wrote to me with an interesting and valid question about freelancing, living the way I do. She's been having trouble posting her comments on the site for some reason (if anyone else is also having problems, please let me know, so I can figure out what's going on!) but sent me this email, that I will share with you because it's a great discussion about the art of writing, how to pursue it as a true career, and how to manage it.

Kristy was writing in response to last week's post, in which I talked about my inability to ever live an 8-to-5 existence and preferring instead the unpredictability but freedom of freelancing. Here's what she had to say:

"Wow, sounds like a very interesting and enjoyable life you live as a freelance writer. The flexibility and comfort (despite the turmoil that comes with it) of working independently are definitely a huge plus over the 8-5 madness, especially if you CAN make enough cash to pay bills and everything else. After speaking with two friends who are writers (one of them is a single mom), they shared that freelance work alone is not enough to make ends meet and quite inconsistent (is this accurate?). So, they're stuck with the 8-5 gig, they don't have a choice right now. I have a question, are you a single earner? If not, do you rely on a primary income and your freelance income is an addition to the first? If that's the case, then the picture you're painting may not be very realistic to a lot of folks like my friends. I think it's neat that you're able to do this BUT I don't think everyone has that luxury, considering the state of our faulting economy right now. Any thoughts out there from anyone?" Kristy

So, here are my thoughts on the topic. To answer Kristy's first question, no, I am not a single earner, which is a huge point, especially now that I have kids and a mortgage and other responsibilities. There is no way I could support my family just on the income I make from freelancing as it is right now, because I don't pursue as much work as I believe is out there. My working hours are approximately 20 to 25 a week, depending on my deadlines and numbers of assignments going on. I did, at one point in my single life, support myself on freelancing, but I lived much more simply than most people would prefer (they were actually some of the best days of my life, but that's another story...) and had no debt or children or other responsibilities.

My current writing life is a setup by choice. With two young children at home, I feel a large part of my "job" is taking care of them, getting them to and from school, activities, and simply being there for them. That is a job I take seriously, too. So I purposefully try to keep my writing hours at a minimum.

But what I meant in last week's post -- about not being able to keep those steady hours of an 8-to-5 -- would still apply if I were a single mom. Could I make it alone as a freelancer? I honestly think there are plenty more writing opportunities out there than people are willing to take on. Some of them -- writing press releases, editing medical journals or technical manuals, doing research for books in progress -- can be tedious and do not particularly hone your "craft," but they do pay the bills and can provide a steady income in between the exciting magazine pieces you might be wanting to write.

Second, if I were a single mom, I still would shy away from an 8-to-5. My background is in journalism, and even when I was a sole-income-earner, working in that field remained interesting. As a reporter, the hours were varied, some weeks crazy busy and others slower than average. The ups and downs and changes in routine kept the job fresh for me, and I got out of the office constantly to cover assignments. From my first cub reporting job back in Virginia in 1990 to my last at the Anchorage Daily News that I left in 2008, the ability to get out and about, THEN sit down at a computer to write is what kept me sane. That will never change, even with my freelance writing.

Another thing Kristy brought up that her writing friends mentioned -- that freelancing is inconsistent. This is, of course, an understatement. Working as a freelancer, you pretty much have to take the assignments you get, when they come. Sometimes they all come at once and you have a brain-crushing three-week period in which you live on caffeine and late nights. Other times it's slow and you wonder where the money will come from. That alone -- the money part -- is a challenge because depending upon the publication, you may be paid when the story is assigned (rare but it does happen), when it's accepted by the editor, or upon publication. And editors change their minds at a drop of the hat, haphazardly moving your April story to the November issue, meaning you won't get paid until November.

It's maddening really, the "check's in the mail" mentality that makes you never really know when or how much you will make in a given month.

All I can say about this aspect of writing, is that there ARE ways to make it less painful. Find writing gigs that are freelance or contract but that are somewhat scheduled. I have one standing writing "job" like that, which helps me budget some money that I know will be coming in month to month, and I constantly look for other opportunities to take on regular freelance work that is predictable and dependable.

Freelance writing is by no means an easy way to live, especially if you are at all an orderly, scheduled type of person. And it is not glamorous in any way --- stressful, unpredictable and all-encompassing. The convenience factor of working at home is often outweighed by the fact that my work never leaves me -- it's there at my desk staring me down when I'm trying to play a game of Blokus with the kids. It weighs on my mind when I'm trying to enjoy dinner with the family. It plays guilt trips with me when I weigh, "Do I run the dogs today or get more work done on the kayaking story?" I can move the computer to another room, but inevitably, I slip back in, drawn to it like a druggie, needing to get in a few last paragraphs before falling asleep.

For whateve reason, those of us who love to write will always do it. We will always find a way to make the words come, whether it's in a journal, for an assignment or a letter to a friend. Don't give up, whether you're a single mom struggling to make ends meet, an independently wealthy jetsetter with places to go and people to meet or someone in-between, like me, who, for whatever reason, is motivated by words and their power.