What is unique about your freelance writing career?
The fact that we are a partnership does make us unique. We also give that fact a lot of credit in our success. We are there to pick up the slack for one another; to learn from one another; to moan, whine, and complain at one another; etc.
Another thing that I believe makes us different is that we really do work on our terms. We are not unprofessional, but we do insist on working limited hours a week. If we want time off, we plan ahead and take it. In most instances, we run our business, it does not run us. For example, I took “maternity leave” and did not work for a month after my baby was born. My partner, on the other hand, took an entire month off to do NaNoWriMo. I freelance in order to live the lifestyle I want to live.
What is one thing you wish you had known before you began freelancing?
I wish I had known that I would have been this successful, because it sure would have taken a lot of the pressure off. When I first started out, I was always so nervous about where things were going that it was harder to enjoy the ride. Now that I feel more confident that no one is going to snatch this dream away from me, it’s much easier to focus and plan for the long haul.
Best piece of advice for new freelance writers?
First of all, keep in mind that writing is a skill. It is not the same thing as typing or texting (or in some cases, blogging). Be willing to learn how to use a semicolon appropriately, know whether your punctuation should be inside or outside of the quotation mark, and figure out the difference between “your” and “you’re.”
At this point, this advice may be cliché, but it’s so true: Freelancing is hard work. If you want to be successful at it, you have to learn, you have to be diligent, and you have to step outside of your comfort zone from time to time. Being your own boss sounds glamorous, but it takes a lot of self-discipline. While it’s great not to have someone telling you what to do all the time, it’s also really scary to be the one who is in charge of finding the work, bidding on the work, doing the work, paying the bills, figuring out taxes, and so on and so on. Only a portion of successful freelance writing is actually about the writing.
Interested in working with Lorna? She can be contacted through the Berry Brewer Freelance.
