I’m always amused by how many misconceptions there are about having a successful freelance writing career, especially since many of these myths are held and perpetuated by freelance writers.
My definition of success is simple: satisfaction.
By my own standards, I am successful. My bills are paid, my pet rabbits have plenty of carrots, and I don’t wake up hating myself or my job (most days). I’m easy. But having a successful freelance writing career isn’t so easy.
It’s hard work. We put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed, partially out of realistic fears like the mortgage being due and rugrats needing to eat. We have to be good enough at what we do to get hired, which is hard enough, but then we also have to continue to be good enough to keep ourselves in demand (even with our best clients). We have to be bookkeepers and marketers, always adding up our losses and profits, constantly sticking our necks out to promote our businesses. If we’re diligent, we succeed. Right?
We figure out what exactly it is we want to do — what we want to write, how we want to write it, who we want to write it for. We do our best to find folks who want to pay us to do just that. Sometimes it works out, and other times we adjust our plans to meet reality. Regardless, we press on. Eventually, we either give up or we succeed.
Sounds simple, eh? So why do we, as a freelance writing community, spend so much time debating things that don’t need to be debated and putting each other down? If Mr. X wants to write for print publications and Ms. Y wants to blog for a network, and they’re both happy doing what they do, then what’s the problem? Is it written in invisible ink someplace that the lives of freelance writers everywhere cannot go on until Mr. X and all his print writing pals have banded together to convince Ms. Y and her blogging buddies that magazines rule and blogs bite?
If it stopped there, that would be bad enough. But the great divide (term swiped from the James Chartrand dictionary) doesn’t stop there. It seems freelance writers can’t agree about anything. From whether bidding sites are Satan’s Place to which content sites and networks are the Promised Land, we all have our strong opinions and our platforms to scream them from. (After all, Rule #1 in Freelanceville is HAVE A BLOG!)
Conflicting opinions are swell. Shared points of view are splended. But there are times when watching it all makes me crave for the days of cubicle life, where the discussions at the water cooler were about who was voted off the island of the lastest reality show. Sometimes I miss those first few years of freelancing, before I spent time online chatting on forums and reading blogs. Watching people slam each other is only fun when it’s on television.
This evening I received an email from Mr. X.
Mr. X told me that a) I’m not a real freelance writer, but b) I have the potential to be a fine journalist if I went to school and put in my time like he did “before bloggers were considered journalists.”
I laughed. I don’t want to be a journalist. I am perfectly happy working as a part-time blogger for lawyers, which is what currently pays me nearly twice as much as I earned as a corporate paralegal at one of the top international law firms. Working approximately 5 hours a day, I earn more today than I did working 12-18 hour days then. But more importantly, I am happy now. Except for when I’m reading hateful messages from my fellow freelancers, I am entirely proud to call myself a freelance writer. I don’t want a degree in journalism. But thank you, Mr. X, for taking time out of what I’m sure is a busy day to provide me with your input.
There is no one way to succeed as a freelance writer. However you approach it, there will be times when you feel like a failure and times when you’ve never been happier. There will be days you wish you could trade it all for a deserted island without wi-fi or iphones. You will have moments where you don’t think your life could get any better, and then suddenly it does. Because life is like that. And if you define yourself as successful, you will be, in your own way and in your own time. Never listen to any loser who tells you differently.
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Great Blog post. I am going to bookmark and read more often. I love the Blog template ? if you need any assistance customizing it let me know!
Thanks Randy.
Boo to Mr. X! Sheesh! And hugs to you!
It’s the awesome blog design, I’m telling ya. It’s causing jealousy.
*giggles*
*snorts*
*wipes tears*
Ok, I’m done now.
Michele’s last blog post..Raw or Store-bought Juices?
You’re very right you know. But I feel it’s more difficult to accomplish that easy shrug of success when people look to you for advice. The advice any blogger gives will be based on personal experiences, and we’ve all had very different ones.
But live and let live… aye. That’s a nice one, eh?
Great post.
I have to admit, when I first started blogging, I had sort of a “my way or the highway” type of attitude. I was right and everyone else is wrong. That didn’t last long as I learned we all make the choices that work best for us. Some people are happy working for $10 an article and some for $1 per word and there’s no shame in either. As a writer and blogger I like to think I grew - and instead of putting people down for their choices, I can offer my point of view and hope it leads to discussion and maybe education for newer writers. I’ll never claim to be an expert - what I can do is offer my point of view and see what others have to say. Unfortunately too many other bloggers feel their platform makes them an expert.
Now as far as Mr. X, he’s just jealous.
Rock on,
Deb
Tell me where this Mr. X lives and I’ll send my “shock troopers” (aka my kids) for a little visit… not only will he be trembling in fear, he’ll have no food in the house when they leave.
Keep doing what you’re doing, as it works for you and works well. But you already knew that…
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..viking fridays - everything you always wanted to know about life change*
Amy, the disparaging comments are so ridiculous. You are a talented writer who is happy with her life choices. Clearly Mr. X i s not. These little boxes and narrow definitions are so stupid. As you so deftly stated, success is whatever you define it to be. I love, love, love the new design and as always love your writing. –Karen
Amy,
Good continuation of the topic.
In any field, there are so many ways to go about your work. There’s always the trained vs. untrained thing (chefs, artists, designers, high-level management, in addition to writers). There are snobs on both sides of that debate. Then there’s the how much experience thing. In many fields, having a broad knowledge base and being several steps ahead of what your audience knows is plenty.
You’ve got it just right. There’s no one way to succeed, and if you are succeeding, the arrows that are being shot at you are likely to be poisoned with jealousy. That’s Mr. X’s problem, not yours.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Observing Supercars
What do you say we find Mr. X and flush him down the toilet.
I really don’t undeerstand taking the time out of one’s busy day for the sole purpose of making someone else feel small. Unless that persons is already feeling small and feels the need to make the other person even smaller. Therefore the already tiny Mr. X need not be of any concern to the very BIG successful Amy.
You know, one of the things I love about you Amy is that you have filled your site with tons of information to help other freelancers and writiers who may want help and information. You are extremely generous with your knowledge and not one single word of it is demeening or limiting in any way. You give tons of ideas and let people know that there is a world of options open to them and that they don’t have to do it “The Amy way” If your readers are taking the time to read your pages, they are getting books worth of information. We would be so lucky if others followed in your example. YOU are a role model.
And by the way, in case you don’t hear it enough, thank you.
Wendi Kelly - Life’s Little Inspirations’s last blog post..For the Love of Words
I love the realness of your post: “sometimes you feel like a failure, and sometimes you’re never happier.” Freelance writing definitely has it’s ups and downs. Gladly, there are more high points than low. Also, the title of the post is great. I feel that some writers develop a “my way” view, and sometimes, it takes the fun out of reading their posts and opinions. There are many ways to make money in this business, and we all view success differently. As long as I can pay my bills, add to my nest egg, and enjoy a few indulgences - I’m happy!
Valencia’s last blog post..Freelance Web Recap
Michele — Thank you. I am so glad you like it. And I’m happy to inspire jealousy in you, since I was very jealous of your very cool banner for a long time.
James — Your comments bring up another interesting point; as bloggers, we’re pretty much seen as hypocrites if we don’t stick to teaching what we know. (And I’ve been told I don’t know what I’m talking about more than once, so sometimes even that theory is out the window.) But when I read your blog and Deb’s blog, I know what both of you do, but I don’t get the sense that either of you feel your way is right and others’ ways are wrong. (I *do* get that feeling from certain other blogs, which is why I don’t read those folks’ blogs very regularly or comment.) In fact, I would venture a bet that if either one of you were asked a question about an area you didn’t know, you would either bring in an expert to guest post or interview, or you would refer the asker to someone who does that kind of writing, if at all possible. I regularly refer people who ask me copywriting questions to Copyblogger, for example.
Deb — Ditto what I said to James above. Also, I hope neither of you were offended that I linked to your posts as illustrations for my point. I didn’t mean to insinuate that either of you are hoity toity platform-screaming experts, because I don’t think that at all. I very much enjoyed both of those posts and discussions, and I think the number of folks who chimed in with their opinions clearly shows how varied all of our opinions are. I remember after commenting on James’ post receiving an email from someone to the tone of my being a sucker for ever using Freelance Work Exchange. People can be catty. I don’t think either of you two are though.
Brett — I laughed so hard at the imagery I got from that. I can see the triplets now, marching in with their baby combat boots and dinner plates. LOL
Karen — Do you know that song Little Boxes? That’s totally going through my head right now. You’re right — ‘these little boxes and narrow definitions are so stupid’ is a perfect way to put it all! That could have been my whole post.
Thank you! And I’m happy you like the design. 
Kelly — You’ve brought up yet another point often argued at me: education. I know I touched on it a little bit in my post, but what you said adds to it. You’re so right; there are snobs on both sides of the education fence. I don’t know whether I’m a snob about it, but I do feel strongly that education is overrated. I’m not anti-school, but I certainly don’t feel that a degree makes or breaks a person. I do take a lot of crap from a lot of people about my lack of education. But honestly, I can’t see how going back to school at this point of my life would help me to be any more successful in the path I’m on than I already am. If at some point I decide this path isn’t for me and want to try something else, maybe I will decide to go back to school. Who knows.
Wendi — I had to laugh at going from “Life’s Little Inspirations” to “Let’s flush him down the toilet.”
I don’t understand people who take the time to send hate mail either, but I have received enough of it to know that there are a lot of people out there without much to do with their hands. Apparently they aren’t very good at knitting. 
This site used to be a website/ezine, and when it was a website it was geared toward beginning freelance writers. I accepted queries, paid for articles, etc. At that point, I got a LOT of hate mail. There is a lot of hostility in the freelance writing world. Very sad. Anyway, I don’t think I’m BIG and successful, at least probably not by most people’s standards. But my bills are paid and I’m happy. If that makes folks want to send me hate mail, then oh well. (What can ya do, right?) I appreciate your kind words and your thanks, although it’s a little bit scary that anyone would see me as a role model. 
Maybe if I change my domain name to TheAmyWay.com, that would help deter you? Hehe.
Valencia — I’m so with you on that! I think a lot of people see success as being some big name, or selling a lot of books, or raking in millions of dollars a year. And those things are great, for the people who want them. Luckily some of us are more easily satisfied, eh?
@ Amy - Now you flatter me. But I’m sitting here nodding and saying, “Good, yes, that’s exactly how I feel.” I cannot STAND those who look down on others for their choices, line of work, pay rate they accept, etc etc. I’ve seen it too much, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
I think both Deb and I have a very similar mindset here - do what you love, how you love to do it and what you need to do to get by. There is no right or wrong. And I’m glad that shines through in our content.
No worries on the links - I understood what you were doing, because the posts were just platforms. The ensuing discussion in the comment section revealed exactly what you wanted to show people.
And hey. I love links. Link to me. Often. Frequently. It’s good
James Chartrand - Men with Pens’s last blog post..Forget the Details and Work On the Big Picture
@Amy - Aw, how sweet!
Seriously, though, I just can’t imagine all the hate mail. You really have accomplished a LOT. I love to glean from successful freelancers like you. Why wouldn’t anyone? Shame on those jealous, hateful folks for trying to knock you down. But don’t they realize it only makes you rise higher? 
@Kelly - No toilet would want to swallow that guy! It would spit and sputter and spew and barf him right back up! No, it would have to be an outhouse with bottomless muck. Yep.
*laughs hysterically*
*smiles*
Michele
Michele’s last blog post..Raw Juice Recipes for Beautiful Skin
Michele — Some of the hate mail I save, because it’s so funny.
James — I think it’s all bad enough when folks in general feel the need to put each other down about their work-choices. My father used to always put my mother down because she worked as a produce clerk at the grocery store rather than going back to school to get a “real” career. One of my first jobs was at a dry cleaners, and my family said I shouldn’t settle for such a crap job — the fact that I liked it seemed to be irrelevant. Then I got a job as a receptionist at a law firm, and everyone there was like “You should become a paralegal.” I did become a paralegal, then the partners were like, “When are you going to go to law school?” It never ends. Add to that the “When are you going to get over your gay phase so you can get married and have a white picket fence and 2.3 kids?” I was SO happy to start freelancing. FREE, right? It sounded free. Do my own thing, pave my own way, earn the living I wanted. Turns out that Freelanceville comes with just as many folks to tune out.
It’s a shame, too, because I agree with you; it doesn’t have to be that way.
My own little army… MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
Yes, choice of career and people looking down on you for it. No sir, I don’t like that.
One of the smartest guys I know just retired last year. He was the building custodian in one of the buildings at my workplace.
You know, commonly known as a “janitor”.
Friendliest guy you could imagine. But just a janitor, a lot of people thought.
I got to know him over several years. He was very good with money, though he didn’t always make the right choices.
He lost about $150k when Nortel crashed.
And it barely even affected his portfolio. I’m not kidding.
Just a janitor, indeed. Never owed money to anybody, ever, for his whole life.
If you’re happy doing something, do it. I make a butt load of money doing what I do.
And in general, I don’t like my job… best job I ever had was the lowest paying job I ever had.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..viking fridays - everything you always wanted to know about life change*
Oh, and I totally think you should buy theamyway.com.
Michele’s last blog post..Raw Juice Recipes for Beautiful Skin
Hi, Amy –
Love the new look!
I share your definition of success. I can truly say that I’m happy to get up and get to work every day. You know, not many people can say that. In my book, that makes me, a contented copywriter, a bigger success than a wealthy, miserable stockbroker.
Rebecca Smith’s last blog post..It’s all about I
Amy
Would it be any better if I said I felt Inspired to flush him down the toilet?
I don’t have very much patience for mean people who are mean just for the sake of being mean. Especially if they are mean to someone I care about.
I agree with the education comments too. But there is no end to that. How high do you have to go to be *worthy*? Somebody always has a higher title or a more currently popular one.
Bah… all you need to know these days is right in front of the big computer screen staring at you, in the pages of a good book or in the great fresh air outdoors.
Wendi Kelly - Life’s Little Inspirations’s last blog post..For the Love of Words
@Amy
Hahaha! That’s a good one. When are you going to stop being gay and get married?
I’m not gay, but I’ve heard similar stupidity:
“Now that you’ve finally graduated and you’re working full time, you’re quite the elligible bachelor” (So…what?? Before that, I was a loser, then?)
“Now that you’ve gotten a house, it’s about time you settled down with a woman and had some kids”. (Yes, because a house is a pre-requisite to raising young child-apes).
“If you dont’ get a girlfriend soon, people will start wondering if you ARE gay”. (Because GOD forbid, should a person choose to remain single).
“Once you get your job and your career going, the next logical step is to have kids. I mean, if you can’t have kids, then what’s the POINT? (Yes. Thank you for pointing out my life is meaningless!)
As for Education…DON’T get me started! Having spent much of the last 20 years in Academia or with Academics, I can tell you this: The ammount of education is inversely proportional to Interpersonal/Life skills
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
Friar,
Whenever someone asks you when you’re going to get married, tell them you’ve been donating to a sperm bank and have probably fathered thousands of children. Continue on and accuse that same person of being “lazy” and only having contributed two new people to the human race
Brett Legree’s last blog post..viking fridays - everything you always wanted to know about life change*
@Brett
And I’m also doing my part to minimize my carbon footprint.
Just me and only me in my household. No other rug-rats contributing to land fill and eating food and being driven-around by Soccer-Moms.
They oughta give me a MEDAL, instead of scolding me!
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
Michele — Don’t tempt me. I own enough domain names already. You think I have a lot of blogs, but you have no idea how many domain names I own just because I felt inspired to buy them. It’s a disease.
Friar — I hereby give you this scary trophy for your anti-landfill efforts. LOL Oh, and my marriage proposal still stands.
Wendi — Yes, that’s much better.
I agree with you about learning. There is so much I have learned online that would have taken me years of school, and I probably still wouldn’t have learned half as much in a classroom.
Rebecca — Thanks!
And I completely agree. I have worked for far too many unhappy lawyers who make millions of dollars every year and still aren’t happy. Money doesn’t buy happiness. Neither does fame, or a bunch of other stuff.
Brett — Funny you mention your custodian friend. One of my favorite people at the lawfirm was one of the night-shift cleaning women. She was a hell of a lot smarter, and had more common sense, than many of the lawyers I worked for. I was just thinking about her yesterday. I’m sad to have lost touch with her. What was your low-paying job that you loved, if you don’t mind my asking?
@Amy
Thanks for the award. I shall put it on my mantelpiece, with all my other list of accomplishemnts.
(By the way, it reminds me of “Speed Racer” in a bathing suit).
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
Another fantastic post, Amy! I also really enjoyed the comments that ensued. Good times.
I pretty much think your writing is great, you are great for doing what you love and your blog is great for helping others along the way.
As for Mr. X…he told you to go get a degree? In what exactly - JOURNALISM? Yeah, right after you get a job in the mortgaging industry and then the auto industry. Is he living in the woods somewhere? I mean, listen, I love my journalist brothers and sisters as much as I love the next writer, but journalism is having an extremely rough time right now. Seriously, newsrooms are getting a taste of the layoff ax in the worst way, everywhere. Lamest career advice ever. Stop the hatin’, Mr. X.
Eva G.’s last blog post..Just take the book, kid.
Friar — I don’t know what you look like, but I am going to picture you as Speed Racer from now on. LOL
Eva — Thank you.
And I kinda thought the same thing. The journalism majors I know aren’t having such an easy time. I have one former journalist friend who has turned to freelance PR work and another who was just recently laid off her full time editorial position. But honestly, even if it was a promising field with a wealth of opportunity, I still can’t see myself being a journalist. Nothing wrong with it for the folks who do, but A) I hate the phone, B) I hate interviewing people, and C) I don’t like querying and waiting months to get paid. I’m just not that patient, I guess.
Hi Amy - good for you. When I told the careers guidance counsellor at school that I wanted to write, he said, “That’s great, you want to be a journalist.”
I was like, “No bloody way. I don’t want to harrass families who’ve just lost a beloved member, or rummage through people’s garbage, just to prove they are guilty of some minor scandal.
I want to write stuff that I like for people I like, not a heap of scandal mongers.
And like you say - what the hell is the point in people arguing these things and telling you that you’re not a proper journalist because you won’t work for some local rag?
Doing what makes us happy is far more important than anything else.
Cath Lawson’s last blog post..Will You Become A Corporate Blog Whore?
Cath — That cracked me up. You’re so funny, and so correct! And now, I must go read your post about becoming a corporate blog whore. LOL
Amy,
That often happens, I think - and yes, it really makes me wonder - who’s smarter, the high-flier who never gets to go home, or the 8-to-4 person? Well, I know the answer…
That job - well, it was my first engineering job. And the only one where I actually did engineering, and had true independence. I made about 1/3 the money I make now, but it was bliss. I designed things in AutoCAD. I called the suppliers to source the materials. I subcontracted out work that we couldn’t do in house. I managed a machine shop in the back, and also worked out there on the mills and lathes. I scheduled the work. I tested the equipment we built. I wrote the documentation. I delivered the equipment to the clients, and helped them with the field testing.
Yup. To give an example - right now, at The Factory, I can’t issue a simple document without two signatures and a month long review and comment process. Heaven forbid I pick up a wrench - I’d be executed on the spot.
Yet, a little over 10 years ago, I was making design changes independently on equipment that ended up in projects such as street cars for the Toronto Transit Commission, and a prototype electric vehicle for Ford. My boss trusted me.
Yet at The Factory, they don’t even trust us to go pee by ourselves.
(Perhaps you can see why I need to get out?)
If the boss at that old company could pay me what I make now…
(He can’t. I asked.)
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..viking fridays - everything you always wanted to know about life change*
@Brett
You CAN pee at The Factory. Just so long as you fill out a Pre-Urination Work Permit, and follow the Pee-cedure (UR-1NE-1087 Rev. 0).
Dont’ forget, though. If y0u shake more than once, you have to fill out an Incident Report.
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
@Amy
Ah-hah. So. I must talk fast like this,then. Ahah. If I am to be like Speed Race. Faster. Yes. Ahah.
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
Friar — I have had the speed racer song in my head for hours now. It’s all your fault. LOL
Brett — I vaguely remember using AutoCAD in school. Basically all I remember about it is that it was fun. Too bad your old boss can’t afford to pay you enough to feed all those blondies.
I completely understand why you want to leave The Factory. It sounds a bit like law firm life, wherein we were forced to bill our time in .10 hr increments. Even when we weren’t doing billable work, we had to account for our time with nonbillable work codes. For example, making a photocopy had 9 different sets of codes if it wasn’t billable to a client. Looking up which billing code to use took longer than doing the task, and I kept waiting for them to replace the “personal” billing code with ones for “potty #1″ and “potty #2″ . I also petitioned for a billing code for waiting for the elevator. I was on the 18th floor, and with a bank of 6 elevators it still took about 10 minutes to get from 18 to 14, which is where our copy room was. Total insanity. Get out, friend, while you still have some sanity left.
@Amy
OMG. So what if you weren’t feeling well, and had to do Number Two several times in one day? I guess they could track your potty training with your billable hours.
We’re like that. Every meeting, every hour needs to be accounted for. It takes me about 30 minutes, sometimes, to fill in my timesheet. (Which is significant, when you take into account it’s only a 37.5 hour work week). We could use a charge number for filling in our charge numbers.
If they (God Forbid) should have a technical seminar with a guest speaker (where, I dunno, you might LEARN something scientific)…they’ll schedule it at LUNCH (Or after hours, at 6:30 PM). So you can do your professional development on your OWN time.
“Lunch and Learns”, they call them.
Yet they’ll schedule meetings for “Bear Awareness” training. Or talk to use for 30 minutes on how to recycle using blue-boxes. Or what kind of footwear to use during the winter so we dont’ slip and fall.
Friar’s last blog post..Friar’s Random Olympic Thoughts
Friar — I hear ya. We used to have “practice group videoconference lunches” once a month. They were mandatory, and there was a special billing code for them. These meetings entailed eating catered spaghetti (clearly a good videoconferencing choice) while listening to the practice group leaders in the Baltimore and DC office talk back and forth with our office about silly things that could have been handled on a conference call or and email. Oh, and we watched the people in LA, hours behind us, yawn and drink coffee. Why the paralegals needed to be there is beyond me. My favorite part is that we were expected to wear a suit, because it was a videoconference. I was like “Dudes, chill. We’re not on CNN. We’re being seen by the same people we have spent long hours in trial prep with in hotels with pools. You’ve seen me in a swim suit, and I’ve met your mistresses. There is no need for formal wear to eat spaghetti.” It was a painful 60 minutes per month. Filling out my time sheet took at least an hour a day. I’m not kidding. There were pages and pages of information to look up for each task for each client. Like, each client had a specific code, and then under each client each task was a separate number. I worked on about 500 cases. I couldn’t memorize them all. There really was a billing code for doing timesheets. 99999-990099, if I recall correctly.
P.S., Friar — You might like this post on Corporate Mentality.
Twinny twin twin -
You are back. As am I. Let us celebrate this fact.
Also: I want to work for non-profits in the main. You would not believe how many people tell me this is a very, very bad idea, that non-profits have no money, meh meh meh. What’s great is that since this is the general belief about working for non-profits, no one’s targeting them, and I get all the business. Bwah ha ha haaaa! Mine is an evil laugh!
Tei - Rogue Ink’s last blog post..12 Reasons Why Having Home Wireless is Better than an Internet Cafe
Tei — You mean we’re back, at the same time? Woo Hoo! Truly an accomplishment.
I do a lot of volunteer work for non-profits. People think THAT is SUPER-STUPID. But if I ever run into any that pay, I will surely toss them your way. Hehe.
Every time I tell someone I’m a freelance writer, they ask if I write magazine articles or short stories.
Now, as I’m revamping my website, I’m starting to think about the writing I do as a service rather than freelancing. In fact, as I get more experienced, I see what I do more and more as a business and less and less as freelancing. It’s a subtle difference.
Having said that, I’m still a freelancer, technically speaking. It sounds like Mr. X was out of line with the comments he made. Maybe he doesn’t understand the value that freelancers like us provide our clients. As James would say, maybe he’s an arTEESTe.
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Work Your Jaws
It sounds like you have a really good gig writing for the lawyers.
I agree, do what you want to do. It is funny when people worry about who is “better?” Print, online? What?
I do think print mags pay more (generally) than online mags. But then you always have to figure how much time you spend writing an article, etc.
Maybe blogging for clients would be ideal because it doesn’t seem as hard as writing articles. But then I can’t really say. I’m sure researching law blog topics would take a lot of research time. I guess I’m thinking of the more informal style of a blog.
I’ve had blog jobs where the hardest topic I had to research was health care. I didn’t like it because I felt I was rather biased. But that is what the client wanted. I have a heard time with ethical things of that nature.
My main impetus is that I CAN’T spend all my time behind a computer or I will go batshit apeshit crazy. One of the reasons I like photography. But the ironic thing is, then I have to catalogue all the shots. I swear I can’t win. I try to strike a balance.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..The Forward Momentum of Bloggery
Amy,
What happened to your picture?! I liked it.
This new blog style is nice.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..The Forward Momentum of Bloggery
The nerve of some people. **rolls eyes dramatically** Good for you, Amy, for not allowing some know-it-all to define you and what you do.
Kimberly Ben’s last blog post..Is Craigs List the Freelance Jobseeker’s Inside Joke?
Ellen — Thanks.
I took down the picture because I wanted to have a separate “about” page rather than having it in the sidebar, and the pic just didn’t seem to fit with the new design. I was kind of sad to take it down though, because Brett’s son Ian likes to point to my picture and say “lady” — and I don’t get called lady very often. Hehe.
I think you are right about blogging vs writing for magazines. It all depends on how you want to spend your time. If I were a better photographer, I think that would be a good balance too, being able to get away from the computer and all. I have to force myself to get away from it. And then when I’m not on the computer, I am attached to my iphone. I need someplace like Janice’s island, except without internet connection.
Melissa — Definitely an arTEESTe. (Another favorite from the James Chartrand dictionary!) People always assume I write for magazines too. Explaining what I do to people who don’t know what a blog is really gives me a headache.
I do think of what we do as a business, in a way. But I’ve found that making clients (at least their payroll departments) think of me like a person gets me my checks a lot faster. They pay employees weekly but business invoices get paid once every 60 days. 
Kimberly — Thank you. Rolling my eyes is one of my favorite hobbies.
@Amy,
I still have a PDF of one of your blog articles with the old theme for reference, so “the cook still says ‘lady’” if I show it to him…
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..never lose anything again. not even waldo.
Brett — You pdf’ed me for reference? How clever.
Maybe he can point to the cartoon girl and say lady?
I thought of Ian when I put her up there, btw.
Amy,
Oh yes! Anything that is interesting or useful, I print to PDF (on Windows, with CutePDF or PDFCreator, on Mac it is built in).
You fall into both the interesting and useful categories!
I’ll tell you what I’ll do - I’ll put the “cartoon lady” next to your picture, and tell him it’s the same person! That will work…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..never lose anything again. not even waldo.
He’ll probably say what my nephew said: “That doesn’t look like Amy!”
I use CutePDF all the time. I love it! I only use it to turn word docs into pdfs though. I never thought to use it for blog posts. You are wise, sir.
Amy- Thank God your Mr. X , Y, and Z are not de boss of you. ” ( that must be thought with totally snooty snarky French tones and gestures. Points for wrinkling your nose distastefully and shrugging. )
In fact, saying, “you are not the boss of me” and skipping “gayly” away to feed your bunnies and write like you were born to do nothing but…will make them insanely jealous. If they sputter, it only makes it better.
Wow. Love the new space. Oooh and big ahhs.
Virtual hugs.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..Searching For Subtle Color
Amy,
The best thing too is that many of the indexing search tools will index the PDF’s created by these programs, so you can easily find information you need later.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..never lose anything again. not even waldo.
Part of it sounds like jealousy. I can hear green-eyed monster chomping in the background while reading this too true post. You’ll always hear this sort of argument in our business. I ignore it because it doesn’t touch us anything new and it’s mostly emotional.
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..Dealing with Freelancer’s Stress
Janice — Thanks. I shalt try to skip away gayly now and not trip over anything.
Brett — You’re SO smart.
I’m going to teach my niece to point at the screen and call you “man” like Ian calls me “lady.” hahahaha
Meryl — I like the green-eye monster imagery. You’re right, it is mostly emotional, and it doesn’t teach us anything new. Seems like folks always have to have something to argue about.
Hi Ami,
Sorry I’m late to the party. Your Mr X made me laugh. He sounds like the occasional emails I get from concerned readers pointing out a spelling mistake or a grammatical error. For god’s sake us freelance writers are human after all.
It makes me laugh more than anything and I can’t help thinking ” do they have nothing better to do”?
Your new look is kind of cool too. It looks clean and uncluttered.
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Blog Communications
Amy,
I wonder if I’m smart or I need to get outside more often!
hey, we’re all good at something, the important thing is to share it with everyone else…
Brett Legree’s last blog post..never lose anything again. not even waldo.
How did I miss this post?
Well written, Amy, and I wholeheartedly agree! (I’m astounded by Mr. X, but unsolicited opinions and advice are that most freely given, no?)
I can be one of those people, I admit, with a strong opinion of how things are best done because they really worked for me. But not with freelancing. As with so many other things, even ailments people have, there are so many variables, because we are all so different with different personalities. I believe that freelancing is one of those creatures as personal as the way we dress, because it is FREElancing. From the very beginning, you create it. Sure, there are some basics everyone must apply, like invoicing, but even down to what programs you use for your invoicing and how you prefer to invoice is up to you.
Certainly, what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another, though I see no harm in asking what another freelancer did to handle such and such an issue (since we do sometimes share common issues), or in the freelancer recommending methods so we can try things out to see if they work for us as well.
It’s when, as you say, the methods are given as the only way to do things or your success is measured by someone else, that there is a problem.
Thanks for this post, Amy! Good one, and very thought-provoking.
steph’s last blog post..No Lamb For the Lazy Wolf
Dang it… that shoulda been “teach” not “touch!” (blushing)
Meryl K. Evans’s last blog post..Dealing with Freelancer’s Stress
One word: Satisfaction.
Well said, Amy. I loved this post. I just subscribed. Also, I love what you’ve done with Thesis. I too have this theme, but you have given yours so much more life than I have.
Monika — It’s funny, I’m always early in person but online I am always late. Anyway, yes his email made me laugh too. I also get folks emailing me to correct my typos. I think the same thing as you — do folks have nothing better to do?
Brett — You rock.
Steph — You make a good point. Freelancing really does have to be tailored to each individual, because we all do have different circumstances and different personalities. I like that.
Meryl — No worries. I *always* notice my typos right after I’ve posted something. I knew what you meant.
WD — Thank you.
I am loving your blog too. At least you figured out how to make the picture rotating thingy work. I gave up on that after about five minutes and decided to make a banner instead. I have about as much patience as a four year old. 
@ Amy:
Monika Mundell’s last blog post..Blog Communications
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