I would like to take on freelance writing as at least a second income until I get a book published but I don't know how easy it is to switch gears between the two.
Does anyone subsidize their income with freelance writing in addition to fiction?
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I do a little freelance nonfiction on the side, but OTOH, I still have a day job, too, so it's not something I do a lot of. However, I haven't found it hard to "switch gears," just to make the time.
I think it takes a while to build up your reputation as a freelancer (I could be wrong) and it would take quite a bit of effort to make some money at it. I would say if you actually need the money, it would be easier and more profitable to just get a part time job.
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I do both, and it is difficult to switch gears. There are aspects of writing non-fiction that are different from writing fiction, so being good at one doesn't necessarily translate to being good at the other. In other ways, the two types of writing are identical and that makes doing both more difficult: if you've spent four hours at the keyboard writing one thing, it can be impossible to convince yourself to spend four hours at the keyboard writing something else, and one project or the other suffers.
Check out the thread on the 90 minute limit for writing, and consider whatever your natural breaking point is. Your body and brain won't necessarily cooperate if you explain that, "yeah, I did my limit of writing for the day, but now I'm going to do some more writing, except this is different."
Some people can do that. Eloisa James used to "reward" herself for writing academic stuff with an hour of writing fiction. Me, after several hours of freelance work, I'm just too burned out to do any more writing, even if it's a different type of writing. I do manage to do both, but it tends to be a feast-or-famine thing, and I don't do much fiction on days when I've done intense amounts of freelance work.
JD
Check out the thread on the 90 minute limit for writing, and consider whatever your natural breaking point is. Your body and brain won't necessarily cooperate if you explain that, "yeah, I did my limit of writing for the day, but now I'm going to do some more writing, except this is different."
Some people can do that. Eloisa James used to "reward" herself for writing academic stuff with an hour of writing fiction. Me, after several hours of freelance work, I'm just too burned out to do any more writing, even if it's a different type of writing. I do manage to do both, but it tends to be a feast-or-famine thing, and I don't do much fiction on days when I've done intense amounts of freelance work.
JD
I love the jump from the novel to my shorter fiction pieces in freelance (kids' markets). It gives me a break plus I can torture my children for ideas.
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I started to write some little web articles a little while back. I too love to write and get paid. I haven't made much money but it keeps the kids in diapers so thats important.
I have no trouble with it personally.
I have no trouble with it personally.
I do both, as well as copy editing a weekly newspaper.
I find it easier to switch between copy editing and fiction writing than between articles and my current work in progress. And I agree with JoNightshade that if you are considering freelancing for the money, a job unrelated to writing might be more efficient (in terms of hours spent versus money received). On the other hand, freelancing can be much more flexible than a part-time job, which is why I started doing it when my son was one.
Good luck!
I find it easier to switch between copy editing and fiction writing than between articles and my current work in progress. And I agree with JoNightshade that if you are considering freelancing for the money, a job unrelated to writing might be more efficient (in terms of hours spent versus money received). On the other hand, freelancing can be much more flexible than a part-time job, which is why I started doing it when my son was one.
Good luck!
I freelance on a regular basis...probably 3 to 4 articles a month. Sometimes lot more...sometimes less. It's not really an imperative for me...so I just do it as it suits me. But I have no trouble switching between writing articles and working on my WIP. I find it a welcome break to put the WIP aside and focus on an article for a while. And I have a full time job on the side. (-;
PS...hello Paula. (Kevin from the Muskoka Novel Marathon) Small world...
PS...hello Paula. (Kevin from the Muskoka Novel Marathon) Small world...
Freelance
I do both constantly. I think most writers do, until they hit the point where a good living can be made from fiction alone. But like johnzakour said, I just like writing and getting paid for it. If it pays enough to justify the time, I'll probably write it.
I do both constantly. I think most writers do, until they hit the point where a good living can be made from fiction alone. But like johnzakour said, I just like writing and getting paid for it. If it pays enough to justify the time, I'll probably write it.
I'm going to respectfully disagree. I'm a full-time freelance writer, who hasn't made any money (so far) from fiction.
If you're willing to do work for hire, you can have paying work in 3 to 10 days. I was making enough to support myself with freelance work within 6 months of starting, and showed a profit the first month.
I work from home, set my own hours and essentially work part-time. And, I make more than I did in 50+ hours per week as a hotel general manager. I average well above $40 per hour, and have earned $100 to $150 per hour on some projects.
While fiction and non-fiction are different kinds of writing, writing so much is definitely good for your skills. The way I balance the two is to write fiction for 2 hours every morning, then switch to non-fiction.
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Writing drone by day, creative novelist by night.
Income from business-type writing can be a good gig. Grant writing, proposals, business plans, public relations, etc.
Income from business-type writing can be a good gig. Grant writing, proposals, business plans, public relations, etc.
There's an immediate gratification aspect to freelance writing that's very nice. I start off knowing what the topic of the article is going to be, how many words it should be, how much I'll be paid, when it's due... It doesn't usually take more than a week or so to write. It is a very different experience than writing a novel. I'm not sure that I could say that it's supplementing my income, because that suggests there's a major income out there to add to. But it's nice to get the check.
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Yeah, I do marketing writing, ads, brochures and stuff. The work is spotty (because I don't scrounge for it) but the pay is great.
It doesn't have to be decent. It just has to be something an editor somewhere would want to pay money for.
And yes, I freelance and write (mostly unpaid) fiction. I don't find it hard to switch between the two. They're such different genres anyway.
Typical day:
Write fiction in the morning for half an hour in between eating breakfast and taking a shower.
Go to my Technical Writer day job.
Go out to the car and write fiction for an hour during my lunch break.
Return to Technical Writer day job.
Come home. If possible, squeeze in some more fiction writing.
Write fiction in the morning for half an hour in between eating breakfast and taking a shower.
Go to my Technical Writer day job.
Go out to the car and write fiction for an hour during my lunch break.
Return to Technical Writer day job.
Come home. If possible, squeeze in some more fiction writing.
I make some money at freelance writing, It's long hours for a little bit of money but I only accept projects that have some appeal to me. I just turned down one that didn't hold enough interest for me.
Thanks to everyone for their input and advice! I like the idea of writing and getting paid for it as well. 
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