Anyone jump into freelance writing from a completely unrelated field?

I did(I was working retail before), and I actually got my start by trying out a site to see if it worked. It also helped that I actually had a blog as a hobby, but I did wind up in this field and it is my career for now.

As for how long it took me, it took me a couple of months to get myself ready before I started applying for real jobs. But I started in March and got my real first writing job that September. Keep in mind that I was going slow and bringing in some money via a content mill before I got the job.

Feel free to ask any more questions, if you want more info or details.

Hi, Shaman, I was a secretary for over 20 years when my back went out and had to quit working. I then decided to take up writing, which i always wanted to do. It's been a great help dealing with my back woes, taking my mind off of it, though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone to do it that way. to the cooler and good luck with your writing.

I was a nanny goofing around on the internet one day while the kid napped when I saw an ad that said "Access to Hundreds of Freelance Jobs! Only$50!" I said "Screw that, I bet I could find a ton of jobs without paying for them." Before I knew it I had not only found said jobs, but applied for a few, thinking I would never get them but it was amusing and I was bored. Well, suffice it to say I got several of those gigs. I eventually moved to waitressing so I'd have more time to write, and then into full time freelance. There wasn't really an acclimatization period, though. I mean, of course it takes time to find gigs and work up to better and better markets (I started with web content and was making about $1000 a month when I moved on to magazines), but I'm a bit of a natural writer and the reason I got so into it so quickly is that it wasn't "hard".

I just started querying. I wasn't sure if I had any skill or not until I got some really positive feedback from clients, and from there I have just slowly expanded but I've never taken a class. The only reader feedback I ever get on my non-fiction is from my husband, who sometimes proofreads for me, and from editors (who, fortunately, generally have positive things to say).

I was an admin on a carrier-grade Internet backbone network.

And then I got asked to do a series of how-to articles on webhosting for newcomers to the industry. It was good advertising for our business, so I did it.

Now, I'm a full-time but officially freelance reporter. It's taken me about 10 years to get to this point.

I still miss my network.

Focus

I just gave it a try for a lack of other job opportunities. My original plan was to try and get a couple of articles into a newspaper while looking for work in different fields, since I'd never been particularly interested in writing. I totally lucked out - the paper offered me a weekly column which I've now been writing for over 3 1/2 years. I began querying magazines as well and have been able to place articles in a variety of them.

In the beginning, I was ignorant of writers' forums and just googled most of the info on how to write queries and articles, pay rates etc. I've never taken a writing course and the only book I bought related to this was the Writer's Market, which in retrospect hasn't done anything for me - the internet and newsstands have all the info I need.

Good luck

I've written off and on since I was a child. Until the last few years, I would write and abandoned or destroy my writings (don't ask). But during my adult life I worked as a secretary and in Human Resources and those jobs took me away from writing. Now, that I'm unemployed I do some writings for a content mill and I just recently finished my script.

The content mill has helped me in the sense of getting back into writing full-time. Working on my grammar, sentence structure, etc. So it has been a blessing in disguise.

I think it's very common for people to start out with an unrelated profession before they get into freelance writing.

It's one of those things that can take a while to find monetary success in, so some people at least start off with an additional profession. It could take years before your writing becomes your primary means for making a living, it could never happen, or you could find that kind of success right out of the gate. It's different for everyone.

I think it's definitely helpful to do it as a hobby first. More than that, it's important that you consider it a hobby because, at first you might not be able to justify it as anything more than that to others.

Ryan said:

I think it's definitely helpful to do it as a hobby first. More than that, it's important that you consider it a hobby because, at first you might not be able to justify it as anything more than that to others.

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I respectfully disagree. While you might do it part time at first (and that can be ideal for some people), I would never suggest treating freelance writing as a hobby. If you don't take it seriously, you can't expect to succeed.

Ryan said:

it's important that you consider it a hobby because, at first you might not be able to justify it as anything more than that to others.

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I don't see why you should need to justify to anybody that you're spending time writing. IMO the only person you have to answer to for pursuing something you want to do is yourself since you'll be stuck with yourself until you die More than can be said about most people in your life.
And in my experience, there will still be plenty of people looking down their nose at you even when you start to score high paying writing gigs or manage to get a regular feature, just because it's not "literary" writing or wildly intellectual.
So I'd always stick with my own dreams and pursue those, no matter if other people think it's a total waste of time. After all, it's my time.

WildScribe said:

I respectfully disagree. While you might do it part time at first (and that can be idea for some people), I would never suggest treating freelance writing as a hobby. If you don't take it seriously, you can't expect to succeed.

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Well said. I couldn't agree more.

WildScribe said:

I respectfully disagree. While you might do it part time at first (and that can be ideal for some people), I would never suggest treating freelance writing as a hobby. If you don't take it seriously, you can't expect to succeed.

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Sorry, by suggesting you treat it like a hobby, I didn't mean to imply that you shouldn't put a significant amount of effort into it. I meant that it might be best to start by doing it on the side. If anything, I think that if you are interested in entering the field of freelance writing, you should do so because you have a passion for it.

What I should have said is that it might be best if you start off by doing it without the expectation of quickly making a meaningful amount of money. You might eventually be able to survive off your freelance writing alone, but you should be prepared for the possibility that it might take some time to reach that point.

Bushrat said:

I don't see why you should need to justify to anybody that you're spending time writing. IMO the only person you have to answer to for pursuing something you want to do is yourself since you'll be stuck with yourself until you die More than can be said about most people in your life.
And in my experience, there will still be plenty of people looking down their nose at you even when you start to score high paying writing gigs or manage to get a regular feature, just because it's not "literary" writing or wildly intellectual.
So I'd always stick with my own dreams and pursue those, no matter if other people think it's a total waste of time. After all, it's my time.

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You are right. However, if you're attempting to do this full time and you are not making enough money to survive on your own, then suddenly people's opinions of what you're doing can have a real impact on your life.

My original point was (and I'm sorry if I did a poor job of articulating it), depending on your circumstances, you might initially need or benefit from a completely unrelated job on top of your work as a freelance writer.

Like I said, I agree that in most cases part timing it is the way to go (by which I mean treating freelancing as a part time job after your regular paycheck is taken care of). I see "hobby" as something really different, but I see that we meant essentially the same thing.

I don't necessarily agree about the passion part, though. I got into freelancing because I am good at it, but I don't exactly feel passionate about it, or about most of the things I write about. I do love the freedom of freelancing, and since I am good at it I enjoy the job. Still, it's a job for me, not playtime. But everyone will have their own feelings on that part.

When I started freelancing, I went 100 percent cold turkey. Ended my full-time job in June (I was a guidance counselor). Took one month off. Started freelancing full-time in July.

I had no pro writing credits, but I had been researching, reading and hounding other writers for advice for about two years in anticipation of this career change.

By September, I was making enough to cover my basic expenses (including rent, health insurance, student loans, groceries, etc.).

I got somewhat lucky in that I stumbled into a pretty lucrative corporate gig early on. That helped me pay the bills so I had time to query.

I did take one non-fic writing class during my preparation period and I still take the occasional online courses on magazine writing, querying, etc. Right now I'm considering taking some copyediting courses.

I also joined a pro freelance board called Freelance Success (FLX) which has been enormously helpful to me during this first crazy year.

It's now April and I'm coming up on my first year freelance anniversary. I'm still not making bank, but I'm paying the bills and even have cash left over for eating out, road trips and other little bonuses.

I'm not sure jumping in with both feet is the best idea for everyone. It helps to have some savings, because even if you start selling right away, you may not get paid for months.

On the other hand, you may be surprised how fast you can hustle when there's no safety net.

Thanks for starting this thread. It's always interesting to see the gazillions of ways writers launch themselves.

What a great question! I was a statistician at a massive bank before I up and quick and became a full-time freelance writer. The adjustment didn't really feel like an adjustment - it's just what I wanted to do so I went at it full on. And it felt SOOO good to be out of the 9-to-5, out of the business suit, working for MYSELF. This was in 2008 and it's still a struggle to make ends meet, and I'm constantly trying to tweak my life so as to work "smarter" not harder to make a living. But after tasting the freedom of freelance life, I don't think I could ever go back to the office. It just keeps getting better. And writing is a totally exciting, fluid career, that ebbs and flows and changes as the market changes. It's exciting, and sometimes terrifying, but I'm learning to ride it. And learning to compromise - maybe that's one of the biggest challenges. It's going to take years, probably decades, before I'm at the level I want to be. So I've had to compromise a lot, taking jobs that aren't the dream, but that pay the bills and are a stepping stone on the road to ultimate. It's a process; best process in the world, working for yourself. Freeeedom!!!

Monica

I was managing an office for a psychic research lab. I wanted to write really badly but I had no idea what to do or how to do it. I'd lived in LA and floundered with terrible screenplays. I'd sent out bad short stories to markets I knew nothing about. And during the day I answered the phone and talked to people who were convinced their houses were haunted or they were being attacked by psychic energy vampires.

Fortunately, I met some people who pointed me in the right direction and over the course of three years I started writing online, I finally landed some work that got me two professional clips, and I wound up making enough writing freelance to get out of the 9 - 5. And, to be honest, although I hated it at the time I wouldn't trade that job for anything now. Having lived through it and realized that it wasn't the rest of my life I can appreciate how much it taught me about psychic vampires. Those things are deadly!

GradyHendrix said:

Fortunately, I met some people who pointed me in the right direction....

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Pretty good point here - it's all about networking and who you know. I wouldn't be where I am where it not for forums and Twitter. Now if I could only get the hang of LinkedIn and Facebook, I'd be golden. Not enough time in the day.

Best of luck, Shaman. Glad we could help and please keep us posted with your progress. You're gonna love it!!!!