Freelance Writing: Think Twice — Isn’t For The Faint of Heart.

When I tell people I’m a writer, I am almost always greeted with wide-eyes and a sense of awe. Wow! They exclaim. That’s amazing!

For some reason meeting a published writer attracts a level of notoriety. If only they knew that I’m paying for my kale and cranberry salad with my credit card and that I have no idea how I’m going to pay my bills next month — I think to myself.

We’re considered one of the creatives in the world: a wordsmith who weaves their magic arranging words into a masterpiece online and in print.

Writing is a creative pursuit and an exhilarating job, too. But it is also highly dysregulating, rarely pays a living wage, and involves a considerable amount of work that goes beyond the scope of just writing and publishing an article, we often work over 50 hours a week, at least 50 weeks a year. Writers often experience burnout, suffer with debilitating depression and anxiety, and end up giving up writing in favor of a job with stability and health insurance, and saving what’s left of their sanity.

Writing isn’t just sitting at a computer and vomiting words onto the screen.

To be a well-respected writer, one must ensure they are up-to-date with the latest research by reading extensively, establishing relationships with key…