First of all, I am not trying to be insensitive to the many people who have been hurt by the recent economic downturn and the ongoing financial wobbles. I know a lot of people are facing lost jobs and foreclosures. And I happen to live in the Hurricane Ike zone, too, and I know plenty of people who are struggling to rebuild.
But you know what? Freelance writing is not a bad business to be in. I’ve had more business than usual lately which accounts for my sporadic posts.
No, it’s not because I’m some brilliant writer or have some uncanny promotional abilities. I certainly don’t have a writing market that no one else knows about. The fact is that uncertain economic times means most businesses are very unlikely to hire right now.
But you know what? Most of them still have a lot of work. That work isn’t going anywhere. So either they lean on their existing staff to do more (and that has limits) or they have to find some other way to get it done.
Writing is one of the easiest things for businesses to outsource, if they know a competent writer. I’m getting projects that I suspect would normally have been handled in-house but either the in-house people were overwhelmed or the company really needs a full-time writer and just doesn’t want to hire one right now.
Notice that I said I’m getting this work because I’m a competent writer. So many writers want to be brilliant, they forget about being competent. Businesses want to work with writers who do what they say they can do, keep deadlines, and deliver work that meets the client’s needs.
It’s one of the great secrets of freelance writing: write for business clients, at least part of the time. Good money and lots of work when the economy gets shaky.
