Wendy Coneybeer

I just realized that it’s been six months since I said goodbye to the corporate cubicle life and started freelancing as a writer/blogger/content creator. It’s been an interesting ride and, since I don’t really have a “boss” to assess my performance, I figure I’d do it myself and present it to you, the people who always ask how it’s going.

It’s not been easy, that’s for sure, but there is no way I would change my decision. There have been some very bad experiences with clients, but there has also been a lot of good too. Those who have stuck with me throughout these months seem pretty pleased with my work, so I guess I shouldn’t be too hard on myself. Not everyone is going to appreciate what you do. The key is to find those who do and perform your best for them.

Plus, I’m finally starting to build a good reputation and a portfolio to allow me to get better gigs. I was lucky enough to find additional work last week that is flexible enough to allow me to fit it in around what I’m already doing. This client had rejected me before, but now with my longer track record and improved body of work, I’m in!

So all-in-all, considering the melt-downs and financial struggles and the days when I couldn’t get it out of my head that I’m a crappy writer… yeah, I think it’s turning out okay. Chris asked me if I was still happy working at home and no part of my mind told me that I wasn’t. It’s got it’s advantages and disadvantages, like any job, but it seems to suit me and that’s all that matters.

Now there are a few things I’d like to share with those of you who are thinking of trying this type of work yourself:

• There is no way I could do this without a second, primary household income. Money sometimes doesn’t float in for a month or three after I’ve completed work. Some months are better than others, but I’m only producing a part-time income right now. This is beginning to change, but I doubt I’ll be making a sustainable full-time income for at least another six months. As with any job you’ve gotta pay your dues.
• I don’t make any money on my personal blog. When I told people at LaidOffCamp what I was doing this year, inevitably someone would ask me how to make money with their blog. One attendee had even shelled out money to one of those “services” that are supposed to tell you how to make money by blogging. If you’re tempted by those, don’t do it. I’ll tell you right now that the way to make money by blogging is by working your ass off and SEOing the shit out of your site to maximize page views. If you’re wondering what SEO is then you’re probably not ready. I don’t SEO my personal site because it’s primarily for my friends & family to read about me. I’m not interested in luring strangers here with specific search terms. The professional sites I work for are an entirely different story…
• It’s not just about the writing – It’s not enough to write well. When you compose online content, it’s all about the page views and site traffic you generate. That means creating enticing headlines for stories that people will be interested in. Plus, you have to try to get in on stories before the rest of the world has picked up on them. Once there are 900 stories aggregated on Google News, it’s too late. It helps to have a good editor, and I’m lucky enough to have one with whom I work quite well.

More to come. As I figure out new things along this journey I’ll do my best to share.