How difficult is it to make a living as a freelance writer?

[Jolleigh]

I'm in desperate need of a career move.

I'm quite crafty but am very aware that there isn't really a living to be made unless you find a niche.

I'd love to train as a midwife but it would take many many years to get up to my current level of pay. I'm also close to going on maternity leave myself so won't be able to put the required time away from home into qualifying.

One alternative option would be to write for a living. I've made small amounts of money in the past writing for Text Broker, but the pay off would only be liveable if I were tied to the web page for most of the day and wrote at speed rather than taking the time to be creative. I also found that I was constantly being asked to re-work the pieces because of the lack of detail in the spec (they'd state a requirement for X number of words on subject Y, then after seeing the result would request that I mould it to fit a more specific need).

Something journalistic would be brilliant for me, perhaps supplemented by smaller services such as CV writing and speeches.

Exactly how do other people make a living writing?

This is going to sound harsh and I don't mean to piss on your parade, but successful writers begin by training, learning their craft and building up their contacts. Which takes years.

They usually don't do web content 'factory' writing, because it pays very little.

And most of them don't earn that much anyway.

I would not suggest that an untrained and inexperienced writer went freelance. I would suggest if you have a passion for writing that you started in a job where you could learn your trade.

The only exception to that would be if you had a great deal of niche experience and good writing skills - for eg, if you knew everything there was to know about F1 racing (random example) that's a short-cut to becoming a writer about F1.

Very.

How do I (just about) make a living? That would be decades of experience running press offices plus some journalism training before I switched trades; shameless pimping to any and all contacts; building up expertise in a field (health) which has everything from professional to popular titles... That sort of thing.

Agree with Wilson but having specialist niche knowledge isn't necessarily a short cut. I started out as a journalist in a niche sport. I got the 'in' of work experience on a specialist publication, but there was an astonishing level of competition for work in a field that I'd always thought was pretty obscure. I still had to do journalism training and fight hard for every opportunity.

It's tough. I am just penning an article at the moment on the state of journalism. Pitches are tougher, editors take less and are busier/harsher. I have no training whatsoever but I bludgeoned my way into journalism by winning competitions and writing, writing, writing.

Try not to get dragged down by soul-free stuff. I have a friend who does that - writing hotel descriptions at £4 for 350 words and she is constantly chasing money but never progressing.

A writing career is a strategy. You cannot always plan but you should have a plan but always trying to be better. You also have to want it more than anything else - it should not be a 'maybe' job.

£4 for 350 words? . Fuck. That. (she said in a not terribly articulate way for a writer).

I know. She's a lovely person but people show her very little respect. Of course, she then never has time to pitch for decent work and can not enjoy her life. She is a hamster on a wheel. Now she is talking about buying a house with a (horrible) ex - she just seems to make silly decisions professionally and personally. I think that 'Fuck. That' encapsulates is beautifully. I used to respond to idiots who asked for work at $1 and get into 'discussions' but now I just let people deal with it themselves. No one should allow themselves to be exploited and it lowers rates for everyone. I am expensive. I will always be expensive but some of the very good publications (including The Independent) pay quite poorly - but it is good for the CV. It's such a balancing act but you know what - I am hooked and I can do sod all else.

The balancing act is what makes it fun, it means I can do the odd freebie or offer a bit of help to start-ups (good for the soul) or do food writing pays buttons but I get free food (good for the stomach) while Britain's Most Hated Companies (TM) pay the bills for the corporate work. It keeps things interesting. Sorry for your friend though - hamster on a wheel sounds about right

I am with you on the food reviews - I had a yummy time last year.

I was once paid to eat at three different restaurants a day ( and write about it ) Be careful what you wish for is what I would say :)

Ooh blimey, I don't think I could manage that! Even when I ate at more than two a week - when rich food was pushed upon me by eager restauranteurs - I found it too much!

Stay away from web content factories! They pay you peanuts and it does NOTHING for your reputation.

Start blogging? You need to be able to show potential employers/clients your writing style. It's hard to break into writing unless you have the experience to show or the contacts, I'm afraid.

I write non-fiction books and in no way does it count as 'making a living'! There is very little money in publishing (unless you are J.K. Rowling) and most authors earn under £10k a year.

I supplement my writing with copy-editing other people's books and this is how I make my crust, but like the others said it is after years of working in the industry, training, networking and working hard to gain and retain clients.

Its extremely hard to make a living as a freelance writer and I've had years of experience - published three novels, had columns in national newspapers and magazines, and still I earn peanuts.

Very hard! I've been freelance for years and for some national titles but its still sporadic and I can't live off it.

Agree with the others. Think again.

You can't just become a journalist with no training, no contacts and no experience. Nobody would touch you.

Sorry, to be harsh but as a journalist who trained, worked my way up through local newspapers etc I find if offensive that everyone thinks they can do my job! It's like me thinking I can just be a doctor because I watch Casualty on a Saturday night.

As everyone else has said, you need proper training and experience. It's a very tough industry and no one's in it for the money. Publications are folding all the time and budgets are shrinking. I write for the national press - mainly women's mags and tabloids. I love what I do with a passion and I'm always busy. But I'm sadly also often skint....