Why I Started Freelance Writing

The short answer to this question is: In 2010 I had an epiphany; a light-bulb moment. After spending nearly 10 years looking for a corporate job as a Tech Writer (and many other full-time, steady jobs), I realized that I was wasting my time on that endeavor. Corporate employers wanted someone much younger and willing to work for much less pay than I could afford to accept, given my several years of experience in the field. In my last corporate job I was making $25/hour as a Tech Writer in the IT industry. The jobs I was seeing paid about half that. They also wanted a candidate to have some programming experience and other skills I didn't have at the time.

Frustrated, but knowing I had a marketable skill - writing - I decided to pursue freelance tech writing gigs. I found a a few website where I could post a profile, look for jobs and also have employers find ME. It wasn't a whole month before I was getting offers. One that I accepted was for some creative writing for a travel website, then another for technical writing for a franchise consulting company. The latter proved to be a long-term contract - 3+ years. It ended recently because they decided to go from hourly to fixed-rate contracts only. I got another hourly contract right away, but it's been a rocky start so far. Two weeks of a lot of work; 2 weeks of NO work.

Still, freelance writing has given me the freedom of working virtually/from home, wherever that home is. No need for a car/transportation or proximity to an office location. Have laptop/internet connection, will travel is the standard. That kind of freedom has it's own downside. Stay tuned for a separate posting on the topic!

Learning to Blog Properly

I'm still trying to getting a good handle on blogging. This one was my first. But blogging has evolved and expanded quite a bit since I started in 2010. These days, anyone who wants to be found on the internet for any reason needs to have a blog. Especially those who are trying to build a following and/or a business. I am still surprised at how many job postings I see for hiring a blogger for a company's website, and how many job sites there are where one can look for such a job. Like other forms of written communication, the blog has evolved as an art form.

A New Home for Some of My Articles

So far, I have four (4) articles published on Ezine Articles. Though I've been a member of the site since 2010 and had submitted a few articles back then, none were accepted. But this week, all 4 were accepted/approved and published on their site within 24 hours. YAY!! Here is the link to my "Expert Author" profile page which includes a list of my articles and links to them: My Ezine Author Profile

Ezine Articles is one of many sites I've found where a writer can post articles for exposure to the public. No pay. But if a publisher is looking for content for a newsletter or for their own website, they can snag your article for it and they must include your name/byline as the author.

While I am on hiatus between paying writing gigs, I plan to get more articles written and posted there. Stay tuned!