Freelancing Insecurities
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One of my favorite books about writing is Betsy Lerner’s The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers. (My favorite is Stephen King’s On Writing, not that you asked.) Anyway, one of the reasons I like the book so well is because the author, who is an editor, totally “gets” how insecure writers really are. Sure, there are the occasional writers who are annoyingly confident in their abilities, but most of us are fairly sensitive, maybe even a bit obsessive when it comes to our prose.
Anyway, for those of us who are a little insecure, it doesn’t take much to throw us for a loop. Back when we first started this blog, we took a little flak for admitting that we’ve been known to cry over a dissatisfied client. The funny thing is that between then and now, there have been very few dissatisfied clients, yet we still remember it like it was last week. We’re definitely growing a thicker skin, but (I’ll speak for myself here, and Tamara can add her own two cents’ worth if she wants) I’m actually a little needy when it comes to my words. I think it’s because writing is the main thing I’ve always been recognized for doing exceptionally well; and when it’s called into question, it’s like saying that there’s something wrong with me.
Yikes. That got a little deep for a moment. Moving right along…
I found that my insecurities were dredged up a bit this weekend, and I thought, “Hey, why not tell the whole world (ok, the 600-and-something people who read this blog), what a big dork you are?” Actually, I figured that a lot of you would probably see yourselves in my situation and it might be comforting to you to know that you’re not alone.
So, how’s that for a really, really long introduction?
The point is this: Things have been going great for Tamara and me lately. We’ve been getting new clients left and right. We’ve moved into our very own office in a lovely historic building. We have been receiving excellent feedback from our clients on their projects. We were, in fact, on top of the world.
And then, someone left a silly little comment on an old post here, and my self-doubt went all out of control. The post was geared toward newbie freelancers and was intended to give them an idea of what constituted reasonable expectations for wages. We actually hedged our bets a bit when we said that SEO articles might pay anywhere from $5 to $50. I can tell you that we don’t make $5 an article, but we also don’t make $50. What we do make, however, we think is pretty fair for the amount of work that goes into the piece.
This person left a comment saying that she makes $100 for 500-word SEO articles. Honestly, I felt like she was a little haughty about it, but that’s neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that if she’s getting $100 for SEO articles, then GOOD FOR HER! Also, I would love to know where she finds those clients, because we’re definitely not at that level.
And there, of course, is where my insecurities kicked in. I went from thinking, “Wow, we are really doing a great job,” to “Maybe we’re kidding ourselves.” It sucked. Thank goodness for Tamara, who immediately recognized why I was feeling this way and helped pull me out of it. Sure, I would love to earn $100 for an SEO article, but that seems a little far-fetched to me at the moment. (Not to say this other person isn’t doing it, just that I obviously haven’t hit that level.) In my experience, I don’t generally make $0.50 per word on my web writing.
The question is, can I still feel successful, even if I’m not earning what this person thinks is fair? The answer is “yes.” It took me a little time this weekend to answer that question for myself, but the truth is this that I work hard, and I make a reasonable amount of money. As long as I continue to work hard, I will continue to make a reasonable amount of money. In the meantime, I will be happy for those who are doing “better” than I am, I will try to help those who are not doing “better” than I am, and I will continue to work hard and grow my business in a way that makes sense for me.
So, if you’re not at the level you want to be yet, that’s OK. I’m pretty happy where I am, but I’m still striving to go further. Tamara and I have built our business this way since the beginning, and it’s working for us. I just have to keep those damn insecurities from popping their nasty little heads out and making me question myself.
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Christina Lemmey is the mother of two school-aged girls, a wife, and the owner of 
Okay, so what really caught my attention is when you said, “We’ve moved into our very own office in a lovely historic building.” Now I’m all ears.
And really, you know it doesn’t matter what anyone else, or even everyone else, is doing. You don’t really know how it is for them or what sacrifices they might have been forced to make to get or stay there.
Terry Heaths last blog post..Crows and Social Proof
I had a similar experience the other day when reading a post in which the blog author felt annoyed by a person claiming to be a writer, even though that person didn’t have the education or credentials to support that claim (her words – not mine). I felt like she was talking about me personally! I have no educational background to support my work, and my print writing is limited to some ad copy and a few local articles.
But then I remembered – I started my OWN business! I’m an editor for a webzine, and I’m paying people to write for it! For me, success isn’t measured by how much money I make or how often I’m published in a national mag. I consider myself successful because I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing.
Thanks for that. It was needed. It’s so hard to not compare the road you’re on with the road someone else is on. But everytime we do, I think we do ourselves a big disservice.
Dionnas last blog post..Too Much Imagination?
After I read today’s post, I couldn’t help but comment. I’ve followed this blog for several months, and it’s one of my favorites (in fact, this one of the few in which I actually read every post). I quit my job in April to stay home with my now 14-month old and launch my freelance writing and marketing business. You both continue to inspire me!
Here’s what I’m learning from both self-employment and parenthood: there are many, many ways to do things. Sometimes I wonder if I should be doing things differently, but then I realize that our differences are what makes life interesting. Be proud of what you’ve accomplished – it’s a lot! (I’m sure you know this rationally, but sometimes in can’t hurt to hear.)
Lorna,
These are your words, and I am going to hold you to them. What is important for you to remember is that “you are HAPPY where you are, but you strive for something better!”
You are doing what you love doing, you have time with Dot, and you are in a good place. Measure your success by your happiness.
Who wouldn`t want to earn $100 for a 500 word article? I think the huge majority of writers are much below that, but that`s fine. We earn a good living as it is.
Guys,
I saw that comment come through. I think I was subbed or something. Honestly, my first response thought was “That post is from a year ago. They’re way past those amounts now.” If you’re not past those amounts, you should be and you certainly have every right to be. Don’t sell yourselves short. $100 for a 500 word article= EASILY! Come ON! You’re one of the Top Ten Blogs for Writers. People KNOW you guys! You are WORTH that.
Allenas last blog post..Cheesy But True
I’m also guilty of worrying too much about what others think and as writers that’s just what we do. If we didn’t worry than no one would hire us. On my first real gig doing an article on crime a guy totally slammed my work then promoted his blog! That’s life as a freelance writer, love it or leave it!
Thanks for adding your thoughts, folks. I suspected that a lot of you have to deal with the insecurity issue, too, and sometimes just knowing that you’re not alone can be quite a relief.
Web content writing will never command the same pay rates that other types of print publishing work will.
I’ve written for some pretty big names in the web content world, and they don’t pay fortunes. It’s web content. It’s not the same industry – but tack ‘magazine’ onto ‘article’ and the rate jumps substantially.
Don’t let it get to you guys. You’re doing just fine, and you’re growing and you’re still here, working steadily, which is more than most people can say (especially those that brag, hm?).
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..Web Design Trends for 2009
exactly. what james said. which is why I’ve push writers to go there. when I saw the ?????? about 100 for 500 words, I was surprised this is even an issue. GO GO GO.
Allenas last blog post..Have You SEEN These Experts?
@ Allena – Heh, gentle nudges are far nicer than pushes. I prefer to take a look at how far writers have come and remind them of that. Then I encourage them that they’re not done growing.
Pushing writers to jump from X to Y in an industry that doesn’t pay that high to begin with pretty much only sets them up for discouragement, don’t you think? It’d be far better to push the industry leaders who buy the content to understand how they discriminate between writer specialties instead.
Unless I’m missing something?
James Chartrand – Men with Penss last blog post..Web Design Trends for 2009
Hmm, $100 for a 500 word article??? That’s impressive. Not sure how true it is though. I love this post because I go through the same insecurities and find myself questioning my abilities, even when the feedback is constructive. But the truth is, we’re making it. And the business of freelance is tough, especially with the amount of jobs that are outsourced to other countries for lower pay. I did, however, find some good news on that front, though. I just read a recent article that showed that the number of employers awarding freelance jobs to US providers went up by 367% between 2007 and 2008. That means we must be doing something right, and that the work is out there. Anyway, thanks for the great post and keep them coming!
So I’ve been thinking about this…
I don’t think $100 for a 500-word article is crazy at all, assuming it’s actually an article and not just, say, a first-person blog post that doesn’t require research or interviewing or an SEO article. Particularly not for an experienced writer. In fact, I’d say it’s pretty low.
And I don’t say that because I feel all high and mighty and hoity-toity. If you charge $20 an hour, that’s five hours of work to make $100. Is a really good, well-researched article going to take you five hours to put together? In some cases, perhaps. Maybe you have to call and schedule interviews with two or three people, then conduct the interviews, then go through your notes, then go online to do additional research, then write, rewrite, edit and submit. In some other cases, maybe that article only takes you three hours to put together from start to finish, and so maybe $100 is high in that instance.
I guess what I’m saying is…let’s not hold ourselves back with our own low expectations.
Jennifers last blog post..Disappointment sets in, with A-Rod’s steroid admission
@Jennifer – The person in question was talking about an SEO article. I agree that $100 isn’t too bad for a print article, but as James aluded to above, print and web writing are two entirely different beasts. At this point, most of our work is of the web variety, although we are building our print clips now.
Thanks for thinking about the post and coming back to share your thoughts!