Hello Hubski,
This is a thread I've generated for current/aspiring/(struggling?) freelance workers. If you have a question or advice to offer to others, please add it to the thread.
Bit of background: I'm a UK based audio post and recording engineer, and have been working "alone" for about 7 years. My work has been for a mixture TV, Radio, Music, Games, Online - on high profile and hobby jobs.
I'll come back periodically when I have a titbit that I feel might be useful, rather than write a lengthy tome now.
Edit: I should add that a lot of the skills which have proved invaluable to me are not audio related, but instead form a basis for good ongoing client relations and project management.
OK, I'm coming up on my last year of college, writing for my school's daily student newspaper, and kicking around the idea of trying to make it as a freelance writer after I graduate. Any freelance writers out there, I'd be interested to hear how you got started in your career.
I know and work with a handful of freelance writers - and it seems that indeed it offers a slightly different career trajectory to other freelance options. For example: my audio freelancing relied on a previous employment position. I built a skillset, reputation and plenty of working relationships whilst working for an established company. That experience and reputation allowed me to go my own way after a certain time. I would have found it a great deal harder, perhaps impossible, to craft meaningful (read profitable) client relationships without that springboard. From what I have seen, and I may be off the mark, writers have more access to market as a beginner. Perhaps not to the "big players" in publishing straight away, but there are numerous sub culture magazines/papers/websites/blogs etc that one can send articles/pitches to. Advice I have heard time and again for aspiring writers is: Play the numbers game, write a great deal, send to all and sundry, see what sticks. Secondary advice for all disciplines: absorb the work of your competitors to a certain extent, they are successful for a reason. There is no shame in imitating before innovating, it takes time to find your own style.