Freelancing

On Wednesday, I looked up ‘freelance writing’ on YouTube, and came across a fantastic introduction by expertvillage. Intrigued, I googled ‘freelance’ and clicked on the Freelancer website. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I signed up, and started working on my profile. Then I searched for writing projects.

THERE WERE SO MANY. From ghostwriting, to editing, to copywriting, to article writing – I was astounded! Ripe for the plucking! Once my excitement wore off, I realised that the tricky part for me was to actually get selected by an employer, being a newbie and all. I had to start from scratch and build up a reputation as being a freelancer with high quality work. Sure, at this point, I have my portfolio and my qualifications, but the world of freelancing, as in any industry, requires experience. By this stage, I was all freelanced out, so I called it a day.

On Thursday morning, I took the next step in my budding career as a freelancer. I placed a bid for a project! The project that interested me required me to edit mistakes in transcripts that were done by a computer. So to place my bid, I wrote a polite message to the potential employer, saying how I have transcribing experience and how pedantic I am when it comes to picking grammatical mistakes. There were other far more experienced freelancers bidding for the same project, but lo and behold, I was picked! I was delighted, and by Thursday afternoon, I was typing away on my first project. I actually have a JOB! Whee! For all those similarly inclined to this lifestyle, go for it. Take a leap of faith and put yourself out there. And when you do get the job 1) Take regular stretching breaks 2) Drink lots of water 3) Don’t forget to eat.

It’s now Friday afternoon, and I’m still typing away. lol. Wish me luck on meeting my Sunday deadline!