I know, I know. I wasn’t going to write a post about how to get through this unprecedented period of instability that we’re currently experiencing (mostly because I’m not an expert and I have no idea how we’re going to get through it). But after last week’s post, quite a few people got in touch to say they were interested in how I’ve managed (so far) to keep my freelancing business stable.

I’ve also seen heaps of great resources pop up that can help freelance writers during this time.

So this post is a bit of a cobbled-together, lord-knows-what-we’re-doing post.

I’m not going to pretend to have the answers, because I don’t. What’s happening is totally unprecedented and I feel like we’re all just trying to get through.

Hopefully there’s something in this post that’s useful for you, wherever you are and whatever situation you find yourself in.

Being a freelance writer takes faith. First you have to have believe in yourself, but you also have to have faith in others. But unfortunately, I know lots of writers who have been let down by others, whether it be clients, editors or other writers.

One my lovely readers got in touch a little while ago to ask me to put together a post about the warning signs of gigs that seem to be too good to be true.

After all, it’s hard enough to find good freelance gigs, so how can you avoid situations when a seemingly promising opportunity turns into a dud?

One freelance writer shares her story.

If you’re anything like me, your inbox is full of unopened newsletters. Yes, once upon a time you signed up to receive them, but now they just sit there. Although you can’t bring yourself to unsubscribe, yet. But what if there were newsletters that you religiously opened? Newsletters that contain so much good stuff for freelance writers that you star them, print them out or actually just read them immediately?

Well, those newsletters for freelance writers do exist. Here’s my list (and by no means complete) of the best newsletters for freelance writers. And just a heads up, there’s a definite skew towards newsletters that help writers find high-paying gigs.

On first glance, Instagram might not seem that useful for freelance writers. We’re all about words and IG is all about images, right?

Well, yes and no.

I’ve found that Instagram offers me a chance to connect with the people behind the images. And I’ve had offers of work from editors via Instagram and I’ve also used it to find work.

Let me tell you how.

I’ve been a freelance writer for nearly 10 years now. It seems such a crazy thing to say, given that in my 20s I couldn’t ever imagine a time when I wouldn’t be a social worker.

When I started freelancing, I never had a vision to become a full time freelance writer, I was simply seeing if I could write something that someone wanted to publish.

It’s been a lovely, organic journey, but it does mean that there are things I wish I had done differently.

Over the past three years, I’ve invoiced for over $100K each year. And in 2018 and 2019, I only worked 3 – 4 days a week. I’m not saying this to boast, but as an antidote to all the industry doom and gloom about how hard it is to make a living as writer.

So if you want to make $100K (or more) a year from your writing or even if you just want to boost your income, here are my secrets to being a six-figure freelance writer.