The Life of a Writer, Including the Do's & Don'ts, Pay, Markets, and Everything in Between

I have asked myself repeatedly what I expect to gain from freelance writing, and the first thing that comes to mind is the personal gratification that comes from writing something that helps someone else out in some way, or at the very least gives the reader a bit of entertainment while skimming through my well thought out words that have been put to paper. Of course the average writer dreams of being published and receiving some type of adequate compensation for writing a well written article, filler, e-book, or novel, and the average over-worked writer is known to say quite a few silent prayers that they will never run out of creative ideas no matter how hard they push themselves. The serious hard-core writer visualizes that through experience that they will become even more creative with each passing day and that their writing niche will enable them to consistently write well as it is essential to their future as a writer.

Unfortunately writer's block is part of the deal when a creative mind is working at its top potential day in and day out. A powerful desire to get your point across in a clear, concise manner is the key to reaching your goal as a strong writer. Never allow writer's block to keep you from your goal. Take a break and read something inspirational to get you back on track. Everyone has a unique style of writing that someone else will enjoy reading, so believe in your individual creativity thoroughly, pound those keys, and let us see what you have to offer, and don't even think about wasting another minute of time because your mind has drawn a blank. Just sitting there pondering about what you can't write is a serious waste of time.

Multitasking while writing is unfavorable for your mind set. Playing online games, cooking dinner, or talking on the phone while trying to complete an article can lead to something that turns out mystifying to readers, and without realizing it you may even add part of your phone conversation into the article since this is the freshest thing on your mind at the time. If your thoughts are somewhere else while you are in the middle of an article, stop writing, finish whatever it is that is calling your attention, and then clear your mind of all outside forces. Turn off the phone, close browser windows to online games, tie up the kids, and resume writing your article.

We all dream that our writing will eventually lead to something bigger and better or else we wouldn't be here. It has been my experience that there are four types of writers, the phenomenal ones who are published novelists that live the good life, the great writers who occasionally get published in magazines and can pay their debts 6 months out of the year, the good writers who scrape by making less then they deserve from writing articles or fillers. This type must keep a full or part-time job on the side to meet living expenses, and then there are the bad writers. These are the ones that map out stories in their mind, but never actually put it on paper, instead they dream of what it would be like to become a writer, but never act on it, fearing that it is a waste of time.

A writers pay is something of a mystery as no two writer's claim to make the same income, and I cannot begin to remember how many times someone has asked me how much I make as a writer. This question never fails to get me steamed as I believe it is impolite to ask about a person's income and the answer is less then I would like to admit. Of course people see writers as brainiacs or nerds that get the luxury of working from home, and they imagine that anyone that can write something intelligible is living a charmed life of never ending royalty checks in the mailbox. What these same people fail to realize is that we are starving writers that depend on our day jobs to survive living in the real world. The fact is that freelance writers are one of the lowest paid creative intellects, but we continue on for the sheer love of our art.

The National Writers Union has researched the writing market and they have discovered that freelance rates have declined by more than 50 percent since the 1960s. A good freelance writer can expect to spend a tremendous amount of time looking for work, researching, revising and submitting articles. A decent rate of pay for writing these articles runs in the neighborhood of about .75 to 1.00 per word. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the average wage for writing positions ranged from $35,270 for news reporters to $45,500 for staff writers, plus benefits.

According to the Writer's Market a substantial number of writers earn $30,000 to $40,000 and more per year, including technical writers. These calculations concluded that writers typically earn an average of $20 to $50 an hour when writing books, and anywhere from .04 to .20 cents per word on magazine articles, and on up to $150 to $2,750 for larger magazines.

High Paying Markets

Parade weekly magazine pays a minimum of $2,500 for articles. Contact: Parade Publications, Inc., 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Editor: Walter Anderson http://www.parade.com/

http://www.americanprofile.com/ is accepting nonfiction articles, fillers, interviews, and photographs. They pay $650 for a two-page cover story that may include a sidebar; $325 for a one-page feature story; and $200 for short features of less than one page.

Child Magazine is looking for children's health, parenting and marital relationship issues, child behavior and development, and personal essays on anything pertaining to family life. The current rate of pay is $1.00 to $1.50 per word. For more information, contact: http://www.childmagazine.com/child_magazine/index.jsp#writers_guidelines

AARP the Magazine pays writers $1.00 per word for articles covering finance, health, food, travel, consumerism, general interest, and profiles or first-person accounts of people who have made a dramatic change in their lives. For writers guidelines go to: http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/i/61.htm.

Freelance Market Guide
Low Paying Markets: $0.10-$0.30 per word
Medium Paying Markets: $0.35-$0.65 per word
High Paying Markets: $0.70 and up per word