5 Reasons Why I Write for a Living.

by Nick Usborne

This article isn’t so much about copywriting itself, but about the reasons why I choose to write for a living. And yes, there are other things I do, like consulting and speaking. But I only get to consult and speak because of my experience as a copywriter.

In no particular order, here are the five reasons why I like to earn my living as a freelance writer...

1. If I lose one job, I have others.

I hate the idea of putting my future in the hands of any one company or employer. Having a ‘job’ may be fine. But that job can disappear at any time, through changes in ‘market conditions’, or through the incompetence or bad luck of a single manager or business owner. No thanks. I’d rather be at the mercy of my own incompetence.

I like to have a few jobs on the go, and have one or two on the horizon as well. If one ‘job’ disappears, it’s no big deal. I have others. In other words, I never have all my eggs in one basket. (Although from time to time I may find myself with rather too many eggs in just one or two baskets. But no system is perfect.)

2. I can work from home or from anywhere else.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table right now. I could be on the couch. I could be on a plane, in a hotel, on the beach, up a tree, in a meeting. The main point being, I’m not stuck in some cubicle somewhere. Most of the time I can be wherever I want.

3. I get to choose when I work and when I don’t.

This is kind of true. But don’t get too excited about the freedom to choose one’s working hours when you work for yourself. More often than not, what you get is the freedom to work twelve hours a day, six days a week. But let’s not look on the gloomy side of things. At least I don’t step out the front door at the same time each morning, rain or shine. I don’t waste hours each week in traffic. And yes, if there is a bit of a lull in my work, I’ll take some time off.

4. I’m always learning something new

For a couple of years I worked for a company on their e-commerce site. It was a full-time job. And yes, I found it interesting to get to know and understand that business in depth. But in the end, I became bored.

As a freelance writer I get to work with a huge variety of different companies and organizations. Every week I am learning something new. This may not work for everyone, but it certainly suits the way my brain is wired.

5. I get paid well

Could I earn what I do now as an employee somewhere? I doubt it. And for sure, I’m always complaining about having too much work or too little. There’s no pleasing me. But at the end of the day, being a freelance writer has done well for me.

Finally, I’ll just come back to that first reason again. Being my own boss as a copywriter means I’ll never lose my job.

Anyone else out there smell bad economic times on the way?

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