The Sometimes Strange World of a Freelance Writer

Here’s something you might not have thought about: Some people assume writers can do most of the things they write about. In other words, they are perceived as experts on many, many topics.

However, just because I wrote about banking didn’t mean I could step in and become a banker—nor even a bank teller! I wrote about real estate, but I certainly knew nothing about selling real estate, and I never knew anything about accounting even though I had several accounting clients. To me, accounting was a bore! And just because I write an article about skiing doesn’t mean I can fly down a ski slope. Been there, wasn’t good at it, don’t intend to do it again! I can interview people who love it and then communicate their love of the sport in an article without having to endure a frozen nose or broken bones. (Believe me, experience tells me it would be other skiers’ bones I would be concerned about if I actually tried skiing again.)

As a writer, I did learn about a lot of subjects, but that didn’t make me an expert on anything except maybe writing and gathering facts. Still, that didn’t prevent potential clients from thinking that I would already know something about their topic and that I would certainly know where to get any information I needed to produce their project. So as a result, I’ve received many strange, sometimes outlandish requests for help.

I guess the weirdest request I ever had was to run the political campaign for a local candidate. The type of experience I needed included 1. knowledge about how to run a campaign, 2. knowing how to get attention (hopefully good) for the candidate, 3. knowing how to make him marketable to the electorate, and 4. many numerous other details that I knew nothing about. I had a little experience writing speeches, and that was it! And I was able to offer the client advice on colors for his campaign signs and ads because I had experience in color psychology and color impact as it pertained to advertising.

Still, I turned down the job because I wasn’t qualified to run a political campaign, and frankly, I wasn’t interested, but I suggested that his signs must be eye-catching, employ strong, contrasting colors, and display patriotic colors, preferable red-orange and white writing on a dark blue background. Unfortunately, before he contacted me, he had already had signs printed in dark blue on a gray background, which was extremely hard to read, especially while driving by in the rain (this was Western Washington). He lost the campaign, but at least I didn’t have to feel guilty that he lost because of my inexperience as a campaign manager.

Another strange request I had was via a phone call from a man from Alaska who had “uncovered a scandal” and wanted me to help him produce a book on the story. First of all, he didn’t divulge where he had heard about me, which made me suspicious. He “couldn’t remember” where he got my name. Somehow, I don’t think I had a following in Alaska! I also had never done any investigative reporting, so wouldn’t have known where to start (this was before the Internet). And there was also no way to investigate the background of the person wanting to hire me, and I felt that I needed to know something about his credibility before I committed time to his “cause.”

One unusual request was conducting surveys over the phone. An editor friend of mine was doing it to earn extra money, so she asked me to help out. Uh-uh! No way did I relish interrupting people during dinner to ask them mindless questions that I wouldn’t have cared to answer.

There were other projects that were turned down for various reasons, often because I simply didn’t know anything about the client. My reputation was on the line, so that was my major concern before tackling a particular project. And to protect my reputation, I had to have enough knowledge about what was being asked of me so that I knew I could do a good job.

In your writing career, you will probably be asked to participate in a number of projects that are foreign to you, and you’ll be able to research and learn how to produce them. So much can be learned from reading, and now, on the Internet. But if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t be embarrassed to turn it down. And if you’re uncomfortable for any reason with the person hiring you, you’ll probably be better off turning him (or her) down. Or charge double!

I had one client that I just didn’t like from the moment I met him. No real reason except he seemed to be much more impressed with himself than I could imagine anyone else being. I decided to take his project on, but I charged him double the going rate and required one-half down. Then I rushed out and cashed his check before I started work on his project. Well guess what—he never paid the rest of the invoice when I finished the work. He was indeed a sleaze-bag, but it only proved that I had been right in my assessment of him in the first place. And I actually got all of my fee upfront, so I didn’t lose anything. The extra fee that I might have been paid maybe would have reimbursed me for the annoyance of working with him!

And there was the guy I interviewed for the newspaper who had previously had some kind of run-in with a neo-Nazi group, but he didn’t want me to mention that (Wonder why? And wonder why he bothered to tell me?). Then the newspaper I was writing the article for got a threat if the article was printed. No problem! They killed the story and I went on to write another article for them. I had to wonder who the threat was from, or if I was being followed and that’s how the caller knew I had interviewed the subject, or if the interview subject chickened out and didn’t want his name mentioned in the paper? Creepy.

When writers first start out, or if business is slow, it’s tempting to take on every job that comes along and be happy for the work. And since I’ve always been adventurous, I could have easily been led down some dangerous paths if my mother’s warnings hadn’t been implanted deep in my brain. When that little voice in my head warned me that something wasn’t right, I always paid attention.

Not everyone is weird

For the most part, writing has been the most wonderful, exhilarating work I’ve ever done. It has led to places I probably would never have gone on my own, provided an introduction to people I probably never would have met otherwise, and filled my life with rewarding experiences that have completed my life in a way that never could have been possible.

If you are hesitating about getting started writing, make this the day that you decide to do it. Make a to-do list about what you need to get going, then stick to it. And if you get some strange requests from time to time, realistically consider them. Don’t pass on something that can lead to better things, even if you have to do some research before you get started.

Most writing consists of producing articles for legitimate magazines, newspapers, or online news organizations or newsletters, or it will be for legitimate businesses in your hometown. Either way, you can usually count on receiving professional treatment and pay without any hassles.