Experience Interview Series

Interview, Part I
On Freelancing versus Stable Jobs and Finding a Niche

I interviewed Ned, a fellow PiA fellow who played a big part in convincing me that freelancing was a viable option by answering my non-stop, star-struck questions when we first met in Bangkok. He has held freelancing and stable jobs on the mainland and now works for a business magazine based in Hong Kong.

I asked Ned about his experiences and his advice for fellow freelancers and, in the process, found advice that corroborates mine and points points in new directions.

-----

Thomas: What's the biggest difference between freelancing and holding a stable writing job? Which do you prefer?

Ned: OK, first freelancing: its advantages include full flexibility, being your own boss, no accountability to anyone but yourself.
Freelancing disadvantages: lacks regular pay which can force one to do other work, lacks health care, lacks a safety net of a steady job, there are also a lot of unforeseen expenses (transport, coffees for interviewees, supplies)

Stable writing job advantages - steady income, healthcare and safety net, comraderie with office mates, an editor whom you have rapport with and who will (hopefully) stand up for you when you anger people. Oh, and free (bad) office coffee.

Stable writing job disadvantages - expectation of certain # of words per day/week/month, could be a worse quality of life, have to deal with office politics, lose control over what you write. In the end, I prefer a stable writing job.

T: Should people look for niches? How?

N: Yes, people should look for niches. Figure out what you like, what is your passion - like Whoopi Goldberg said in Sister Act "If the first thing you think of in the morning is singing, than you're meant to be a singer, girl." That applies to writers, if the first thing you think of in the morning is environmental policy, architecture, pro baseball...then thats what you should write about. If you have a passion for something, can show an editor that, then you can succeed in that field.