Am I Still a Writer?

Alright, confession time.

I started this whole thing a year ago with the dream of being a freelance writer, and I still choose to describe myself that way. But honestly… it’s starting to feel like maybe I’m going in a different direction.

Half of my clients are ones with blogs and social media that I write for them. The other half?

Well, I do all kinds of things like building media lists, brainstorming marketing plans, launching outreach campaigns, proofreading documents, and sometimes basic graphic design. This weekend I even got to provide feedback on a boardgame! In the last year, I’ve been binging books on marketing and business like it’s a bag of spicy potato chips (my weakness).

And I actually like it?

Now, I’m still a writer and I always will be—there’s no question about that.

In the last few months though, I’ve realized my skills have evolved a lot more than I expected. My clients have spent time teaching me new skills and pushing me to grow in ways I never would have imagined.

It feels a bit silly to call myself a writer when I write only half the time. My mom even calls me with ideas for articles once in a while. But, I think we’re all a little more complex than we think we are, and that’s kind of wonderful.

Humans can grow and change at any time, and we do!

It’s been a weird year, and I’ve been reflecting on it lately a lot. I’m so grateful to work remotely and with people who respect me at a time when the world’s been shifted upside down. While I’m not writing as much as I expected, I’m enjoying the opportunities’ opening up for me.

If you know me personally, you know I’m not one to brag, but I accomplished a lot in the last year:

• Was published on Pop Sugar
• Gained over 500 followers on Medium
• Worked on 8 different podcasts
• Started working with Alex Cattoni
• Ghostwrote for a few large publications
• Helped write 4 Kickstarters for clients
• And so many more things I forgot!!!

My goal a year ago was to make some extra cash before going back to an office job or customer service gig that didn’t make me happy, but I surpassed it by far. Now, I am happily set up with steady work to keep my needs met and still have time for my hobbies.

It was hard, and I burnt out a few times, but it is possible. I’d like to say my story is common, but most freelancers give up before they reach a happy mid-point.

If you’re reading this, you probably also want to freelance as a writer or something else, and I hope you see it is entirely possible to live comfortably and work for yourself. Of course, I also want you to see that it takes work and won’t happen over night. In my first few months, I made less than 1000 dollars and it wasn’t sustainable, but with my savings, I was able to push through that phase to where I am now.

I’ve also always been a hard worker and I made my own luck when I need it. If you don’t have a useful skillset or you aren’t a fan of networking, you likely won’t get to this stage. A lot of freelancers think they can get away with doing the bare minimum, but clients who actually will pay you more expect much more.

My blogging has slowed down a bit as I’m working on a lot of things, but I’m still here 🙂

Here’s to another year of freelancing—as a writer or whatever else!

Cheers from your friendly stranger,

Victoria

About the Author

Victoria Fraser is a freelance writer from Vancouver, Canada who works with clients doing all things copywriting & content marketing. You can learn more at her website to work with her or say hello on Twitter!