Writers' know-how

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Freelancing is not a bed of roses

In 8 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Full-Time Travel Blogger, Rachel Jones points out that there's a lot more to travel blogging than jetting around the world and watching the money roll in. 

While writing is, obviously, necessary, it isn't sufficient. You have to be able to negotiate rates, work social media, and be prepared for it to take a while before you earn any money.

In fact, pretty much everything Rachel says applies to other types of freelance writing I think.It certainly does in my case. One of the things I've found hard, is getting the balance between sewing and reaping. Basically, even when you have enough clients and assignments to keep you going, you still have to tout for more business. The reason is that the people who commission you don't stay in the same job forever. And the person who replaces them may have their own favourite people, and offer them work in preference to you.

It's a good article, and although Rachel admits to having some lucky breaks, it becomes very clear very quickly that luck plays a relatively small part compared to sheer hard work.