15 Misconceptions About Freelancing
Hi readers and writerly friends!
Welcome back to the blog! This week, we’re talking about freelancing. There’s a lot of stigma surrounding freelancing and the instability of working for oneself. Many people who aren’t freelancers or entrepreneurs have misconceptions about freelancing and I’m here to debunk them!
Many of the misconceptions surrounding freelancing are based in ignorance and I can understand how people looking from the outside in may have these ideas about freelance work. While some of these may be true for a portion of the freelancer population, they’re certainly not true for the majority. Every freelancing business is unique and comes with its own set of challenges. What makes some of these misconceptions truths and some of them myths is how freelancers handle those challenges.
This is not a complete list, but some of these misconceptions and myths about freelancing include:
You own your own business
You don’t have a boss
You can work whenever, wherever, (and however) you want
You only have to work on projects you like
Freelance work is always exciting
Freelancers make more money for less work
Freelancers make less money
There’s no job security
As a freelancer, you don’t have employee benefits
Freelancing is more stressful than a full-time job
Freelancers should work for free
Freelancing isn’t 100% legit
Freelancing hurts real businesses
All freelancers want to get a “regular job”
Freelancers are socially awkward
You own your own business/ You don’t have a boss
While this is true for many freelancers, it’s not necessarily true for all of them. Many freelancers are employed by other entrepreneurs and still have to report to a boss.Even if you’re a freelancer, running your own small business from home, you still have to answer to clients and colleagues whom you work with. As a freelancer, your boss is the client.
You can work whenever, wherever, (and however) you want / you only have to work on projects you like/ freelance work is always exciting
Freelance workstation in a coffee shop. Photo by Toa Heftiba.
Many successful freelancers have the freedom to pick and choose to some degree, the projects they agree to work on. However, when work gets low, and clients are sparse, the pressure to agree to whatever work comes your way is higher than ever. As someone working for themselves, freelancers typically have to work harder to deliver a quality product. However, it is true, to some degree, that freelancers can work where they please. As long as they’re working for themselves or if they have a lenient boss, they can work from home, a library, a coffee shop, or from the park; they just need a place where they can focus on their work and avoid distractions.
Likewise, freelance work is not always enjoyable or exciting. Freelance work can be tedious and grueling some days and often consists of administrative work and accounting. As mentioned in the next misconceptions below, many freelancers who are just starting out often have to take what they can get, and this means they can’t afford to be picky about jobs. As a result, a lot of novice freelancers end up taking hard or boring jobs to make ends meet and build out their portfolio for hopefully better-paying, more interesting jobs in the future.
Freelancers make more money for less work/freelancers make less money
Many freelancers charge less than the larger companies they compete with to give themselves an edge. Many other freelancers charge within industry standard and offer sample services to demonstrate their skills and quality of work. Many other freelancers charge above industry standard because their skills and services are worth the expense and they have the credentials and testimonials to back it up. Freelance pay depends on your field and how in-demand your skills/services are. Starting out, you may have to build a reputation and possibly accept lower paying jobs to build a strong work history. Testimonials, reviews, and referrals are excellent ways to boost client confidence in your abilities.
There’s no job security
While freelance jobs are known for instability or unpredictability, the idea that there is no job security in freelance work, is just false. It depends on what you consider job security and what level of security you’re looking for.
It can be argued that standard day jobs don’t have job security, because if you’re an employee working for just one company or organization, you could be fired, losing your only source of income. However, if you’re freelancing, and you’ve got a few different clients, losing one at a time, would not cost you your only income. Replacing a single client can be much easier than finding another full-time job. It seems finding clients is somewhat less competitive than applying for a job to which many other people are also applying.
As a freelancer, you don’t have employee benefits
The more savvy freelancers just might surprise you with this one. A freelancer might not have a traditional 401K but that doesn’t mean they don’t have great health care and long-term savings. Many freelancers also have the privilege to take longer vacations and more often. They often have just as many or more sick days at their disposal than typical employees and they can pick and choose their insurance benefits from a wide array of companies, rather than having to enroll in just what their employer provides.
Freelancers clutching her head in stress. Photo by Elisa Ventur.
Freelancing is more stressful than a full-time job
For some freelancers this is true. As mentioned above, freelancers who are just starting out may have to settle for challenging or boring/tedious jobs in order to cover their bases. And many seasoned freelancers still struggle with stress due to other factors such as family and lack of time management. However, many freelancers have figured out how to manage time, stress, focus, finances, and work-life balance which translates into lower-stress positions with more pros than cons. I think this one specifically is influenced by 1) the field and demand of services/skills and 2) the freelancer’s approach to work.
Freelancers should work for free/freelancing isn’t 100% legit
Yeah, right! Try telling that to the IRS! Freelancers are considered independent contractors and they are generally required complete a 1099-MISC or similar form for taxes. And freelancers often work long hours and produce thoughtful, quality work as a result and should certainly be paid for their services. Freelancers not delivering on their end of the bargain should be confronted and asked to rectify this. One way to avoid this is to provide sample work, testimonials, referrals, and reviews to demonstrate skills and services.
Freelancing hurts real businesses
You might be surprised to hear that the opposite is true, actually. Often, small companies that cannot afford to hire full time employees may rely on contracted work to keep their business running. They may sometimes collaborate with other freelancers to meet their needs on a budget too. Freelancing does not hurt businesses; it stimulates the economy and allows more consumers to participate in the free market. Freelancers also give the market alternative options to large corporations with a large price tag.
All freelancers want to get a “regular job”
While many people do freelance work to supplement their income, there are also many freelancers whose first picks would be freelancing because of the benefits and freedom it provides. Freelancing is especially appealing to the millennial generation, who are less productivity-focused and more meaningful-work -focused, non-traditional families, and entrepreneurs.
Freelancers meeting at a coffee shop. Photo by Brooke Cagle.
Freelancers are socially awkward
Another common misconception about freelancers is that they are socially awkward, are hermits, antisocial, or loners. While many freelancers prefer solitary work (for many different reasons including creative control, time management, and freedom,) many work alone simply due to the nature of freelance work. Some freelancers collaborate with other freelancers which helps them network and build connections with others in their field and related fields. Others don’t mind working alone and find they are able to focus better when not working as part of a team.
Freelancing isn’t for everyone and it's certainly not always easy or high paying. Learning the ropes, practicing and honing skills, building a portfolio and client base, networking, and working from the ground up is arguably more challenging, more daunting, and more physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing than just showing up to a 9-5. However, freelance work can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling and it gives entrepreneurs the ability to make an impact on the world, and to enjoy what they’re doing.
That’s it for my list of 15 Misconceptions About Freelancing! Have you heard these misconceptions? Do you think they’re true? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!
Bibliography:
Cagle, Brooke. “Freelancers meeting at a coffee shop.” Unsplash photo, November 26, 2018.
Harris, Mikey. “Working from home.” Unsplash photo, June 5, 2020. (Thumbnail photo).
Heftiba, Toa . “Working Space.” Unsplash photo, August 16, 2018.
Venture, Elisa. “A business woman who is stressed and frustrated,” Unsplash photo, May 17, 2021..
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—Payton
YA Myths Debunked! 3 Massive Young Adult Fiction Misconceptions That Need Clarification
Hi readers and writerly friends!
I’m back again this week with 3 YA Misconceptions that just need some clarification. So grab your magnifying glasses and sleuthing caps because we’re going debunking!
These are just a few widely-believed, yet completely false views on young adult fiction.
1. YA Fiction Is Free of Cursing/Swearing and Sex.
Totally False. 😂
According to the Chicago Tribune, “The most recent Gallup Youth Survey addressing the issue of swearing was published in 2001 and found that 46 percent of surveyed teens ages 13 to 17 used profanity at least several times a week or daily, while 28 percent said they heard their parents cursing a few times a week or on a daily basis.”
You can read more from the Chicago Tribune’s article “Youth Swearing: A Curse On the Rise” by Melanie B. Glover here.
Since most kids/teens come into their own way of speaking during their teens, it’s not completely out of the question that YA Fiction contains swearing. Most American teens swear so it makes sense that literature would mirror reality if not for the authenticity of depicting the real-life teenage experience, than to at least lend a hand to the relatability of a story and it’s characters.
However, this myth might have gotten its start from a subcategory of YA Fiction called “Clean Reads” which is named after and created by Clean Reads Press (Formerly Astraea Press). As per the Clean Reads Website, the press is proud to offer wholesome reading without compromise. They “don’t believe a story has to have profanity, sex, or graphic violence to catch a reader’s attention. Our stories – rich and vibrant with life – leap from the page, welcoming readers to a world they’ll remember long after the last words are read.” -Stephanie Taylor of Clean Reads Press.
Read more about Clean Reads Here.
While there are many wonderful written books out there that are free of profanity or mature content, sometimes readers prefer a little more sauce in their reading experience. This goes for YA Fiction as well. Similar to the presence of swearing in YA Literature, sex and graphic violence are also present there. Just because YA stands for Young Adult, doesn’t mean that it’s always intended for older kids and teens. Many adults read Young Adult fiction because of the key characteristics of the genre that are just not as prevalent in more notably adult genres.
However, writers expecting younger audiences to read their work should take care to not overuse F-bombs or involve too many details in sexually suggestive or graphically violent scenes in order to avoid limiting themselves. It is easier to market a more suggestive novel to upper YA and adult readers and more G-rated literature to lower YA and children readers. Much like the TV Content Rating system, the key difference in YA and Adult literature is the severity in explicit detail of sex/sexually suggestive scenes, violence, and amount of swearing. It all boils down to how the scenes are written.
2. YA Fiction Doesn’t Contain Heavy/Dark Subject Matter
Piggybacking on the first YA Misconception, many readers believe that young adult fiction is clear of any mention of heavy topics or dark subject matter. For whatever reason, many believe that because the seemingly angelic moniker might suggest the YA fiction genre is geared towards younger audiences that it can’t possibly be graphic, or violent, or involve discussion of taboo, difficult to breach, or problematic topics and this is simply just not true.
One prime example of this is Suzanne Collin’s Hunger Games, a dystopic YA novel in which children are forced to slaughter each other on the battleground in an annual event watched by millions for sport. Only, that’s not how its marketed, nor is it how it’s written. The thing is, the story breaches many hard-to-reckon with subjects and dark topics, but its all in the way these things are presented. It’s not like teens are reading explicit descriptions of children hacking and slashing at each other and imagining the overly-detailed images of the bloodshed they’re reading about—no, the story is presented as that of survival. Collins wastes no time on lengthy, bloodcurdling descriptions of child-violence. Instead, she gives the bare bones descriptions and spends more time on the pacing, emotions, character-building, and other story-telling elements that made Hunger Games one of, if not the most successful dystopian YA fictions of this decade.
Much like the use of sex/profanity/violence in YA literature, books geared for younger audiences can also contain dark/heavy subject matter. It’s all in the way it is written. Many of my favorite YA reads are pretty dark, but they key difference is that they are not graphic or overly-explicit.
3. YA Is Simple/Juvenile
Many non-YA-readers seem to think that—once again, due to the name YA—since young adult fiction is directed primarily at younger audiences, the writing must have to be “dumbed down” or simple for older kids and teens to absorb and understand. However, once again this is just another ridiculous misconception for the young adult genre. As a writer, one of the very first rules I learned was to “never write down to your audience” and instead, writers should write their stories exactly as they feel they should be told, and expect readers to rise to the occasion.
Many adult readers believe that YA fiction is juvenile and thus, “not quite as literary,” or not as deserving of the same merit as adult fiction. However, this view is more indicative of the readers than the literature itself. Readers who say this, must not be well-read in the YA genre and therefore are not as familiar with the higher level of writing common to most YA novels. Unfortunately, there are a decent amount of flashy, big-name novels that ruin it for the genre as a whole, and this may be where this misconception stems from. That being said, I can’t ignore the fact that this view is a broad-sweeping generalization that would likely have people believing it if more people read more YA fiction.
Additionally, some of the most beautifully woven prose comes from the YA fiction genre and many stubborn, ignorant adult readers are doing themselves a great disservice by avoiding the genre altogether because they’re worried the writing won’t be of a high enough caliber for their enlightened minds to consume. (That sounded petty, but it’s not, I promise.) The interesting thing is, nearly 55% of YA titles are purchased by adults, according to a 2012 article by Publisher’s Weekly:
“More than half the consumers of books classified for young adults aren’t all that young. According to a new study, fully 55% of buyers of works that publishers designate for kids aged 12 to 17 -- known as YA books -- are 18 or older, with the largest segment aged 30 to 44, a group that alone accounted for 28% of YA sales. And adults aren’t just purchasing for others -- when asked about the intended recipient, they report that 78% of the time they are purchasing books for their own reading. The insights are courtesy of Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer in the Digital Age, an ongoing biannual study from Bowker Market Research that explores the changing nature of publishing for kids.” -Publisher’s Weekly.
Read more from the article here.
If that wasn’t enough to convince you, that this misconception is completely unfounded, I should add that it really gets my goat when people use this as an excuse to avoid YA fiction. People who look down on the YA genre because its “lesser” or “juvenile” because it is geared for younger audiences are just uninformed and spreading a misrepresentation of the genre as a whole. Additionally, many adult readers seem to think that YA fiction is somehow easier to write and thus, sell due to this misconception, but I digress. YA is not dumbed down, and nor is it simple. There is plenty of beautiful, elegant, and complex prose within this genre.
And that’s it for my top 3 biggest misconceptions about the YA genre. Have you ever heard any of these misinformed views before? Did you think any of these were true? Did I change your mind? Let me know in the comments below!
Thumbnail photo by Element5 Digital.
—Payton
Editing Misconceptions - Editors Are (Not) Monsters
Many people tend to think of editors as the snobby grammar police with their red pens, monsters bent over their keyboards ravenously devouring manuscripts in search of every possible formatting or grammatical error…
Black eyeglasses beside a notebook and candle. Photo by Marissa Grootes.
Many people tend to think of editors as the snobby grammar police with their red pens, monsters bent over their keyboards ravenously devouring manuscripts in search of every possible formatting or grammatical error…
Okay, maybe that’s not quite the image that comes to mind for you, but editors are usually not painted in a flattering light, because many creatives don’t know how to take (constructive) criticism. However, these depictions are just simply not true. When it comes to your manuscript- we get it. It’s your passion project, your lifelong dream, your baby. It’s precious to you, and the idea that you’d entrust it to someone else’s eyes is almost mind-boggling, let alone leaving it up to critiquing- that’s downright unthinkable (and brave).
Here’s the truth: editors are not in it to tear your manuscript (and your dreams) to shreds. Yes, there might be some uncomfortable things that need to be addressed in the process of editing your manuscript, however editors aren’t here to just shoot you down, they’re here to help you.
Think of it this way, for an effective editorial process, writers must view their editors as their partners. Editors are like those friends that tell you about the lipstick on your teeth.
You may not always want to hear the comments editors make, but ultimately, we’re here to help you. We want to see you succeed. We want you to be able to connect with your readers. We want to watch a beautiful creation emerge and to see your passion project come to fruition.
Want to know why you need an editor? Click here to learn more!
What did you think about this hot take on editors? Do you agree or disagree? Let me know in the comments below!