I freelanced on the side for many years, and then decided to go at it full-time a few years back. Freelancing has been wonderful for me and my family, but I’ve found there have been a few surprising things about it. See if you’ve experienced these too.

It’s Harder or Easier Than You Expected
Some writers come to the freelance life with expectations that they will be toiling away for years making no money, while others feel it will be a breeze. Chances are, the reality is somewhere in the middle. If you came into it with expectations of making the same money you were in a 9-5, you probably were surprised to see that it usually doesn’t start out that way.

However, if you came at it thinking you’d have to live, think, and breathe freelance writing in order to be successful, you might have been surprised to see that you did have more free time that you thought. Still, the hard-working attitude will serve you well when it comes to freelancing, so don’t abandon it entirely. Just be sure to balance it.

You Have Writing Jobs You Don’t Love
One of things I’ve heard writers say is that they were surprised that some of the work they’ve been assigned is boring. Or hard. Or just plain doesn’t tickle their fancy. They were surprised at this because the thought of freelancing was so wonderful to them that they didn’t think about the details involved with making it successful.

The longer you freelance, hopefully you’ll have more opportunity to pick and choose the work that suits you best. However, sometimes you just need to pay a few bills, and this where you might end up with work that is less than exciting. Go with it. The more you stay afloat as a freelancer, the easier time you will have in recognizing which projects will make you money while also stirring your creative juices.

People Believe You Sit in Your Jammies All Day
To this day I get folks that ask me if I get dressed every day. Uh… yeah. I don’t work in my jammies, although I do wear comfy jeans and a tee shirt. I never liked dressing up and this style suits me just fine, thank you very much.

Along with the jammies comment usually comes the question about television. Apparently folks have an idea that you watch your soaps all day and still get all your writing done. They must know something I don’t! In order to be a writer I actually have to write. (Go figure.) For me this means no TV. I don’t even turn it on when I eat lunch.

It Gets Lonely
If you became a freelancer, it was probably with the reality that you liked some time to yourself. You’re a writer, after all, and we generally like things solitary. But even the most introverted among us can suffer from loneliness from time to time. This is where social networking, online writer’s groups, and coffee shops can help. Log on and chat for a few minutes if you’re lonely or for that matter, need to bounce a couple ideas off of people. Call friends up. Meet people for lunch. Or do as I do at times, and head to the local coffee shop. You probably won’t do this very often, but on the days where your psyche really needs it, you’ll be glad you have that option.

You’ll Work a Lot Because You Want To
When I was in my previous job, I worked like a dawg. Worked a zillion hours a week and constantly felt burned out. The funny part is, I work a lot with this job, too. But it’s totally different. It’s a different level of work because I love what I do. Blogging about a celeb or the latest way to save money is a heck of a lot better than sitting in cubicle hell, I’ll tell you that.

It’s more than that, however. It’s a different pace, a different feeling, a different environment. I may work all day, take a break to make dinner, then come back at night. I’ll still put in a long day sometimes, but I will be more energized and dare I say it: happy! I hope you are too.

Image: sxc.hu.