I recently had the pleasure of sitting down for an interview with fellow freelancer, Megan Harris.

What originally peaked your interest in Freelance Writing? Well, I’ve always enjoyed writing and kind of “fell into” it this June when friends of mine that freelance knew editors that needed a writer to cover their topics. Since then, I’ve grown my business and love it! I’m trying to move towards doing it full time but it is a challenge in some ways because I am also a graduate student.

What kind of work have you had to do so far? I started out writing articles, and now offer editing and social media management along with writing. I’m working with a fellow freelancer on wording for her website (About pages, Mission Statement, etc.) I’ve focused a lot more of my business now on behind-the-scenes work rather than just article writing.

I’ve been told that there is no such thing as a typical day for a freelancer. Would you agree with that and if not, what is a typical day for you? What different kinds of work have you done since you started as a freelancer? I would agree there isn’t a typical day for me! I always have something different going on and try to stay flexible. I think that’s what has kept it interesting. I have written blogs and articles, helped with client research for their company, managed a company’s Twitter account, and written and edited projects for people. Some future projects I have coming up include editing short fiction stories for an e-book publisher for which I am a copy editor and doing some research for a client in the wedding niche to help market their business.

Do you currently look for new clients or do you have a solid base of work? If you are looking for new clients, what tools do you use to locate new clients? I’m always looking for new clients. I have been in a position in the past where a client suddenly did not need me to work for them, so I had to struggle to find that lost income. A freelance expert once used the term, “be hungry, not starving” when it comes to working as a freelancer, and I like to adopt that when it comes to looking for work. I usually try looking on Twitter through searches or I try oDesk. I receive a steady amount of work from oDesk clients and have had good success on the site. I try Craigslist posts once in a while, but nothing has manifested from those. I also have profiles on Task Army and Guru.com from which I have received clients or try for bids on projects.

I’ve heard many freelancers talk about how hard it can be to find work. What are some other issues that you have encountered working as a freelance writer? I have had trouble receiving payment on time. This happens less frequently in the beginning, but it is something you always must keep in mind. Also, early on there were many people that scoffed at my rates. I think freelancers should never be pressured to lowering their rates to please clients. It’s difficult because you might want the work or need the money, but keeping that integrity is always a good idea for your business, especially if you want to be taken seriously!

During those times when work was sparse, how did you make ends meet? Well, I was not the only one working in my household at the time. I am married and my husband was in the Army, so we were still relying on his paychecks. My income was supplemental for us so it was not as big of an impact. Of course, if that happened now, it would be a bigger problem for us because he recently separated from the military and is unemployed but has yet to receive unemployment insurance.

What would you say your greatest success has been so far as a freelance writer? I would say my greatest success has been the rebranding of my business. It was a huge endeavor and I did it just after we moved from Texas to Missouri, but I feel really accomplished with it. I feel like having a professional company behind my name has helped me to gain clients and more exposure. I actually just received some feedback today from a well-known freelance consultant on my site because he wanted to re-tweet a blog post I wrote. So, I’m pretty happy with the results of the rebranding process!

Do you have any tips for people who are looking to get into freelance writing, as well as people who have worked as a freelancer for years? I think some tips I would offer might include to always surround yourself with positive, motivating people or things. It can be easy to get discouraged if someone turns away your query or if you are not selected for a project bid, but never give up and keep trying. That goes for seasoned professionals, too, because although I’ve been doing this since June, I know people can feel a little burned out as time goes on. Try to learn something new every month, make new contacts or try new projects to keep your business thriving and keep your passions for freelancing high.

You can visit Megan’s awesome website at http://www.meganwrites.com and learn more about her services, read her blog, and check out her portfolio.

photo credit: Vee-vee