Freelance Writing Career in the Philippines

Last July 27, I attended a seminar hosted by Freelancer.com (which is the same as Freelancer.ph, in case you’re wondering) on “How To Start A Career As A Freelance Writer in the Philippines” held at the 47 East events venue at Esteban Abada Street in Quezon City. I have been a freelance writer for the most part of my working life, but I went anyway, thinking that any additional piece of information sure wouldn’t hurt.

The seminar was headed by Ms. Ime Morales who has been in the freelance writing business (yes, it IS a business!) for 17 years, and a regular contributor for publications like Rappler, GMA News Online, Health Today, and Moms Today, to name a few. She is also the founder of the Freelance Writers’ Guide of the Philippines, an organization that she set up with the goal of protecting the rights of Filipino freelance writers.

If you’re considering giving freelance writing a try, the tips that Ime shared, plus my inputs, might be of use to you.

1.       Be your own (strict) boss

Because you don’t have an authoritative figure to report to all the time, you have to be your own disciplinarian. You are responsible for ensuring that you are always doing something profitable and productive.

2.       Specialize

Decide on what kind of writer you want to be. Do you want to do press releases? Do you want to write about health-related topics? Do you want to write for TV or online media? Ime says that specialization is mainly for recall purposes. When a client wants to hire a writer for a specific job, say, writing copy for a product advertisement, then he will look for someone whose specialty is writing copy for product advertisement. Personally, though, I feel that it is also okay to be a “jack of all trades” when it comes to writing. I have written material that are so unrelated with one another. One day, I’d write an article about well-dressed men and the power of a good suit, and the next, I’d write about eczema. And it’s fine. As long as you are interested in the topic and the work, you will find a way to produce good output.

3.       Have a quota

Compute your expenses in a month. Use that as a basis for how much work you need to do to cover for your expenses plus savings. While freelance writing can be unstable at times, to some degree, you can also dictate how much income you can earn, depending on the number of projects you seek and take on.

4.       Always underpromise

Ime says, “If the deadline is on Monday, submit it on a Sunday.” Surprise your client and they will remember you for that.

5.       Figure out how to eliminate writer’s block

I don’t know if there really is such a thing as writer’s block, or if this is just some fancy psychological term for a momentary loss of inspiration to write (though I read somewhere that F. Scott Fitzgerald suffered from it). Whether it is true or not, we can always find ways to best it. What I do sometimes is to just talk (or rather, write) off the top of my head. I jot down everything and absolutely anything that pops in my head, even nonsensical keywords and senseless phrases, and trust that something brilliant is going to hatch out of these random ramblings.

6.       Work with dignity

Do your job and do your job well. This is how your client will remember you, and this could be the key to getting more writing jobs.

7.       Never forget your personal dreams

It should not always be about work, work, work. Remember that you are working hard for something – whether it’s to earn for a dream vacation, to send your kids to school, or to save for a wedding. Always think of the reason for why you are doing what you are doing.

8.       Learn to invest your money

There are so many channels where you can put your hard-earned money. There’s the time deposit, mutual funds, and many others. It helps to talk to a financial advisor who know just how to make your money grow.

9.       Don’t burn bridges

See #6. And keep in mind that the world is small.

10.   Treat your client as an equal

Know what your writing is worth. If you believe that you are capable of providing good work, don’t settle for anything less than what you deserve. Talk to your client as a business partner, not as a boss. Sure, you need him and you need a job, but he needs you too! He needs someone who will give him superior written material, and that’s you. Well… as long as you’re absolutely sure that that IS you, that is. Don’t just keep nodding your head like a puppet. Set some rules and know that you can negotiate.

11.   Quality above everything else

Quality work is an after-effect of a sound mind and body. Thus, Ime recommends a personal self-improvement program for freelance writers. In short, exercise! Have adequate sleep, eat the right food, and stretch those muscles when they’re tired.

12.   Work only for the kind of money that could push you out of bed in the morning

Perhaps one of the worst feelings in the world is having to drag yourself to do something totally unpalatable to you. That’s quite common in the 9-to-5 world where people are stuck behind their desks, doing something when they would rather be doing something else, because they don’t have any other choice. For freelancers, this should be the least of their worries. With their time and freedom, they can practically choose anything they want to work on. So choose work that excites or interests you.

13.   Get a regular gig

Due to the inconstancy of freelancing, you never know when the next project will come. Thus, it’s safe to have a fallback. The best fallback would be a regular gig, such as writing a monthly newsletter or doing consultancy work for a client thrice a week. Even if the pay is not that great, at least it’s steady, and it can help pay for your expenses.

14.   Buy health insurance

As a freelancer, you won’t have benefits that one normally enjoys when working full-time for a company, so you need to take care of this yourself.

15.   Help other writers

What goes around comes around. If you’re generous with other writers with your ideas and suggestions, someday, when you are the one in need, these may be the same people who will pay back your kindness.

16.   Promote yourself

It’s all about marketing, really. Let other people know about your services. Utilize social media. Join events and workshops that will help you connect with potential clients or other writers.

17.   Build a good portfolio

Some clients have a very short attention span, so you have to grab their attention with a portfolio that will knock their socks off. It is what they will judge you with in terms of your writing skills.

18.   Find ways to make work more enjoyable

Work is work, but work can also be fun if you truly like what you are doing, and if you know how to spice it up. Take short breaks. Listen to music as you write. Dance in between paragraphs, if you want to. Just have fun.

19.   Be on time. If you can’t, be honest.

As much as we really, really want to make the deadline, sometimes, things happen and we just don’t. If missing deadlines is really inevitable, at least have the courtesy to inform your client in advance.

20.   Treasure your health

Even if you’re not a freelancer, you should be doing this anyway.

21.   Choose your clients and always know that you can walk away.

“They don’t choose you,” Ime says. “You choose them. You set your own terms.” This is not to say that everything should work around your advantage, but if the job being offered to you is not worth your time or not aligned with your values, you can always say “pass!”

22.   Charge extra for revisions

You should charge extra if the client asks for more than one or two revisions. In the contract, you should have a clause such as this: “The project should be finished by (date). An additional (amount should apply

If it goes beyond the said date.” Or “An additional (amount) should apply for more than two revisions.”

23.   Have a contract and a downpayment.

DO NOT work without a contract. This is to avoid any confusion and abuse. As much as possible, ask for a downpayment. This is usually applicable for projects that generate bigger incomes. Ime suggested this scheme:

1^st draft – 25 %
2^nd draft – 25%
Final draft – 50%

24.   Request for the payment to be deposited directly to your account.

Ime once actually rejected a writing job because she had to pick up her check in some faraway town. I myself still have a check waiting to be claimed as of this writing, and I couldn’t attend to it because it’s far from my place and I have a day job during weekdays, which are the only days I could claim the check. If you’re going to earn a few bucks only for a writing job only to spend half of it on cab fare, forget it. Having the payment deposited to your account will save you transportation and time.