This week's Super Guest Star is freelance writer and Twitterer Extraordinaire Rebecca Blain.  I first encountered her, unsurprisingly, when she retweeted one of my writing-related tweets.  I'm in the habit of following those who retweet me to see what kind of interesting things they have to say.  since then, I've had some enjoyable lengthy conversations about writing, agents, and publishing with her, and I asked her if she would write a piece for me.  This is what she sent.  I hope you enjoy it!

The Bitter Truth of Freelancing

Once, freelance writing was a reward profession, resulting in pay of several dollars a word or more. This could quickly result in a very high paycheck for a relatively low amount of time. However, the prestigious days of the undercover writer are coming to a sad end. The curtain, which has been in descent for several years, is close to falling completely.

In first world countries, the freelance author is an endangered species. With payments  plummeting from several dollars a word to less than one cent a word in the worst situations, it is very difficult for a freelancer to survive. Bluntly put, you have a better chance of making more money at McDonald's than you do at starting a career in freelancing.

There are several reasons for this. Most notably, there are many people in India who speak and write English passably. These individuals are able to drive down the price of writing articles, stories and press releases so far that the average writer has to lower their fees or lose contracts completely. To only make matters worse, there is less of a demand for high quality material. This means that those who are hiring are not interested in paying more for better quality work. This results in a profession that is barely able to provide enough of a paycheck to handle the rent.

If you truly love to write and wish to monetize your writing, freelance still is an option. However, there are a lot of things that you need to remember if you're going to jump into this career. F

First, do not expect great pay. In fact, expect to work below minimum wage a portion of the time. You are going to be competing for work against those who are willing to work for significantly less due to their geographic location. Next, expect to have to get very good at reading contracts. These contracts are the only thing that will ensure that you get paid. It is the combination of these contracts and how aggressively you hunt for payment that will ensure you get a check in the mail. Finally, when you freelance, you lose total ownership of what you write. If you're extremely lucky, you will get a credit blurb. Most times, however, you will not. Even if you write a book. Especially if you write a book as a freelancer. This is a standard clause in your contracts, so get used to the idea now if this is what you wish to do with your life.

If you love to write and wish to be published, freelancing can help provide funds and experience in meeting deadlines. Missing a deadline in the freelancing world can result in a loss of contract and a non-payment on the work that you have completed. The publishing world
is not much different. However, if you are not good with deadlines, it is very easy to cease loving writing if you pursue freelancing. Unlike the short stories and novels you may write for pleasure, you have no choice in the subjects that you write as a freelancer. It is very much like having to write term papers every day while knowing that anything less than a A will result in the loss of money instead of a poor grade.

Writer, beware. While you can survive as a freelancer, it is not easy. Good luck!

R.J. Blain is a non-fiction freelance author who has penned several books and a plethora of short articles. She has published one short science fiction piece and is in process of writing an epic fantasy series. Resources for Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors is the record of her
research on writing science fiction and fantasy.