Freelance writing is rewarding. It’s also incredibly difficult.

If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in freelance writing, there’s a lot you need to know. The industry alone is enough to make your head spin. It can be easy to wonder, “Is this worth the time and research? Is this really the right path for me?”

I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you the three traits that I have that made me predisposed to this career.

1. Determination.

Freelance writing is hard.

I’m not saying this to scare you off — it’s also incredibly rewarding! I genuinely love what I do, I love the people I get to meet and the way I spend my days. But it’s also a lot of late nights, stress, and caffeine. So, so much caffeine.

There were plenty of times, especially during the beginning where I was hardly making enough as a freelance writer to afford gas money, where I wondered if this was really the right path for me.

But I’m determined — or maybe stubborn is a better word. So I stuck with it, and while I still have moments of self-doubt like anyone else, I’m so ridiculously glad that I did!

2. Flexibility.

I start every week with a neat schedule that looks easily manageable and maybe even a bit scant. By the end of the week, it’s overflowing.

Things come up. Clients circle back on things you sent weeks ago, or they remember a deadline, or you remember a deadline. And if you aren’t prepared to rearrange things, you’ll find yourself getting overwhelmed quickly.

Learning how to organize my to-do list effectively has been a huge help. I have symbols that let me know at a glance which projects have been started, which ones have been rescheduled or canceled, and which ones I’m waiting on feedback for.

By having all of this in writing, it’s much easier to fit in new things when they come up.

3. Optimism.

One thing people don’t tell you about freelance writing is that sometimes, it’s scary. You will have weeks (or months) where the work seems to dry up. Big clients will leave. Mistakes will happen and there will be no one to blame but you.

I’ve had to adopt a very optimistic mindset to deal with this. Instead of worrying about the millions of things I can’t change, I focus on what I can do and hope for the best with the things that are out of my control.

This works well for me professionally, but also personally!

If you’re a freelancer, I’d love to hear the traits that you think are the most important!