It’s not quite the end of the year — we still have a month to go — but now that the Christmas lights are officially up and twinkling, I’m starting to feel a little reflective.

I started freelance writing to supplement my contract work in March. Before then, I hadn’t really considered it as a possibility, and assumed that I would drop the contract work eventually. But as I fell more and more in love with what I did and the lifestyle I lived, I decided that I would work to keep it.

There have been a lot of ups and down since then. There have been months where I have been overloaded with work, and months where I struggled to make ends meet. And while I have never regretted my choice, there are some things I wish people had told me. Things like …

Searching for Clients is Never Really Over

Now, this was something I had heard said. But I thought that in a few years (or less!) I’d be able to stop seeking clients so aggressively and stick with the ones that I have.

I’m beginning to realize that’s not the case. Not only does your client base get built slower than you thought — clients will drop you in this profession when they no longer need you, often without warning.

Your Rates are (Probably) Too Low

I’ve talked before about what to charge as a freelance writer. In it, I say that I can’t tell people what to charge, and I stand by that. However, I will say that most people who try to pursue freelance writing (including myself) don’t charge enough.

It’s because we don’t take into account the time it will take us to do non-billable work, like billing and research and other organizational tasks. It’s something I’m getting better at, but will probably continue to learn in 2018!

Niches Aren’t Everything

“Find a niche!” is the first piece of advice a freelance writer will probably hear. And I do agree that having a niche is helpful, at least when it comes to sorting through the endless list of potential jobs.

But niches aren’t everything. And if I were to work in only my niche, I’d miss out on some of my highest quality clients. So, my advice is to have a niche, but don’t limit yourself to it.

Make Freelance Writer Friends

Freelance writing can be lonely. On one hand, it’s kind of my favorite part of the job (I love that I can work in pajamas and read things out loud to myself without getting weird looks). But if you spend too many days indoors, you have a tendency to forget how to interact with other humans.

Making freelance writer friends is great because you both occasionally need to talk to each other. Also, knowing other freelance writers means that you’ll have someone to tell you this stuff — and more.

I genuinely love what I do. And I know that I have a lot left to learn. I’m going to be working in this last month of the year, organizing my thoughts and making sure that 2018 is a year of growth and exciting new opportunities!