Let’s face it, freelance writing isn’t too high on the list of jobs people admire. In fact, we’re really bottom feeders in the minds of friends and family who would have preferred to see you take your English degree to get into Law School instead of pursue a career that has no holiday pay, fluctuating income, and a sometimes sporadic work schedule.

But don’t worry…there is hope!

As with a lot of things, people will judge the book by it’s cover. If you’re constantly acting like your career as a freelance writer is nothing more than sitting on your ass and bumping the keyboard a bit, then that’s all people will think of it to be. However, if you act like a professional and develop a reputation for working hard, making money, and getting the job done – then your friends, family, and clients will all take you more seriously.

Here are some things that you can do in order to get the respect that you deserve as a freelance writer:

• Have an Office – While you might not always have the space to do so, your office should be in its own room in order to appear more professional. If this isn’t the case, at least make your desk area look like a work environment. And never…NEVER work on your couch or bed. Okay, who am I kidding. I work on my bed all the time. But having the desk set up nicely saves some face.
• Discuss Your Work Honestly – Freelance writers tend to brag about how easy their job can be: “This morning I did a job that only took an hour…and I got paid $150!!!” However, we don’t ever mention the fact that it was the only job we did all day and that it took about an hour of bidding, emailing, and interviewing before the project was ever even started. By talking about the difficulties of your work as well as the highlights, your friends and family will see that your career isn’t all fun and games.
• Define Your Work More Specifically – Unless you’re in your first couple of months as a freelance writer or enjoy taking on a variety of projects, chances are that you’ve found a niche that you enjoy and spend the majority of your time doing. So when people ask “what do you do?”, try to be a bit more specific than answering “I’m a freelance writer.” Personally, I tend to go with “business writing specialist,” because of my focus on Sales Letters, press releases, and web content. Instead of portraying myself as a starving artist, I present myself as a professional.
• Be Firm with Your Schedule – When I was starting out as a freelance writer, people would sometimes invite me to hang out when I was quite busy. When I would say that I had work to do they would answer: “Yeah, but you can do that whenever, right?” While you do have freedom as a freelancer, you also have responsibility. By blowing off your work, you’re telling others that it isn’t important. Do the opposite – tell them you have a client that is expecting your work to be finished at a certain time and that you can’t leave the office until it’s finished.

The way you present your career is the way other people will view it. If you act like you know what you’re doing, people will see you as a professional. If you act like an amateur, not only will people see your career as a goofy one, but you’ll also limit the amount of referrals that you would have otherwise been able to receive.

Do you have any other tips on gaining the respect of your peers and family members? If so, I’d love to hear them!

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