According to Kristen King you can make a living as a Freelance Writer. We believe her now.
January 15, 2009 :: Steve FisherKristen King is very talented and describes herself as someone who has gone from “a freelance wannabe to real, live freelance writer”. She writes the InkThinker blog which has become in her own words “The community that gathers here is a diverse group of writers and readers of all backgrounds and interests with one thing in common: They think I’m awesome. Okay, no, I’m kidding. What they have in common is that they love writing, and that is what Inkthinker is all about.”
We also think she is awesome and she is currently busy building this amazing blog site into a powerhouse for freelance writers. She is a member of the Board of Directors of American Independent Writers (AIW) and has a background in medical journal editing (now that is truly some complex stuff).
I am happy to report that I recently had the opportunity to sit down with her and talk about freelance writing in general, her evolution as a freelance entrepreneur and using our sense of humor to the best of our abilities that a blog post will allow. Here is the transcript of that interview:
Steve: You started writing at a very young age. What was the first truly creative thing you wrote and what made you want to be a writer?
Kristen: I have this book called The Magic Locket that came with a necklace in it. I unfolded the flaps of the pocket where the necklace was and wrote a story about two bears and a pear tree in it. Seeing my words in a book set me on fire. (Never mind that they were written in green ink on the inside of the cover.) After that I was unstoppable, and fortunately my parents got me real notebooks to wrote in so I wouldn’t ruin all of my own books. Later they gave me a typewriter and eventually a computer. I started my first novel (still unfinished, I might add) when I was 10 and another in high school, and I have dozens and dozens of short stories, poems, and journals from childhood on. I’m not sure what prompted me to start writing in the first place, but once I started, I couldn’t stop.
Steve: What was your first freelance gig and where did editing medical journals come into this?
Kristen: I started freelancing straight out of college, picking up work on Craigslist and other online job boards. My first real freelance job was editing a bunch of love poems for this guy to give his girlfriend. I think I made $60, and lordy were those poems awful! I earned every penny. After that, things got a little more interesting with some coaching for a children’s book author and some nonprofit copywriting. And I was still working part time at a magazine, part time at a newspaper, and part time as a bartender at night.
Despite the fact that my freelance business was growing and I had plenty to do, I still didn’t have health insurance, and that made me kind of panicky. So I decided it was time to get a “real job” to support my writing habit. I applied to everything publishing-related I could find in the Washington Post and the one that worked out was proofreader for a clinical oncology journal. They promoted me to copyeditor after a few months, and then when I went freelance they became one of my biggest clients and added me to the stable of contributing writers for the clinical journal’s sister publication, which focuses on practice issues for oncologists. I’m writing two big articles for them right now, actually.
Steve: What is the typical work week like for a freelance writer?
Kristen: That’s a hard question because I’m not sure there actually IS a typical work week for a freelancer. Well, at least not for THIS freelancer. I generally get to my desk between 8 and 10 – I know that’s a huge range, but I tend to get more done at night, so I’m not very rigid about my start time – start the day with e-mail and social media, and then dig into whatever work I have on my plate. Usually it’s a resume or two in the morning from a regular client, an article or random short-term project in the afternoon, and book editing in the evenings. I take a lot of breaks during the day to give my pets some attention and to work on my three blogs. Ultimately my goal is to work about 6 hours a day 4 days a week, but right now it’s more like 10 or 12 hours a day 6 days a week because I’m kind of a workaholic and I figure I might as well go for it while I have the energy.
Steve: You have been a big supporter of the American Independent Writers (AIW). Can you tell us more about this organization and how it supports freelance writers?
Kristen: I joined AIW in 2004, about 3 months after I launched my freelance business. I don’t even remember how I heard about the event, but I attended their annual Going Freelance seminar and it was literally the best thing I ever did for my career. The information and guidance the speakers provided was mind-blowing. I filled an entire notebook with notes and I still refer to it regularly. And I’ve attended every year since! I just knew from the beginning that this would be an organization that would be a huge help for me as a writer, so I started volunteering, attending whatever I could, speaking whenever they would have me, and promoting it at every opportunity. And in July I was elected to the Board of Directors, which was just awesome.
I strongly believe that writers should take advantage of professional organizations for networking and ongoing education. For me, AIW’s programming has been truly invaluable, and I have developed strong relationships with other freelancers I’ve met through AIW. I can’t say enough good things about them.
Next Time: We dig into her experiences as an entrepreneur and learn why she has a Brady Bunch household full of animals instead of people.
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