A Day in the Life of a Freelance Writer

A day in the life of a freelance writer. I script my own working day.

Writers are naturally curious about the habits of other writers. I think that might partly be because writing is a solo-sport, often undertaken in the isolation of one’s own home and at whatever hour the muses deign to inspire. We wonder if we’re doing it right or being put to shame by some frenzied scholar who scribbles in feverish longhand every waking hour, only stopping briefly to massage the crick in his neck and maybe look up a reference. Mostly though, I think we’re nosy.

Working from home is dangerously distracting and takes great self-discipline. It is difficult to separate the chug of personal life (the washing up, hoovering, Deal or No Deal – which airs at that point in the afternoon when you really fancy a little break) from work life. I try to keep a work routine that fits within sociable working hours. This means that my work days also correspond with those of clients – I am in the office when they are.

I get up and commute to the spare bedroom by 9am, tea in hand. I settle in, boot up my computer and check my emails while arranging my thoughts. Then I make a list for the day and pin it on my overpopulated pinboard before calling any contacts I need to liaise with. I then write until lunchtime, keeping my teacup topped up.

I have a proper lunch break and always try to get outside, even if it’s a short stroll to the shops to breathe some fresh air and have a change of scenery. It’s also good to see other humans! (A bakery has opened just down the road and they sell irresistible cakes. I’m already a regular.) Then I return and work again until 5.30pm. And that’s it – a relatively regular 9-5.30 stint. I would recommend sticking to some kind of routine such as this. It helps to separate work from free time in a way that will allow you to relax at the end of your working day.

Of course, this isn’t set in stone. One of the joys of being a freelance copywriter is that, if I have a gap between projects, I can go for a walk on the beach (for inspiration purposes, naturally), or meet a friend for coffee. I am my own boss. I can work late or finish early. I am completely flexible for meetings with clients and to script my own working day.

So, apart from the occasional seaside jaunt, it would seem that the world of freelance work, in my case at least, is not so different to an office routine.

Although it may be that I eat more cakes.