I had expectations, and I had disappointments. I think that's enough said.

10 Expectations Versus Reality for Freelance Writers

The Wanted Platform vs. The Received Platform

Expectation: I heard that UpWork is a very good platform for freelance writers. I can probably get some good work done here if I get my profile approved!

Reality: Too many freelancers with freelance content writer title in UpWork. Will not get an approved profile in the next 2 years because there are too many content writers. It does not help that I write and translate and transcribe with an awesome education and employment history. I will never be approved on the one site that I want to promote myself on. Oh, here's a platform that totally leaves their freelancers with no payment protection. I guess I'll have to hop on.

The Projected Income vs. The Actual Income

Expectation: Okay so other writers are charging between $10 and $50 for 1000 written works. I have a fair amount of experience and so I will charge $20 per 1000 written works on all of these freelancer platforms.

Reality: All platforms take at least 10% off my earnings and PayPal takes an extra 3% off that amount when I transfer it into my bank account so I get about $17.46 in my bank account. Optimally the exchange rate is 1:4, so from that I can probably get about RM69.84 but it is currently 1:3.5 so I’m only getting RM61.11. My projected profit was RM80 from 1000 words and now I’m getting RM20 less, which means that I did about 250 words for free and I gave away 15 minutes worth of free labor.

The Too-Much-Work Freelance vs. The Too-Little-Work Freelance

Expectation: I get to work on my own terms, whenever I want, wherever I want!

Reality: Last month, I had 5 clients with 18 pending articles and 30-minute transcriptions due in a week so I told 2 clients that I will be busy for the next 1 month to pause the job with them for a bit. I had a good break for 2 weeks after a week with minimum sleep. Now I have 1 active client and they only provide me $10 of work in a week and all the other clients already found themselves a freelancer with better time and client management so I can’t make more money even if I wanted to.

The Prices You Want vs. The Prices They Pay

Expectation:  I can charge my own price. I know my work quality and I just need to wait for the clients who are able to pay me that average rate long-term!

Reality: Clients approaching me directly can only pay $5 per 1000 words written when my actual rates currently are at $20 per 1000 words. The one client who is paying me $20 per 1000 words is asking for super tight deadlines, is mean and unreasonable and a lot of research is needed. He doesn’t think I deserve a raise and he can’t afford it anyway. Also, he pays up only a month later and I don’t know when he is going to escape without paying one day.

The Skills You Have vs. The Skills You Need

Expectation: I’m good with biology and health related articles. I can produce 1000 words within an hour maximum. I can find some good work with that!

Reality: Clients are asking for 5000-word manuscripts about cryptocurrencies and the history of one specific rock in the bottom of the ocean which I have zero knowledge about. The only companies accepting health and biology-related articles are full-fledged scientific journals that I need a proper research paper for, or maybe they don’t pay for any contributions unless I am a certified doctor.

The People You Want vs. The People You Get

Expectation: If I’m nice to potential clients or exiting clients, they will be nice to me too!

Reality: Potential clients turn out to be creeps with fetish for Asian girls hoping that I am willing to get paid $25 to show them some skin or sell them my used underwear. I tell the clients that I got sick and need to rest and suddenly I was an irresponsible freelancer because I am not submitting my work on time. I chase the clients that don’t pay up and eventually submit a complaint through their official website and was accused of defamation of the company.

The Optimism vs. The Pessimism

Expectation: People are trustworthy. Trust people unless they show signs that they are not to be trusted.

Reality: Client blocks me off after I spend 5 hours writing short paragraphs for them. They reverse their payments from completed assignments and I end up receiving nothing in return for my work because they closed off their accounts immediately after getting what I give. Turns out there was a small little clause cleverly hidden in the terms and conditions of the freelancer platform that says, “We reserve the rights to reverse the payments in situations deemed necessary,” which, in many scenarios that happened to other freelancers, meant that they will let the scammers get away without paying.

 The Work-Life Balance vs. The Actual Productivity

Expectation: I have a full-time work which covers my commitments and some food. If I take this freelance job and work 4 additional hours after work, I can earn enough to spoil myself once in a while.

Reality: I’m so tired after meeting clients and doing everything I did at the office earlier. By the time I’m done showering and having my dinner I need to rest a little before I start working so in the end I can only work an additional 30 minutes to one hour before I get so tired that I need to sleep. I haven’t had a proper resting weekend for two months because I need to catch up on my freelance work.

The Price Hike vs. The Incoming Funds

Expectation: I have earned enough experience and my writing skills have definitely improved compared to two years ago. I can also write on at least 8 more new topics that I couldn’t write when I just started. I can raise another $10 to my price for better research and faster turnaround time.

Reality: No one has contacted me ever since I increased my rates. Bidding on projects with my new rate is also a failure because no one wants to pay $30 for 1000 words even if I include free stock photos, give the entire article a professional and neat look, and create a citation section at the bottom to show that it is indeed a well-researched article.

The Wishful Bonus vs. The... Lack of.

Expectation: I have some clients who have been with me for 2 years now. That’s awesome! Maybe they will include a small bonus for me this year?

Reality: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH