A piece of land in the Mediterranean Sea. An African beach. New Zealand's eastern coast. What are these places all the same? When someone recently asked for help from freelance writers, responses came from all of these places. I know writers in all of these and many other far-flung places who work as freelancers and do pretty well.
Freelance writers can work from anywhere, that's true.
Think about what I've been through recently. As the editor of the Worldwide Freelance Writer website, I send out a newsletter to thousands of freelance writers all over the world. I remember one problem that came up in the middle of 2002. I started making plans for the newsletter when I was in Hong Kong, where it was hot and humid. I was in Indianapolis, in the United States, when the first draught came together. And by the time I finished the last copy and sent it, I was at a cottage on a lake in Ontario, Canada, while it was snowing lightly outside.
Maybe you want to be a freelance writer, but you're not sure if you live in the right place for it. Well, you're wrong. You can do freelance writing from anywhere. It's true that if you live close to the editorial offices in New York, you might be able to use that to your advantage. But a huge number of freelance writers are doing well from farther away, and in many cases, the places where they live are better for them.
Take the case of Ron Irwin. Ron is an American who works on his own from a small beach house in Cape Town, South Africa. Most of his work is still made for markets in North America. Vella Corinne is from Malta, which is in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. She writes travel and lifestyle articles from this island with a lot of history. The Order of St. John was based here, and the temples are thought to be older than the pyramids.
Writers in these places aren't really at a disadvantage; in fact, they can enjoy a number of benefits. First of all, these writers are in a great position to write about the people and culture of the places where they live. Also, the cost of living is often less than what writers pay in big cities. If that isn't enough, how about some clean, fresh air?
Writers who work in remote places tend to live in cleaner, quieter places and may be closer to places where they can enjoy the outdoors and other activities. Vella talks about how she likes the warmer weather: "I go to the beach as soon as I pack up my computer. Distances are short, and because the island is small, I'm always close to what's going on. I have more control over my time than I would if I lived in a big city."
Twenty years ago, it took a long time for writers in remote areas to get in touch with editors on the other side of the world. Always, it would take months to hear back from an editor. Waiting for a reply to a question wasn't much more interesting than watching grass grow.
In the past few years, the Internet has made it easier than ever for freelancers to talk to almost anyone, anywhere in the world, almost instantly. In the example I gave above, I went to a few countries over the course of three weeks and worked as a freelancer at the same time. Not all of my clients even knew I was "on the move." They didn't know that between getting their messages and answering them, I was fishing in a lake and hiking in the woods. I could keep in touch with important people and send out my newsletter with ease.
But you know what was even more exciting? My website worked hard the whole time I was away, both day and night. Even as I slept on a plane at 30,000 feet and sold a bunch of writing-related books and products, I was making money. Now, if that isn't a freelancer's dream coming true, I don't know what is. Before email and the World Wide Web, it would have been much harder to do things like this.
Kathy Crockett freelances from Gisborne, New Zealand, on the east coast of the North Island. She told me how technology makes a difference when working from such a place. "It has 35,000 people and is the closest city to the international dateline. It is also the first city in the world to see the sun every day. Its closest city-sized neighbours are a three-hour drive away on winding roads. The internet, cell phones, and other forms of technology let me be wherever I want and make others think I'm where they want me to be."
Working from home is not always easy, and writers often have to deal with a number of problems. People often feel alone. Vella told me that she knows how to deal with it. "At times, it feels like my life is made up of nothing but little pieces. I make up for that by setting aside some "face time" every day ", she tells me. I think she's right. You may have to force yourself to spend time with family, friends, or other writers.
Technology problems could be another problem. It might be nearly impossible to find a place that can fix PCs. Internet access may be unavailable or unreliable. There are still a lot of places in the world that don't have email access or even phone lines. You can still be a freelance writer in these places, but it won't be as easy. If you can choose where to live, always try to pick a town with phone lines that can connect you to the Internet.
And that includes working while on vacation. Check out the technology ahead of time. In the above example about my trip, I got a surprise. The cottage didn't have a phone line or a way to get email. My first feeling of panic went away when I found a phone not too far away. I trudged up the road in the freezing cold. My notebook computer was plugged into a payphone when I pushed the button to send out my newsletter.
Are writers who live in remote places really at a disadvantage? No way! I'm convinced that you can be a freelance writer and work from anywhere. You will face some problems, but none of them will be impossible to solve.
So, if you want a job you can do anywhere, you don't need to look any further. A lot of writers, including the ones I mentioned, are doing well where they are. You can too. Open up your notebook. Start to write. You can start making money as a freelance writer right now.
