Want to drop a Free Writing Gig? Here are some things you need to Consider

It wouldn’t be stereotyping neither would it be an exaggeration to say that most freelancers developed their portfolios doing a lot of freebies than they got paid at the inception and growing stage of their freelance career and also it won’t be an assumption to say that most budding freelancers in this century have little to no patience when it comes to seeing freebies as an avenue for development in this chosen career path.

Free writing gigs/freebies are promos you do for yourself for different reasons which could include; giving your voice life, trying to let people know what you do, getting your name out there, etc. ‘cos believe you me, no one is ever gonna know what you do, how you do it and how good you are if you don’t put it out there and the only platform that offers you that is free gigs and these platforms could be in form of blogging and signing up for voluntary writing gigs.

Sometimes I’ve had people ask me how do you make money from that blogging sef? How much are you making? And when I say I don’t think I’ve really made a dime from blogging, they’d be like huh? And the truth is there are diverse ways through which people make money from blogging and technically, it’s really not my business because that’s not why I run a blog in the first place. Of course, I’d love it very much that blogging sends cool cash into my purse but even if it doesn’t, sooner or later, I should be able to go on.

Furthermore, some writers tend to run away from going further with an application they put up from the moment they get a message like we are not paying yet or sometimes they don’t even bother to apply at all if that clause is there and this most times is very wrong. Just because a platform is not paying now doesn’t mean it won’t pay later. Don’t ignore a cause that is passionate to your heart just because the platform seeking your contribution through lending your voice to their cause is not paying.

Most times, a platform may be offering you more than a medium and traffic but also a great fan base and that you wouldn’t know if you decided to use the non-payment rule as a yardstick to walk away from it. As a Budding freelancer, the motivation shouldn’t be how much you can get but how much you can and are willing to give and trust me, like it is in the rule of giving and receiving, you’d receive just as much as you give in due time.

Although at the beginning, you might not be able to control or choose what you receive and when you receive it but it’s definitely gonna be an incentive no matter how little or small aimed at encouraging you never to give up on your dreams or keep thinking that writing will never pay your bills or put food and more on your table.

In this dispensation where success and wealth is measured by material things and more, it is easy to fall victim of walking away from platforms and opportunities meant to lift us up due to the urge-to-be-paid syndrome.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying remuneration especially in cash should not be aspired to but let it not be the reason why you’re motivated to do what you’re supposed to do nor should it be why you aspire to greatness.

Many years ago, I never thought writing would pay me. It was all fun, games and passion for me. I never thought I’d wanna make a career out of it but it’s still that same passion and love that kept me going when no one cared, encouraged or supported it.

You should see my face and state of mind the day I got my first pay from writing. It wasn’t such a big amount; in fact, it’s peanut when you tell some people but it meant so much to me. . . but that wouldn’t have been my lot if I had walked away from every opportunity which were all freebies that I jumped on enthusiastically.

I want writing to pay me more; yea, I am not satisfied. . . as far as I’m concerned, I’m yet to enjoy the financial benefits of this path I’ve chosen to walk, but ain’t quitting neither am I gonna believe my desires aren’t gonna be met.

Of course, I do know that the cost of living and maintenance is high now but it can never be too high to give your passion a push.

Finally, every successful woman/man in his/her field has once used his/her skills for free! And the only thing that can keep you in an organization that pays nothing for your craft and effort but give you platform, publicity and appreciation in words is your passion.

If you’re rightly motivated and deeply passionate about what you do, the absence of money will never be the reason you get frustrated and quit.

Don’t just walk away! Before you do, give it a deep thought.