There are all sorts of writing – and all sorts of good writing.

Once upon a time I felt like the world was ending if I got caught in a grammatical mistake. I worked hard to separate myself from writers at a level I considered less capable, although as a teacher I tried not to look down on abilities (since I see a range of talent every day in emerging minds), but rather on how niches of the marketplace are set up and the lack of business aplomb some would-be master writers lacked.

Over the years, it’s become more and more obvious that there are tiers of writing. I don’t have to be at the very tippity top and I don’t need to criticize those closer to the bottom. I’ve found a comfortable place for now.

Cheap writers are cheap for their own reasons and they have nothing to do with me or the market as a whole. Likewise the very expensive copywriters or print writers for major publications – not my thing, so I don’t think much about it anymore. Those writers have a set of clients of their own, and often my clients use their services, too – I can’t be everything to everybody after all. I refuse to have my feelings hurt because a client wants killer sales letters or super cheap keyword stuff that I choose not to write.

Is there competition out there? Of course. Just be sure you’re focusing on the right competition and leave the rest alone to write well in a different kind or level of the industry.

The writing market is not stable, nor will it be.

Once upon a time I earned a business degree and one of my favorite lessons I still watch in action was about the business cycle. Every industry has ongoing cycles and there must be constant change and growth to keep the industry and individual companies or providers employed. In the growth part of the industry, money seems to be readily available.

Then, once the market is saturated, there’s a sort of shake out and the stronger players emerge to stick around, but only by changing and adapting to the needs of the market. The weaker companies/writers/employees shake off and go and find new jobs or opportunities.

As a writer, I started online more than six years ago, and I still consider myself a relative newbie to the game. A lot has changed in six years, and part of riding the waves is watching the industry and adapting to it with new offerings, new clients and new marketing angles to stay above the fray. I would argue we’re in a form of shake-out now. The game changed and the stronger players will come out ahead, but only by streamlining and evolving. You might be a casualty of the streamlining in the industry, but it’s just the way the game is played – either drop out of the market or evolve to stake a new place within it.

Always earn more than you need – and save, too.

I made a huge mistake one year. I planned a budget based on future income and I paid for it dearly in the end. What should have been a great year staying home with my babies and writing became a nightmare of bills coming due and some serious cash flow problems. I should have stayed put in my steady job stockpiling cash before making a big leap. I should have eliminated expenses. I should have budgeted in a totally different way, because you’ll never earn enough, especially when you seem to need it the most.

Not surprisingly, about the time we climbed out of that hole and back on top of the personal finance hill, my husband’s business went under and we were right back in cash flow problems and financial stress. I make it a policy now to always market, pitch and gather work that exceeds what I need each month, because there’s always something that comes along to throw me off.

Bottom line: make a budget based on what you’ve earned on average, not on what you think you can earn. Oh, and make a regular savings plan although I’ll be honest – every time I start trying to really save, I get wiped out by some sort of household emergency or a client’s sudden disappearance. But then, hey! It’s all part of the freelance adventure!

In the interview you’ll find out how my crazy work schedule is working out for me (working Monday – Thursday, usually getting up at 4am and working 5am through noon). You’ll also get some tips on query-free marketing for your freelance writing services and my thoughts on getting work as a freelancer in this day and age when you live in a small town.

There are many new parents who change their schedules dramatically to accommodate the birth of a baby. While you’re pregnant, you might work hard to negotiate a work schedule with your boss that allows you all or most of your time at home. How hard can it be to knock out 35-40 hours of basic work at home anyhow? Or you can do what I did and elect to leave one job after the baby so that you can be home, planning to make up the income through freelancing.

The premise is simple: It will cost less to work at home and I have a source of income built up. I can easily stay home and spend more time with baby to have a fulfilling lifestyle.

I was only partially right, but like so many things, jumping into freelancing or leaving the company office to begin working at home with a new baby in tow is something is something you can only learn about through experience. And there are certainly memorable experiences.

“I’ll just work while the baby is sleeping!”

Regular naptimes and bedtimes don’t exist for months for babies. That means you’ll be scrambling and anxious most of the time to use every second of his sleeping minutes to try and cram in work. Babies, being the tiny, adorable sadists they are, like to trick you by sleeping well for a few days before deciding they would rather sleep just thirty minutes of every ninety minutes for three months ensuring you spend most of your time putting him to sleep or feeding him to go back to sleep shortly. Believe me; you can’t do much with the thirty minutes in between without supreme drive and focus.

“The baby will sit next to me while I work!”

Yup – for about the two minutes it takes for him to get bored, that is. Babies like to be held and they need that physical contact. One terrific thing about this age is that baby might be content to snuggle against you in a sling or front carrier while you work for short stretches, but most like to be up and on the move. A swing might work as well, but then you get stuck with the true blade of parenthood – guilt over not holding her as much as possible.

“I’ll cut back on hours (and income) so that I can spend as much time with my baby as possible!”

Babies are outrageously expensive. It’s true you can do it for much less than the averages statistic companies like to throw around, but even if you’re breastfeeding and using cloth diapers, you’re still paying off hospital bills, doctor’s bills, buying bedding, clothing, washing those diapers and seeking out the endless supply of items babies seem to need – Mylicon and Tylenol come to mind. Add formula and diapers to the mix and you’re looking at hundreds of dollars a month, easily.

Of course it is less than paying for daycare, but if you’re not able to take advantage of paid maternity leave or have the option of falling back on a spouse’s income, you’re back at work almost immediately after delivery to be sure bills get paid.

“My partner will watch the baby so that I can work!”

Daddies love their babies very much, but many mothers elect to breastfeed. Unless you have a very specially equipped partner or have elected to bottle feed expressed milk (which you’ll still need to pump, mind you), you’re still on call every 2-3 hours. Even formula can be tricky at times. I learned through personal experience that for many things, baby prefers Mom (although it can be just as true for dad) and that hearing your baby cry and fuss for you is rather distracting from the work environment. If your baby prefers dad’s company leaving you hours free to work after he gets home – I envy you.

The bottom line – you do get much more time with your baby than you might working in the office. The downside? You’re spending much of that time anxious about work you need to finish, finding clients to ensure you cover the gap your suspect is coming next month or trying to calculate how many naps it will take to finish up work for the evening before you can allow yourself time to sleep.

“I’ve learned so much!”

New parents have a rough start. So do many new freelancers. Only the toughest survive with everything (income, sleep and sanity) intact. Fortunately there are some tremendous pluses that come after just a few months or freelancing parenthood. Eventually naps lengthen and you’ll have an hour here and an hour there to work. Bedtimes move earlier and you gain the evenings for a nice solid chunk of work time. Best of all, you learn to accommodate the insane rhythm of your household to make it all fit, and you’ll be thrilled to be home to watch your baby grow and change.

Compartmentalize Your Day

All that freedom and flexibility you’re supposed to have as a freelancing mother is essentially nonexistent. The truth is your family comes first, your life comes second and your career fits in the cracks left behind. Rather than getting frustrated that you can’t sit on the patio with a laptop while the children and dogs play about your feet, just accept that you’ll need to break up your day into pieces to make it all work. Mornings are kid-time. Toddler nap time is work time. Evenings are family time, and nights include a bit more work. “Me time” is noticeably absent, but that’s just life as a WAHM.

Don’t Fear Childcare

Many moms stay at home with the intention of working a bit while the little one plays lovingly nearby or they plan on taking on that full-time job in just three hours a day. As with many things mommy-related, it just doesn’t usually work as planned. When you make a decision to stay home with your children, especially if the plan requires working from home, you’ll likely need some help along the way.

Unless you’re eliminating sleep from your daily routine, there are not enough hours in the day to cram in that full-time freelance career with the full-time job of raising young children. Have a mother’s helper come in a few hours a day or look into the part-time childcare programs offered in your area. These options are less expensive than full-time childcare and can offer a balance between work and family responsibilities without busting the freelancer budget.

Make Your Family Visible to Clients

You are setting yourself up for a fall if you’re trying to pretend to clients that you’re not working at home with young children underfoot. You might like giving the impression of working in your own quiet office, but letting your clients know that children are part of your life will give you some much needed wiggle room when those two-year-old molars break through or the stomach bug comes home with the oldest as a treat for the whole family.

Rather than trying to hide your family behind your professional façade, be open about your other obligations and use communication as the powerful tool it is. Your professionalism and hard work on projects will show clients that you’re not using your children as an excuse. But making it clear you’re a mom and staying in touch with clients about delays through that week-long family bout of vomiting will go a long way to establishing long-term work relationships.

Set Your Hours and Stick to Them

If you’re successful with your endeavors, there is a temptation to keep adding more clients and more projects. Soon you’re working every moment you’re not mashing bananas and organizing toys in clear plastic boxes. Not only does your stress level increase, but it takes only the slightest mishap in the family life to put you behind schedule and potentially out of sorts with your clients. As a freelancer, your reputation is everything. Keep yours intact by deciding how much you’re realistically able to work to keep balance in your life and make that number your sticking point.