Why I Chose to be a Writer and Work from Home

Why I Chose to be a Writer and Work from Home

I love the flexibility that working from home brings me.
I love the flexibility that working from home brings me.

Not everyone is cut out to work from home. Not everyone can be a writer.

My husband is terrible with his grammar and isn’t that great at simply getting down to the job instead of watching something on the computer at the same time or finding something else to do.

I chose to be a writer and work from home knowing that I could do both. I’m not going to say I’m perfect – I’m far from it – but my spelling and grammar are virtually error free and I have the discipline to stick to a schedule (despite the sun blaring through my window right now!).

But, why did I decide that writing was something I was going to do. Why did I choose to work from home?

I Love to Create

I’m creative (I’m a Pisces!) and love to write about anything and everything. I seem to have a knack for finding something interesting even in the most boring of subjects.

It took a while to realise that my love for creating things could lead to making money. It was only when I was randomly searching back in 2009 that I found websites for writing.

But I chose to ignore them for a whole year! I didn’t have the courage to put applications in or in my ability to create pieces of art with my words. It took my husband’s encouragement to finally apply for the first place and then build it up from there.

I Love to Learn

Another important factor was that I love to learn about new things. I love the research that’s involved with writing and didn’t mind going online for something that I’d never heard of. That isn’t to say those who don’t love to learn can’t find success but it will be much harder.

The problem for me is it’s so easy to procrastinate researching. I find this common with my history posts. I love to keep going back and seeing how everything links together.

I Had Nothing to Lose

In all honesty, when I finally did apply, I had nothing to lose. I couldn’t claim jobseeker’s allowance because my husband earned too much (despite us struggling to afford everything we needed with the debt we ran up in the past) and I was finding it hard to find work after moving 300 miles away from my job.

Taking a gambling into freelance writing wasn’t really a gamble. I would either make some money or we’d be right back to where we started. I wasn’t risking leaving a job or anything like that.

I don’t recommend doing it that way – I recommend having at least six months worth of income saved before trying this venture – but if you’ve got nothing to lose what’s stopping you from trying?

I guess I was lucky that my gamble paid off. I started making money online instantly and I was able to take freelancing up as a career. I approached 25pc to build a PC for my freelancing. I created my business just a month later and started writing for private clients and content mills – I’ve since moved onto the higher paying clients and looking to break into magazine writing.

We Thought About the Future

There’s a major benefit in working from home – I can look after a child while working. Yes, there are going to be some difficulties but it is possible to juggle everything. There’s less worry about someone not hiring me because I’m a woman of child-bearing age (despite the law not allowing that discrimination!) so surprisingly a little more job security.

We were thinking about the future when I started my business. We thought about what would happen about childcare and whether we would be able to afford it. We discussed me not working to be able to raise our children.

Working from home was the best solution for us.

I Wanted the Flexibility

Working from home has also given me the flexibility that I wanted. I wanted to be able to go to the gym at a time that suited me. I wanted to be able to go out for lunch. I wanted to be able to take every Sunday off.

I also wanted the flexibility to look after children while working and not worry about attending to their needs.

This is something no job I was applying for could offer. I can work late at night; I can work on a Saturday and have a day in the week off; I can work in any room that I choose.

I also have the flexibility to study. I have always had dreams of being a lawyer and proving to myself that I can start my own business has helped my gain the confidence to start studying again. I study through the Open University at a time that suits me for my daughter and my work.

Why did you start writing or why do you want to do it? It’s so important to know why you’re doing something to help you succeed.

Image credit: graur razvan ionut/freedigitalphotos.net

Alexandria Ingham is a professional writer. She predominately ghost-writes in various niches, including fitness, finance and technology Everything is fully researched and well-written. Under her own name, she writes in the technology, business, history and weight loss niches

2 thoughts on “Why I Chose to be a Writer and Work from Home

  1. For me, one of the most important things about working for myself is that flexibility! I’m not a “normal” person, and so the normal 9 to 5 doesn’t really fit how my brain works! Being able to work when my mind is able to is essential to me!

    1. The amount of times I’ve had to work late, I can definitely relate. I find I get some of my best ideas just as I’m trying to sleep and then very few while I’m meant to be working!

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