I’m in the Worst Financial Slump of My Freelance Career — But I’m Not Ready to Give Up

Six years in, I’m fighting for a job I love

Photo by Ron Lach from Pexels

In mid 2024, after five years of hustling, five years of churning out essay after essay, article after article, I finally felt like I had succeeded. I couldn’t believe my eyes as the deposits came in each month. I was no longer treading water but actually making a semi-livable salary.

Now before you get too excited, let me clarify what that means. I know a lot of people have fantastical ideas about the numbers when it comes to writers saying they are successful. And no wonder — there are so many articles out there about freelance writers who (allegedly) easily rake in $10,000 a month.

Let me immediately disabuse you of the notion that successful writers are flush with cash. On the contrary, when we say we are succeeding, we usually (from what I’ve observed) are absolutely not talking about earning a six-figure salary. In fact, we’re usually not even talking about making $5,000 a month, a salary one cannot even survive on in many parts of the U.S.

So no, I wasn’t swimming in cash last year — not even a little bit. But it was the first time in years that I didn’t go to the grocery store and worry about how I’d be able to buy what I needed and still…