Freelance Writing During Coronavirus | COVID 19 | Travel Writer | Workflow

How Coronavirus Has Changed My Workflow

Freelance Writing During Coronavirus | COVID 19 | Travel Writer | Workflow

I thought it was time to get a bit real today about my workflow. First, let me say that I don’t have COVID-19 and neither does anyone that I know personally. I am thankful that I have my health and that my family is safe.

But that doesn’t mean that things are easy for anyone in the world right now. Those who aren’t essential workers are stuck at home. We are seeing small businesses suffer, hearing about deaths, and watching our world change by the minute.

I wanted to take some time to let you know how coronavirus has impacted me from a day-to-day writing perspective. So, here goes…

How Coronavirus Has Changed My Workflow

The Good, The Bad, and the Downright Ugly

The Good

I’m used to being at home.

In a way, I feel it’s a positive thing that my day to day workflow hasn’t changed that much. I normally work from home while going about my day getting a few household chores done. Because I’m used to it, I don’t feel isolated or like I’m missing out on being at my normal workplace.

The bad part about that – and I feel selfish saying this – is that I am a bit bitter about the fact that people are experiencing such a novelty about working from home and others are complaining. It’s fine and normal for me!

I’m more active.

Admittedly, I’m horrible about organizing my days. I tend to wake up and work and work and – work. Now that my daughter (high school junior) and son (college freshman) are home, I am trying to be more conscious about the time I spend on the computer, which isn’t always time writing (cue Netflix and social media).

I’ve been taking intentional breaks to walk, listen to encouraging podcasts, and be more proactive about being active. These breaks throughout the day have made my work time more productive, and it’s definitely a practice I hope to keep long after coronavirus has ended.

Working from Home During Coronavirus | Travel Like a Prince

I’m still writing about travel.

Times are tough right now. No joke. I’m a travel writer. The travel industry has taken a huge hit, and many of the outlets I love writing for have decided to cut off their freelance work at the moment. This is either due to budget cuts or to keep their salaried in-house workflow steady, but either way, I get it!

I am extremely thankful to have published an article on Lonely Planet and to write for TripSavvy for the first time. I have a few other articles in the queue, so I am grateful to have work at this time, but it hasn’t been without cost, which I’ll get to in the “bad” section.

I’m freelancing about other topics.

Thankfully, I have maintained a semi-active Upwork profile, so while my workflow has been in flux, I have supplemented by finding clients through Upwork. I’ve been able to write about a few interesting topics, such as flowers, education, and intermittent fasting. These aren’t my normal areas of expertise, but I’ve enjoyed further building my portfolio.

The Bad

Travel gigs are scarce.

Truth be told, it’s just flat out hard at the moment. As I eluded to above, the work is downright scarce. That being said – and this is both good and bad – I have had to get REALLY creative about what I am pitching and where I am pitching it.

Again, to explain if you aren’t a writer, freelancing involves coming up with story ideas and contacting a particular editor about that idea. That editor ultimately chooses to either commission the article or not based on timing, what content is already on their site, and if they feel as though it’s a good fit for their site.

I am spending so much of my workflow time pitching. I’ve also had a few good ideas come to me in the middle of the night, and I grab my phone and type in a quick note. Finding new, relevant ideas is constantly on my mind, which is exhausting.

Again, the good part of that is that it’s forced me to stretch a bit more and pitch new outlets. I feel like it’s altered the way I think about pitching, and that is light within the darkness.

Working from Home During Coronavirus | Travel Like a Prince

Upwork is frustrating.

Yep. There I said it! I am 100% so grateful for the clients I have worked with on that platform, and I have found some amazing ones.

For those who aren’t familiar, Upwork is a type of marketplace where freelancers can find work. A company will post a job and various freelancers can respond to be considered.

You have the opportunity to make a profile, filter what kinds of jobs you would like (mine is filtered only for writing), and receive feedback from your clients. It works well in many cases.

But I also find Upwork completely frustrating. Here’s why.

  • Some people offer ridiculously low wages, and it’s insulting. Some jobs pay $3 for 1000 words. Crazy! That’s not even minimum wage, and I wish that there was some way to filter out low paying jobs. I don’t even want to see those!
  • Some companies are misleading in their postings. Folks will put that they have a $1500 budget only to find out that if you read the job description, they are paying $1 for 100 words. I wish users would just be honest and not try to entice freelancers with a seemingly high rate.
  • There is high competition for jobs. This is true, especially when people are looking for additional revenue streams at the moment. It’s hard to make your profile stand out when there are so many people applying for posted jobs.
  • Bait and switch happens. I have had companies publish a rate and then reduce it by half once they tried to hire me. Ug!
& The Downright Ugly

I will never again write something on spec.

I’m a positive person, but during this time period, I did learn a lesson. Not all writers would agree with me on this point, and that is ok. Here are my thoughts.

Accepted pitches are based on mutual trust and respect.

When an editor accepts a pitch, there is an element of respect – which says that they can see that I am a published writer. There is also a trust factor. They have faith in me that I will write a quality article tailored to their site and specifications. Some editors will ask for revisions, and, of course, they have the option to refuse the piece if it’s rubbish (thankfully that hasn’t happened!).

Spec pieces stem from distrust.

When a publication asks for a piece on spec, the writer writes a complete article so the editor can determine if they want to use the article. It’s unpaid until they accept it, so a freelancer takes the risk of writing a piece that will never see the light of day.

In my opinion, I feel that this shows that a publisher doesn’t put their trust in a writer. Or maybe they want to keep their options open. They don’t want to take the risk. I don’t know how else to put it.

It leaves both writer and outlet in this odd middle place filled with “ifs,” and the freelancer is the one who assumes all of the risk.

Working from Home During Coronavirus | Travel Like a Prince

Here’s the ugly part.

I wrote a piece on spec for a publication. It’s timely and has a coronavirus spin. I sent it in. They said they had another writer writing the same topic, and they chose the other writer’s article. So, they had two writers producing the same article on spec, which leaves me a bit jaded as to the whole spec process. It also disrupted my workflow.

It left me feeling used. And devalued.

Ultimately, it was unprofessional.

So, that leaves me frantically trying to pitch an already finished piece, which will hopefully get placed. It’s not in the travel realm – like I said I’ve been getting creative about topics. I feel as though I could’ve used my time better by doing things I was certain about.

I’m sure that not all outlets that accept pieces on spec conduct themselves in that manner, but I won’t try it again. It’s somewhat of a buyer beware for freelancers.

So, there it is. The positives and negatives of these times as a travel freelancer. What about you? Have you had any changes to your workflow? I’d love to hear!

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18 responses to “How Coronavirus Has Changed My Workflow”

  1. Taylor Avatar
    Taylor

    Ugh I’m sorry for all the frustrations you are feeling right now but I love how positive you are remaining! Good on ya!

  2. Iuliana Marchian Avatar
    Iuliana Marchian

    I am so sorry to hear that. And the worst part is that I feel the same. Worked on Upwork too and thee last changes they have made, to put me to pay (even that small amount) to apply to jobs is ridiculous after they take those high commissions anyway. To top it all, I am not a native English speaker, so my rate of success on Upwork is even lower. A bad experience for me overall, I prefer to pitch magazines separately and write about what is meaningful for me. 

  3. Jordyn Avatar
    Jordyn

    Ugh…what a frustrating situation! I would be  SO annoyed to write a piece just  to be told the  site is  going with a different author. I have also worked  on Upwork before and some of the wages are so ridiculously low, I almost can’t believe it. Still, I am  glad you are more intentional about moving/taking breaks, I am sure that is helpful for your mental health. Sending you lots of sunshine & positivity during this difficult time.

  4. Taylor Avatar
    Taylor

    Dang, I’m so sorry about what happened. I’m glad that some things are still going well and that even though the pandemic is stressful and you can’t travel, you’re still finding ways to work with brands!

  5. Julia Avatar
    Julia

    Thanks for sharing all of these aspects! I find myself in many of them!! Lesson learned!

  6. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    I have no doubt that you will come out very strong from this terrible pandemic. You are a talented and engaging writer, and that passion will carry you through. I love that you began your article on the positive. I too have been active in setting up an actual schedule. I see you’re accustomed to working from home, I’m so not. It’s been a big adjustment. Great read.

  7. Mayuri Patel Avatar
    Mayuri Patel

    Sorry to hear what you are going through right now. I am not connected with Upwork but I have full-time job which pays me, but I am struggling with my page views of my blog. The fact that you can still write for other gigs is good, keep writing girl; all will be good.

  8. Nina Bosken Avatar
    Nina Bosken

    This is really interesting to read as I want to get more into freelance writing. Right now I mostly just write on my blog, although I have freelanced a few things in the past. I’ve been teaching English online as part of my income for the past three years and since the quarantine, I’ve had more classes than ever. They have forced me to wake up around 8 a.m. each day and look presentable. I have found it hard to find the motivation to blog though, so your post lets me know that I’m not alone.

  9. Deb Pati Avatar
    Deb Pati

    Hey Jennifer, I feel your pain. I have read countless articles from freelancers who have faced the same fate. And Upwork probably was a good place for freelancers before, but now, not so much. And in unpredictables times like now, we can only hope for the positive.

  10. Stephanie Avatar
    Stephanie

    It’s so interesting to read your perspective. So many articles about working from home have been from the perspective of someone who wasn’t previously working from home, so they’ve got a very different mindset. However, I find yours to be much more similar to my own, minus the fact that I don’t do freelance writing. That’s super cool, actually! And it was interesting to read about your process – and the not-so-swell bits about it as well! Thanks for sharing your life with us during this time (and always).

  11. blair villanueva Avatar
    blair villanueva

    I know that recently its been frustrating for many, however, we can’t let COVID-19 beat our sanity and work mojo. Though recently, Upwork also got issues, you can always get other opportunities from other sources. They’re always out there, hang-out tight. 

  12. Kavita Favelle Avatar
    Kavita Favelle

    Many many of my friends are in a similar boat and it’s really difficult to see careers that they had built over many years now reduced to nearly nil. Like you, some are suggesting diversifying what they write about but of course they don’t have those relationships in the other spheres that they do in travel. It’s a hard time. I’m still working from home full time in my day job, which has its own challenges but I’m grateful for the safe salary at a time so many don’t have that.

  13. Nicole Flint Avatar
    Nicole Flint

    I love that you are remaining positive! COVID has affected all of us and I hope we will get through this soon. 

  14. Indrani Avatar
    Indrani

    Frustrating indeed. I feel for you. I will say continue your writing may not be paying well now but some day it will. Hard work and sincerity is always rewarded. These words keep me going too.

  15. Clarice Avatar
    Clarice

    Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Upwork. I am also a freelance writer and you might want to check other platforms such as FreeUp. They have better rates compared to Upwork and being able to find work in multiple platforms has helped me cope with this shift in workflow. 🙂 

    1. travellikeaprince Avatar
      travellikeaprince

      Oh! I will check FreeUp. I’ve never heard of them. Thanks a bunch! 🙂

  16. Megan Elliott Avatar
    Megan Elliott

    Man. I can COMPLETELY relate to so much of this! For years I have been a luxury travel blogger, and it feels like my whole life (and livelihood!) has been turned upside down so suddenly. I’ve been really shifting my focus to writing about timely topics: easing anxiety, working from home, etc. Hang in there, girl. We’ll get though this!

  17. Social T Avatar
    Social T

    Thanks for the information. Keep up the good work! Stay Safe!