Top 3 Benefits of the Writer's Life

It's an exciting time to be a writer. In our communications driven world with news at our fingertips 24/7, there are myriad opportunities for creating engaging content. From articles and scripts to tweets and ads, content is all around us--which, for a gal like me, means I'm in business. As with anything, there are definitely pros and cons of being a professional writer, but I like to look on the bright side. Thinking about pursuing a writing career? Here are the top three perks of being a writer.

#1--Choose Your Office. There's adventure in waking up each day knowing you have the absolute freedom to work from home; be onsite for a client meeting or head to a local coffee shop, library or co-working space. I recently had the opportunity to work in the private library at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, an exclusive, historic space in DTLA that offers athletic and spa facilities, restaurants and bars, luxury meeting and conference rooms and even a hotel. Additional favorite work spaces include WeWork, the Women's Center for Creative Work (WCCW), Office Slice and my favorite place for Spanish fare, Bow & Truss.

#2--Pick Your Projects. Choosing the types of projects I devote time and resources to is a total luxury. I've spent the last eight months refining my interviewing skills. Conducting interviews and writing corresponding feature stories for online and digital publications has been extremely fulfilling. I get to exercise both critical thinking skills and creativity in devising questions, interacting with subjects and synthesizing information to dream up some of what I feel has become my best work. Most recently, I interviewed internationally known journalist and filmmaker Shannon Harvey of The Connection. Follow me on social media for the forthcoming article. In the meantime, read some of my favorite interviews HERE.

#3--Earn Unlimited Income (eventually). One of the major advantages to pursuing freelance writing is the ability to tap into multiple and unlimited income streams. Forget a finite salary and performance reviews. Whether you work independently, with a recruiter or a combination of both--as a contractor, you get to set your own rates and get paid what you're worth. I recommend researching state and national salary averages before you establish a pricing structure for your services. Start by dividing your current annual salary in half to arrive at your hourly rate and use that at your baseline. Glassdoor, PayScale are leading sources for salary information by industry.

The common thread I've found among the many benefits of being a writer is, in a word, freedom. And it's priceless.