Being a freelance journalist is…

Easy: I wake up when I want and work in my underwear. I am my own boss instead of slaving away at a computer for eight hours with an assigned lunch-break and air conditioning that gives me pneumonia.

Hard: This morning and I had zero emails. What does this mean? Telstra won’t be getting their money for my phone bill, and I’ll have to eat canned soup for another week.

Interesting: One day I write about wedding speeches; the next day about video games. There’s no limit on who I can write for. But the best part of it all? I get to generate my own ideas. If I feel like writing about rising teenage pregnancy rates for a national daily then I can, and if I feel like writing a children’s fiction book i can do that too – all in the one day.

Mundane: Spending two months writing a 7000-word feature article on the differences between high-definition DVD players can get a little tedious, especially after the tenth or so interview.

Fun: I get to meet lots of different people every day, in very nice locations (like five-star hotels). I get to listen to them talk about all sorts of interesting things, from music and film festivals, to aerodynamics and robotic intelligence. I learn something new every day.

Serious: Sometimes I have three deadlines in one day, at different times. Sometimes I have three deadlines in one hour.

Rewarding: Working for lots of different publications means a fluctuating, but overall better, income than a desk journalist - especially when you get paid in British Pounds, Euros or US Dollars. Planning yearly holidays to the Greek Islands is finally a dream I can afford.

Stingy: Not having a regular income means tough times before the good times. Hassling editors for your paycheck is a weekly activity, as is checking your bank balance, in the hope that the commission you submitted over two months ago has finally arrived. There’s also that unpleasant time that’s known as TAX TIME. But let’s not dwell on negatives.

Freedom: Freedom of expression, freedom of diversity, and freedom of ideas. There is no better way for a writer to live life (except maybe as a travel writer, but more on that next week.)