Writing from home, the prose and commas.

Good morning all.

It's the very first day of my new blog, and I'm delighted to say that the sun is shining and that lucky old Jo (that's me! and I'm not actually that old) is sitting in the back garden enjoying the warmth and the butterflies, sipping a nice cup of tea and turning a slightly darker shade of white than normal (got to love the Irish complexion).

'Lucky for some' I hear you shout! ...Well the truth is I'm working, and the reason I decided to write this blog was to help give others the same opportunity.

Working from home has many benefits, and although not for everyone, can be a very rewarding lifestyle. I'm not yet a full time freelance writer, but I'm making it my mission. I hope that by this time next year I'll be writing my way to money and success without too much of a bother.

It would be great if you would join me along the way, perhaps we can share ideas or maybe you can simply laugh at my feeble attempts to conquer the world through prose. Either way, some one's going to enjoy it :)

OK, so quite briefly I'm going to give you an idea of what first motivated me to take a step into the world of writing. ONE WORD.... 'oDesk'... This site opened up doors for me that I always assumed were locked and gave me a new sense of achievement along with an extra few bob in my pocket. It made me think about new opportunities, about life in general and gave me the power to dream about a lifestyle that in my head only came from winning the lottery. In short it gave me hope. That was nearly three years ago and the dream is now closer than it has ever been. Within the next eight months I see myself working from home full-time, and never having to face the daily grind of the office again.

There are pros and cons to this though, and some would argue quite rightfully that they simply could never live that lifestyle. As you have already guessed, I'm not one of those people.
To finish off this first post, I'm going to go through some of the pros that go with working from home as a freelance writer, and would be delighted to hear your views.

Tomorrow we'll look at the cons.

The Prose.... please excuse the pun!

Lets go with the bullet points on this one to spice the page up a bit.

• Writing from home gives you a freedom that you will never experience in a bricks and mortar company. You can plan your day around your own timeline and not that of a 9-5 organisation, although let's be fair you will need to be available at some stage during the working day if you want to keep hold of your clients.

• For those of you with children at home, it can be the most rewarding lifestyle choice you'll ever make. You'll be there to give them their breakfast, lunch & dinner. There to put them to bed in the evenings and wake them in the mornings. There for the first steps, words and smiles. Although not a parent myself I can only imagine how important this can be. (Although I do know some people that would see all of the above points as cons).

• Huge savings can be made on petrol, diesel, taxi fares, train and bus expenses, expensive lunches and all the little things you pick up daily without much thought being given.

• Being your own boss means you can set your own rate and give yourself a raise whenever you feel it's appropriate. Just be realistic about your expectations and know your own worth.

• Got a doctor or a dentist appointment? Need time off work? Afraid to ask your boss for more time off? Not a problem, simply rearrange your day.

• Savings on the cost of childcare is a massive consideration for those of you with kids, you could find yourself with a lot more money in your pocket.

• No more spending a fortune on clothes that you only wear to the office. I do advise buying one good suit though that you can have on hold to meet clients, and well, what you wear for the rest of the week is up to you!

• Think of the savings you can make on your home office! I know that here in Ireland, expenses for a home office are tax deductible and I'm pretty sure that's the same of most Countries.

• Less stress. Most bricks and mortar offices come with their fair share of stress, well if you feel a bit stressed working from home then simply stop, go for a walk, have a cup of Rosie Lee or do whatever normally makes you wind down at the end of a day. You'll find that within days of starting your work at home career that your stress levels drop dramatically.

• As a writer, I think that the home office is the best environment to be in. You’re rarely interrupted by anyone, your thoughts can flow and you’re not restricted by your surroundings. In short, working from an environment that you are comfortable in will be reflected in your writing.

I could go on and on about the benefits of working as a writer from home, but let’s face it I’d be here all day. I have a feeling that the cons won’t be quite so easy to write but I’ll certainly give you them as truthfully as I can and try not too push you on the hard sell just yet.

If any of you are in the same boat as me I’d love to hear from you, especially my fellow oDeskers. It would be great to hear your success stories and your dreams.

For those of you just getting started, I'd highly recommend checking these guys out: www.odesk.com

Until tomorrow I’ll just keep moving on…….. (The Littlest Hobo)