I like to joke that I’m a one-trick pony: I’ve always known that I wanted to be a writer, and I remember creating newspapers out of construction paper and penning short stories as a child. (My two cousins and I also sent out a family newsletter of the latest happenings, of which our grandma was a loyal reader.) I worked at my community newspaper in high school, wrote for and edited my university newspaper, and was an intern at a few places after graduation.

From there, I took every writing job I was offered, and learned how to produce clean copy quickly. To do this, I followed the advice of my favorite college professor: Get it down, and then read your work out loud. It’s easier to catch mistakes, including any awkward phrasing, this way.

When I had a typical 9-to-5 office job, I never stopped freelancing, even if I was only writing one or two stories a month. After I had a stable network of editors who trusted me, and fellow freelancers who I could lean on as “coworkers,” I went out on my own. I also couldn’t have been successful without my mentor, Ann Friedman.

Think of yourself as a business owner, not a freelancer — for whatever reason, the term often has a reputation of someone who’s coasting, when really, you’re doing more work than you’d ever be doing at a typical office job. You’re an administrative assistant! You’re payroll! You’re the office manager! You’re the IT desk! But most importantly, you’re the boss, and you should treat yourself as such.

Set regular working hours, and try not to work on the weekend. Stay organized, and know who owes you money. Pay quarterly taxes and hire an accountant. Make a functioning website that you update regularly, and get a credit card that’s just for business. Save PDF files of your work, because you never know when a site will shut down. Some of this will take time to accomplish, while others you can do right away! Oh, and don’t forget to enjoy freelancing. Every once in a while, go somewhere fun on a Wednesday just because you can.

My favorite story is about my “past-perfect days,” which I wrote for AFAR Magazine in March 2020. I discussed looking back on warm memories, and I get transported to them whenever I revisit this piece. I also love the rhythm of the essay, and that I was able to say exactly what I had in mind — sometimes writing down an idea doesn’t always go as planned! (I also hold this essay about Prague close to my heart, if I can choose one more!)

I still follow the advice of my favorite college professor: Get it down, and then read your work out loud. It’s easier to catch mistakes, including any awkward phrasing, this way. Also: there’s no such thing as writer’s block. If it’s not coming together, don’t force it. Take a break, do something else, and try again later.