Can I Work from Home as a Technical writer?

Can I Work from Home as a Technical Writer?
Yes, but usually not on your first job.One of the attractions to technical writing is that you can work from home and work around your own schedule.
Many people enter this field as it allows them the flexibility to balance their family lives while making relatively good incomes.

Advantages Of Working From Home
More flexibility with your personal lifestyle, for example doing school runs
More opportunities to meet clients and manage several projects at once
Avoid office politics.

Disadvantages Of Working From Home
Strong discipline to manage your work schedule
Cope with working long hours in isolation. However, this suits many writers who enjoy the solitary aspects of writing.
Lack of chat, banter and atmosphere that come with working in an office environment
Distractions from friends, family, and neighbors who may drop in because your ‘just working at home.’

Moving Towards Working From Home
To get into a situation where you can work from home you need to consider the following:

1. Build up a portfolio of clients.

2. Create a website. Use it as an online portfolio. Upload writing samples, recommendations from clients, photos of recent publications, and links to sites where your work has been published. Include your cell (mobile) phone number. Don’t hide behind email. Make it easy for people to contact you.

3. Move from your customers’ Office to your Home Office by degrees. Even though most projects will involve a certain amount of onsite work, once you have built their trust, they will be more acceptable to you working from your office. Highlight the advantages of using your home office, for example, less demands on their office resources.

4. Create a web-enabled home office. Get broadband, fax, and phone lines installed. Most of these can be claimed as expenses when you do your annual tax returns.

5. Contact other freelance writers. Even though they may seem like competitors, most freelance writers are quite generous with their time and can be very obliging. They may have leads that they’re willing to share, especially if they’re stretched and want to keep their own clients happy.

Do You Tell Customers That You Work From Home?
Oddly enough, when dealing with customers, don’t ever say that you ‘work from home.’ This makes you look amateur.

Instead, say that you work from your Home Office. It gives you more credibility. It’s a slight shift in emphasis but will be received more warmly.

Customers may look down on you if you ‘work from home.’ This will be reflected in the rates they’re willing to pay for your services.