Working as a freelancer can be a bit of a mixed bag. Yes, the freedom is wonderful. And all the clichés are indeed true. (Working a 10 hour day in pajamas and slippers is hard to do in most office settings.) But with freedom comes ambiguity; over when (or if) the phone will ring…over when a check will arrive…etc. With the exception of a very few lucky individuals, the real world of the freelancer exists somewhere between idealism (“I’ll only work with the kind of clients I want!”) and pragmatism (“What’s that? You say the internet costs money?”). Which creates a dangerous middle ground for any creative. Perhaps even more so for a writer. (No offense to my art director, designer, and illustrator friends!) Because while they can direct from afar, it’s harder for a client to make changes directly to a Photoshop or InDesign file than it is to a Word document. It’s just the nature of the beast. (Once you hear the phrase “I made a few changes and sent it along,” you know you’re in trouble.) The simple truth is, there are agencies that give lip service to the idea of respecting the work, and there are those that practice it on a daily basis. When dealing with the former, it’s easy to take on the attitude of “no attachment to outcome.” Of just doing the job. Billing the hours. Punching the clock.