I've been flying solo as a self-employed writer/editor/ecommerce guy for about 1.5 years now. The best and worst parts are all the same things, and you could probably guess what they are. Here's what may not be so obvious.
As far as writing goes, here in the USA there are four routes you could take to get to the solo life:
1) You're independently wealthy.
2) Your spouse/significant other has health insurance.
3) You are neither 1) nor 2), but don't have kids.
4) You're lucky.
But if you go to a writing conference or network with other creatives, you'll hear over and over how it takes raw talent, hard work, and sheer determination to "make it" and "break free." This is what the "bro" crowd says, which I guess I wind up caucusing with one way or the other.
While organic effort and talent are important, they rank low compared to the list above. We don't live in an economy that favors creative effort. It takes money and luck to succeed, just like anything else. You can't sell a course at a conference in that. It's too depressing. So we focus on things like craft, tech, legalese, and other topics that offer the illusion of progress if only they could be better understood.
So if you're feeling stuck and wondering "why am I still working an hourly job if people tell me I'm so good at what I'm passionate about?", then let me tell you that it's not you. It's not your craft. It's not your lack of effort. The greatest book ever written, one that everyone would enjoy and could change the world, will certainly be written but just as certainly never read.
It's that list. If you can solve for one of those four, you're there. You could write the most worthless drivel on the planet, and it wouldn't change your situation. You'd still be flying solo, and people will look at you and say, "Wow, you made it. You must be so talented." And you'll nod and go back to spelling you own name wrong on your manuscript.
