The Best Freelancing Advice From Noah Gittell's Twitter Thread

Don’t work for free. Deliver clean copy on deadline.. Research & think about your pitch. Marry someone with health insurance. Do your taxes.
— Noah Gittell (@noahgittell) March 20, 2017

A couple days ago, writer and film critic Noah Gittel started a twitter thread saying, "Hey writers, quote this tweet and give one piece of advice for freelancers." The advice poured in, and most of it was pretty solid. Here's the best of the bunch.

Know when to stop pitching

@noahgittell "Pitch more than you can write" is very bad advice unless you are exclusively cold pitching The New Yorker. Pitch a lot. Know when to stop.
— Beverly Bryan (@DJBBCheck) March 20, 2017

Sometimes you have to follow the money

@noahgittell It's ok to sell out a little and write garbage sometimes, especially if it means making rent, but don't let that be everything.
— Ariel Elias (@ArielSElias) March 20, 2017

Be true to yourself… and make sure your citations are solid

@noahgittell be original. Follow your own weirdness instead of deferring to the tastes of others. AND CITE YOUR SOURCES.
— Invisible Oranges (@invisoranges) March 20, 2017

The deadline is not the deadline

@noahgittell The deadline is not your deadline. Finish a few days before it's due, go back & edit again, then turn it in early.
— Nicole S (@indynicoles) March 20, 2017

Don’t give away rights until you get paid

@noahgittell Have a clause in your contract saying you don't turn over rights to your work until you're paid *in full*.
— Toiya Kristen Finley (@toiyakfinley) March 20, 2017

Ask for more

@noahgittell Always request a higher pay rate. If you don't ask, you won't get it.
— Claudia G. Copquin (@ClaudiaCopquin) March 21, 2017

Don’t be deterred by the success of others

@noahgittell It's not a competition. The success of others doesn't negate your own progression. Keep going.
— bleak. (@lionbeak) March 20, 2017

Deliver what you promise and protect yourself with a contract

@noahgittell Don't promise what you can't deliver. Don't start on an assignment without a contract/terms. Be a team player. Negotiate.
— MichelleRafter (@MichelleRafter) March 21, 2017

Write what interests you and don't wait for permission

@noahgittell for those starting out: don't get permission, if you have an idea, do it
— Sophie Weiner (@sophcw) March 20, 2017

Steady gigs help pay the bills

@noahgittell it's almost impossible to survive as a freelancer without regularly paying gigs
— Sophie Weiner (@sophcw) March 20, 2017

When you add all these tips together, they equal an average day in the life of a successful freelancer; just add hustle.