Hour 8 of the Write for Money and Power 12-Hour Book Launch Substack Livestream was a grounded, generous conversation about freelancing not as chaos — but as a designed life.
I was joined by Grace Abbott, who has built a successful career as a creative freelancer and now teaches others how to do the same through her Substack, How to Go Freelance. Grace has spent more than a decade freelancing — and what she brings to the table is both practical and quietly philosophical.
This hour was about autonomy without burnout, money without panic, and building a freelance career that actually feels like yours.
Here are a few ideas from Hour 8 worth sitting with:
Creative Power Comes From Quiet
Grace talked about creativity not as hustle — but as pure potential.
Not reacting to what worked last year or chasing what everyone else is doing, but learning how to get quiet enough to hear the next right move.
Data matters. Strategy matters. But intuition is the compass that keeps you from building someone else’s life by accident.
Freelancing Isn’t One Job — It’s a Business
One of the biggest shifts Grace named:
Freelancers who struggle often see themselves as “between gigs.”
Freelancers who thrive see themselves as business owners.
That means asking different questions:
How much do I want to make?
What kind of life am I designing?
What mix of clients makes that possible?
You don’t stumble into balance. You plan for it.
Start Smaller Than You Think
For newer freelancers especially, Grace emphasized this:
You don’t need to blow up your life to start freelancing.
You need one client.
Not your dream brand.
Not a perfect portfolio.
Just one project that teaches you how to manage time, deliver work, handle feedback, and follow through without a boss watching over you.
Confidence comes from reps — not from waiting until you “feel ready.”
Scope Is Where the Money Is
One of the most tactical moments of the hour:
Two freelancers can do the same work — and charge wildly different rates — based on how they describe it.
“Social media management” is vague.
Breaking that into strategy, execution, writing, analytics, and systems communicates value.
Learning how to turn skills into clearly scoped services is one of the fastest ways to raise your rates without working more.
Freedom Is Energy Alignment
Grace named one of the quiet luxuries of freelancing:
You don’t have to work the same eight hours every day — you work when your energy is there.
That might mean early mornings, late nights, or long walks in the middle of the day because the goal is output that actually feels good to produce.
Stop Working When You’re Not Working
One deceptively simple takeaway:
If you’re staring at the screen with no energy, no clarity, and no momentum — step away.
A walk will do more for your work than an hour of guilt-scrolling Slack.
Old corporate conditioning tells us sitting = working.
Freelancing asks you to unlearn that.
Say No in Integrity
Grace shared a powerful story about letting go of a client she’d outgrown — even when the money was good. What happened next was the freelancing lesson everyone needs to hear:
The income was replaced. The energy returned. The work improved.
Sometimes the most abundant move is making space.
If you want to learn how to freelance with more intention, clarity, and self-trust, spend time inside Grace’s world:
And if this conversation resonated — about autonomy, money, and building a creative career you actually own — that philosophy runs through every chapter of my book:
The ebook is $0.99 to keep it accessible for all writers.
Because access matters.
And ideas that change how you work should be easy to reach.
Thank you Mary Beth Kaplan🪶, Betina Cunado, Nikki Lanigan, Casey O'Connell, Duncan The Sage, and many others for tuning into my live video with Grace Abbott!
-Amy’
