Living that Van Life! Interview with Rachel Meltzer
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a freelance writer who travels the country and lives in a van?
Well, you’re in luck! I sat down with freelance tech writer and freelance writing coach Rachel Meltzer to talk about her freelance journey, van freelance life, and advice for new freelance writers.
Rachel and her van (plus her cat Bonnie!) spent a week at my house in Cleveland, Ohio, and it was so fun to chat with her about her life and career.
Watch the video below and keep reading for some key takeaways from my Q&A with Rachel! Don’t forget to subscribe to The Freelance Writer’s Guide on YouTube so you stay up-to-date on all of our weekly freelance writing videos.
You can follow Rachel on Instagram and TikTok, and check out her freelance programs at meltzerseltzer.com.
Q&A with Rachel Meltzer
Q: How did you start freelancing?
I got started freelance writing in 2018. I had just finished my Appalachian Trail thru-hike. For my thru-hike, I had kept a blog the whole time. I got sponsors, and I accepted donations on my blog so it was kind of my first paid writing gig. My thru-hike really opened my eyes to how much you can do in 6 months. And it also opened my eyes to freedom, because the entire time I was just hiking and enjoying life.
I’d been wanting to do van life since I graduated from high school in 2012, so that was definitely on mind the entire thru-hike. And the only thing I had seen that made it really possible for people to work and live on the road was having a remote job or being some kind of freelancer.
So I was like, “The only thing I know how to do that you can sell freelancing is writing. So that’s what I’m going to do.” And I just got it in my mind that that was it.
Q: How did you find your first freelance client?
The impostor syndrome is real. But I felt like I had to do [freelance writing], so I was just going to figure it out. I went on Upwork and applied to anything that looked interesting to me. I didn’t have a niche yet, and I didn’t know what kinds of services I wanted to offer. All I knew was that I could write a blog post.
My first client was a literature review for Heising-Simons, which just happens to be a very large public health non-profit. It was a mess. I was stressed for a solid three months.
Q: What was your background in?
I did not go to school for writing. I went to school for elementary education and political science. I tried working in politics, which is not great for your mental health.
Q: How did you land on tech as your niche?
I knew about coding bootcamps because I wanted to go to one in 2016 when I graduated college. I was just like, “I want to do this for fun”, but I couldn’t afford to just be going to coding bootcamps. So I started learning coding on my own. And randomly on Upwork I saw this gig that was transcribing interviews. I host a podcast, so I was like, “Oh, I can do that” – it’s basically just like transcribing my podcast and editing them down into blog posts based on their formula. [That client] sort of broke me into this industry in a very formulaic way.
I definitely fell into [my niche] by accident. I learned a lot with [that Upwork client], both about writing and freelancing, and content strategy and content marketing in general. But I also learned a lot about coding bootcamps themselves and how they work, as well as the tech that they teach.
So I knew that I could write for coding bootcamps themselves and not just industry sites. And I knew that those coding bootcamps paid to be on the website that I wrote for, so I just went through their index and found anyone who was featured, which was someone who paid to be on their site. And I just reached out to them on LinkedIn, and got a bunch of coding bootcamp clients.
And now I am one of the only writers who focuses solely on coding bootcamps, so I know that I am standing on pretty solid ground.
I didn’t necessarily know that much about tech before. I'd taken a few coding classes online. So I’m constantly learning, and that’s the best part of this job.
Q: What advice do you have for new freelance writers?
#1: Keep going. Don't stop, no matter what. When you take a break and lose the momentum, it's going to kill you. And it's going to be even harder to get anywhere later. So just stay consistent. Even if you feel like you don't know what you're doing or you're doing the wrong thing, it doesn't matter. Doing anything is better than doing nothing. Start right now and don't stop.
#2: Make a schedule and stick to it. I did not take this advice when I started. I saw it everywhere online and I was like, "Oh yeah, I need to make a schedule!" and I wouldn't do it because it was for myself. If you can't stick to a schedule by yourself or make a schedule by yourself, you need to find accountability. So find a group of freelancers that you can be a part of, find one accountability buddy, any friend. I used to have my sister call me every day when she got up for work so that I would get up for work.
#3: Pay attention to yourself. Find some self-awareness if you don't have any yet. Work on it. It is really important to grow yourself with your business or your business will not grow. In the morning when you're drinking your coffee, read a book about personal development instead of scrolling on your phone.
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