The life of a freelance writer: game plots, online teaching and commercial copy

2023-05-15

We’re hearing a lot these days about rising inflation, and wages not keeping up with the cost of living. But what about freelance workers, who don’t have any stable salary at all? Today we take a look at how one freelance writer is making a living in this wobbly economy. Cheng Min-chih is a literature graduate and novelist. She works as a freelance teacher and also writes the plots for video games! By taking on a variety of projects, she earns upward of NT$50,000 a month. But she says a freelance career can be extremely stressful, and it’s hard to save money.

Thirty-year-old Cheng Min-chih is a writer. She’s been working freelance for five years now. She spends about half her time teaching online, and the other half writing the plots of video games.

She designs everything from the characters’ personalities to their lines. She took part in two very famous games’ construction, and typically spends 40 to 50 hours on each project. At the same time, she spends four to eight hours a week teaching online.

Cheng Min-chih
Freelance writer
About 50% of my income comes from games, and 40-50% from teaching. When I started writing games I earned about NT$5,000 a month from it. That crept up and up over time, to NT$20,000 or NT$30,000, and now it can be NT$40,000.

As a freelancer, Cheng has a lot of flexibility in arranging her schedule. Games and teaching earn her between NT$40,000 and NT$50,000 a month. Sometimes she also takes on commercial copywriting cases, and altogether earns up to NT$60,000 a month. Her biggest-earning project brought in a tidy six-figure sum.

Cheng Min-chih
Freelance writer
Working freelance means you have to be responsible for all your own equipment and costs. It can feel extremely stressful. I’m working hard to save NT$10,000. Part of it is I’m living with my parents, and I contribute to their bills, just a small token amount.

As a graduate of National Cheng Kung University’s Department of Taiwanese Literature, Cheng has also published five novels. Then she worked as a personal assistant at an international corporation, but her salary there was just NT$24,000 a month. The high-stress environment also caused her health problems. So she quit that job and decided to find her own way as a freelancer.

Cheng Min-chih
Freelance writer
My income is quite good right now, but I have to take on another project in order to be more able to make ends meet.

With inflation rising, living expenses are very high. Cheng supports herself by taking jobs of several kinds, and hopes that by diversifying her income streams, she can develop more financial stability.

遊戲編劇斜槓講師又接文案她平均月領6萬

2023-05-15

常說薪水跟不上物價漲幅，生活壓力大，不少人透過斜槓，增加收入來源。成大台文系畢業的鄭閔之，過去曾經只月領2萬4千元，因為從小愛寫作，發現自由接案機會多，因此她身兼遊戲編劇和接案課程講師，偶爾接點文案，讓她平均月入6萬元。

今年30歲的鄭閔之是文字工作者，有5年接案經驗的她，平常有一半時間在當線上課程老師，另一半時間是位電玩遊戲編劇。

針對不同遊戲角色，設定個性和編寫人物台詞，她曾參與兩款知名遊戲的製作，每個案子平均花40到50小時，至於講課時間則是每週4到8小時不等。

[[斜槓工作者鄭閔之]]
“我大概有50%是遊戲的收入，大概40、50%是教課的收入。開始接案就從每個月可能5千塊，然後慢慢一點一點爬，爬到2萬、3萬，然後現在3萬多、4萬。”

鄭閔之身為自由工作者，能彈性運用時間，靠著遊戲編劇和講課，月入4萬多元，有時額外接文案工作，平均收入可達6萬元，還曾經創下單一接案，獲得六位數的酬勞。

[[斜槓工作者鄭閔之]]
“當自由工作者就是你的所有設備，所有的成本要自己擔，還是會感覺很緊繃。盡可能存1萬塊起來，然後有一些是我住家裡，就是給那種意思意思的家用。”

其實，成大台文系畢業的她，曾經出版過5本小說，後來選擇到外商擔任助理，月薪只有2萬4，高壓工作還讓她健康出狀況，只好辭職，最後憑著自己對文字的熱愛，找到一條出路。

[[斜槓工作者鄭閔之]]
“我雖然現在薪水不錯，可是我再接個案子，我才更夠用。”

物價高漲、開銷大，鄭閔之透過斜槓工作，創造多元收入來源，讓經濟生活更穩定。