When you start getting writing jobs, you may have to sign quite a few contracts with the companies or individuals that pay for your services. These contracts protect the employer and spell out everything they want done and how they want it done. Although it may be tempting to skim past all the legal mumbo-jumbo and get the contract signed so you can get to work, you really should make a habit of going through every single contract you sign very meticulously. If your weakness is legal terminology, have a legal professional review the contracts for you. You need to make sure that there is nothing in the contract which will come back and bite you someday, and you need to also make sure that the writer of the contract did not include anything in the contract which they tried to sneak in, hoping you wouldn't take the time to read it thoroughly. Remember: once you sign a contract, it's legally binding. If you go against your contract and wind up in court, telling the judge that you didn't read the contract thoroughly is not a valid excuse. If you really want to be self-employed as a freelance writer, you are going to have to take things like reading and reviewing contracts very seriously. If you don't, then you may run into problems.