Freelance Writers?

I recently met someone who described himself as a "freelance writer." I cast about, unsure if this meant he had no permanent job, or if he was the literary equivalent of a "consultant," which everyone knows means "unemployed, apart from a very few bones that occasionally get thrown my way." (I can say this because I, too, consult every so often.)

But really, it got me thinking.

I'm still thinking, actually.

In fact, I'm not precisely sure as to the point in this posting (at the moment), and shall, therefore, beg off for now, until my brain comes back from its sleep-deprived state.

Cheers,
s