Is a Freelance Writing Career a Real Possibility?
I recently had a long conversation with an aspiring freelance writer. Although we talked about many aspects of the industry, the conversation kept coming back to whether or not making “real” freelance writing income was a realistic goal. Even though I make a solid living this way, some people still have a hard time believing that they can join me in doing so.
In my opinion, as long as you have above average writing skills and the will to succeed, you can make it to the top as a freelance writer. I never tell people that it will be easy or that they will earn tens of thousands of dollars in their first year, but it is more than possible.
Time after time I hear of aspiring freelance writers who quit chasing their dream for the same reason: too many people told them that it was a bad idea, so they simply put this career path “on hold.” Of course, they never come back to it, and end up working for somebody else the rest of their life. It is very important that you do not fall into this trap. If you do, it is safe to say that a career in freelance writing is going to elude you. Remember, there are always going to be people telling you that working for yourself is a bad idea. They will tell you everything that is wrong with being a freelance writer, but nothing from the positive side.
To build a successful freelance writing career, it is important to set small goals while closely tracking your progress. For instance, your month one goal may be to earn $100. After you reach this mark, set another reasonable goal and move on from there. Taking small steps and hitting your goals along the way will make the process simpler.
In short, if you want to be a freelance writer you need two things: good writing skills and the ability to stay dedicated to your career no matter what others are saying. With these points in mind, begin setting goals and working towards achieving success.
December 10th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Although I have always loved to write I never really thought of myself as a “writer” however, recently I have landed a few freelance writing positions within the past few weeks. I’m starting to realize that people will actually pay me for what I write about. I received my last freelance writing position yesterday. It’s the highest paying freelance position I’ve received yet. He initially asked me about a writing service that I had written about in his email he mentioned that he was looking for a writer to contribute weekly content to one of his websites. I followed up with him telling him what he should look for, and I supplied him with links. Yesterday he offered me the job and has already paid me a week in advance. I’ve known him for six months so maybe that is why he didn’t go through the formalities I went through with other writing positions. He has read all my websites.
It’s something I enjoy writing about nutrition, fitness, and alternative healing. I’m very excited. Recently, I’ve been wanting to write on other websites. This freelance position gives me that opportunity.
12/06/07 marks one full year that I’ve been working for myself full time. I’m enjoying it immensely.
About a week, ago I started looking for freelance writing jobs. I found your website during my search.
December 10th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Opal - Thanks for the comment; it was awesome. I am glad to hear that you have sustained your career for over a year now! Please let me know if you have any specific questions, etc.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I find that it’s more productive to set non-monetary month-to-month goals for the first year of freelancing. Building a portfolio and contacts will give you a career with legs, which is what you want when you’re looking to set yourself up with a nice, lucrative career freelancing.
I set goals like, “Build up blogs in my niches and promote them,” and “Build a strong portfolio of work related to my areas of expertise.” I think focusing on the monetary side at first can be disheartening and frustrating, and a portfolio of the kind of work that new freelancers tend to take is not going to set them up as professionals in their areas of expertise.
I’m more of an advocate of seeking out relevant publications, websites and organizations that you can impress with your knowledge of their topics. You get effective referrals this way as well as a portfolio that reflects your skills, and once that’s done the money will follow.
December 10th, 2007 at 2:50 pm
I’m still looking through your website. I’m new to freelance writing so any tips or links that you can point me to on here would be appreciated.
I own my own business I create and sell natural beauty products. I started monetizing my websites this past April. Initially, I looked upon it as pocket money; however, I soon realized I could do very well with pocket money. I’m also realizing freelance writing can be another way I can make money online.
Writing is something I’ve always enjoyed. I still have stories and poems that I wrote as a child. However, I never thought of myself as a “writer”.
Currently my mind is all over the place. I’ve never gotten hired this quickly before. It’s writing about topics I enjoy. I’ve been doing that for almost three years the only difference is I did that without being paid. It didn’t matter to me. I enjoy writing about those topics.
I need to calm down so I can write those articles, lol. The first few weeks there are specific topics that I have to write about after that it’s whatever I want as long as it is related to health, nutrition, alternative therapy.
I’m waiting to calm down so I can put my thoughts into Scrivener (writing software I use.) and blast out a few articles. The nest times for me to write our early morning and late evening. I have a feeling that is when these articles will be submitted.
I’m definitely glad I found your website again. I forgot the web address when I was here last week. I had to do a lot of hunting yesterday before I relocated it.
It’s obvious you are passionate about this topic. I’ll definitely be frequenting your website. I’m a newbie regarding freelance writing. I have been working on a cookbook for a little over a year. I’m looking to publish it next year.
December 10th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Amanda - I totally agree that non-monetary goals can help. In fact, I still have a list of non-monetary goals next to my monitor.
Opal - It sounds like you are definitely moving in the right direction. It can be difficult at first to keep track of everything. But over time you will settle in nicely. Make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed so you dont miss a post. And of course, if you have questions send me a personal email. Id be glad to help!
December 10th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Thanks Chris,
I’m sure I will.
I subscribed and added you to my RSS feed as soon as I rediscovered you. I definitely don’t want to lose you again.
December 12th, 2007 at 12:35 am
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