Are you working as a full-time freelance writer? If so, I urge you to compare it to your last office job so you can see just how far you have come. This is something I do from time to time, even though I have not worked a “traditional job†for several years. It has been a while, but every time I look back it is easy to see just how lucky I am to be able to work as a full-time freelance writer.
When you compare freelance writing to your last office job you will immediately see many differences:
1. You are in control. This is the first thing that I always think about. As a freelance writer you are making every last decision. This sort of power makes me feel as if I am in charge of my future. The same cannot be said for my last office job. Chances are that you feel the same way.
2. The money is better. Does this hold true for your career? The answer usually depends on the stage of your freelance writing career. It took me three to four months to earn as much from freelance writing as I did in my past office job. I know freelance writers who have equaled their past pay quicker, as well as those who took longer. You should set income goals, but don’t let them totally define your success.
3. Freedom. Every freelance writer loves how much freedom this career offers them. You can work when you want, vacation when you want, sleep when you want, eat when you want, and see family when you want. As you can see, you can do what you want!
After you become a freelance writing success you should look back from time to time to see where you came from. This will give you a good idea of just how lucky you are to be working as a freelance writer.
As you can probably imagine, I love reading blogs on a variety of topics including freelance writing, internet marketing, making money online, sports, and many others. The great thing about blogging is that the author is in charge of everything from topic selection to length and much more. Over the years I have found that shorter blog posts are best for me. There are many reasons for this:
1. My readers have told me so. On many occasions I have spoke with readers who have told me that shorter posts are better for many reasons. Not only are they easier and quicker to read, but they get to the point without all the fluff. I know that freelance writers are busy professionals, so I try to stay away from posts that will take too much time to read.
2. They are easier for me to write. Sure, I could go on and on and make each post 1,000 words or more. I know many bloggers who do this, but it is not a style I enjoy. It is easier to write shorter posts, and by doing so I am forced to get my point across in a concise and efficient manner.
An average blog post for this site is between 300 and 400 words. Of course, there are times when I need to say more so they stretch to 500 words or more. To be honest, I don’t think about how long a post will be before getting started. I brainstorm an idea, follow several points that I want to get across, and see where I am at in the end.
Remember, your blog is your blog. As long as you are comfortable with the length of your posts and are giving readers what they ask for, you are doing something right.
Over the years I have found that everybody is different when it comes to how they started their freelance writing career. Some start out part-time, others dive in full-time without thinking twice, and some get so lost that they have a difficult time planning even the most basic of steps.
So what is next for you? As you can imagine, everybody will have a different answer to this question. No matter if you are starting a freelance writing career or already working in this capacity, your vision for the future is sure to be different than the next person.
If you don’t know what to do next you should take a step back to see where you have already been. This should give you a clearer view of where you are headed. You may have a business and marketing plan in place and be ready to act on it. But another person may have neither, and it is obvious that they need to take care of the planning process before doing anything else.
To advance your career you should always be asking yourself what is next. Not only what is next, but what move makes the most sense. When you do this you can be rest assured that each step you take is going to move you closer to your overall goals.
Success as a freelance writer is based largely on the decisions that you make. If you take a wrong step you will have to backtrack and start over. This may sound like a big deal, and it can be. But also remember that making mistakes is part of starting a freelance writing career. Just make sure you learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them in the future.Â
