Freelance Writing|Freelance Writer

Can anybody be a Freelance Writer?

In today’s day and age, it seems as if anybody and everybody thinks that they can be a freelance writer. You would not believe how many times I have heard the saying, “I have been writing since I was five years old.” When it comes down to it, freelance writing is about much more than words that you put down on paper. Anybody who thinks that this is a simple career path is totally off base.

I spend a few minutes everyday reading forums such as Digital Point. This is one of my favorite hangouts because not only are there many topics on freelance writing, but I can also talk about other areas of business as well.

Almost every time I visit Digital Point, there is another thread about how easy it is to earn money and achieve success through freelance writing. While I am glad that others are having success, it is disconcerting to read what these people mean by the words “earn money” and “achieve success.” Most of these threads are full of typos, grammar mistakes, and other errors that are obvious even if you are not a writer. While I do not put a lot of time into my forum posts, at the very least, it is obvious that English is my first language. It is amazing to think that so many people with no comprehension of the English language are making money as freelance writers.

In my opinion, you need more than a computer to become a freelance writer. In theory, that is all you need, but in the long run this is not the case. In addition to the basics, successful freelance writers have a good grasp on all aspects of the English language, as well as a wide range of business skills.

Have any of you guys or gals ever been told that anybody can be a freelance writer?

Be a Respectful, Clean Freelance Writer

If you guys and gals are like me, you probably spend some time perusing forums on freelance writing and other general business topics. Every so often, I come across something that catches my eye.

This quote comes from a member at SitePoint who is trying to sell his website:

“It is really pissing me off dont bid unless you are serious ask questions before you bid.”

Obviously, there are a couple of things wrong with this comment. First off, there are several spelling and grammar mistakes. This alone is enough to put me off if I were thinking about doing business with this person.

Additionally, and more noticeable in my book, the language and tone are unacceptable for a business transaction. Simply put, you cannot expect to be seen as a professional if you are going to say things like “it is really pissing me off…”

As a freelance writer, you need to have respect for yourself as well as the people around you including clients, potential buyers, and colleagues. Writing in a negative tone, laced with profanity, is going to get you nowhere fast.

There is no place in the freelance writing world for disrespect and coarse language. Although the example above may be a bit extreme, I have received many emails from so-called freelance writers that were just as bad, if not worse. If you take things too far, you are going to come across as disrespectful, and that alone will scare many people away from doing business with you.  

Freelance Writers: Back up your Work!

I cannot stress this point enough: if you are a freelance writer, you need to backup your work on a regular basis. This is not the first time that I have said this, and it probably won’t be the last. The reason that I keep harping on this is that I am always hearing horror stories of freelancers who did not do this. Even if you are not a freelance writer, you will still want to back up your work as much as possible.

If you neglect to do this because you think you are invincible, you could be in for a big downfall soon enough. What would you do if you suddenly lost an entire project that is due in a few hours? While you can only hope that this never happens, you would not be the first person to be dealt this cruel hand. But guess what? If you backup your work, it is safe to say that you will not lose any part of your project.

There are many things that can happen that can cause your work to be suddenly deleted. This can include anything from a hard drive malfunction to the power suddenly going out in your office. Just a couple weeks back I was in the midst of a 2,000 word feature article when the power blew. Was this a big deal? It wouldn’t have been if my work was backed up. But since I just started the project that morning, I had yet to save it anywhere. The result: losing two hours of work and being forced to start over at step one.

If you are going to take your freelance writing work seriously, make sure that it is always protected against unforeseen incidents. I know this is easier said than done (see my story above) but it is a very important part of your business. The only thing worse than losing a project that you worked so hard on, is losing a client because you could not deliver their work on time.