There are hundreds of thousands of opportunities to become a writer. Grasping the highest possible number is the task of a freelancer, a professional who works independently, without belonging to any company.
You can do this job full-time or part-time, along with another job. It can also be a way to create a portfolio and forge your own technique. This article will help you understand how to become a freelance writer for work or as a hobby.
Steps
Step 1. Obviously, you will need to be a good writer
There are many people who believe they can write until they try, at which time they discover that they lack originality, do not have the right grammatical knowledge and do not have the self-discipline required by writing. Make sure you love her. Make sure that writing is a means of expressing yourself easily and clearly, something you would do every day of your life without getting tired of it. If you don't have any qualifications, take a journalism class or enroll in the faculty of Arts or a writing workshop. This way, you will practice. Did you graduate from another subject? You could work as a copywriter or editor in a field related to your studies.
- Decide if you prefer fiction or writing about real facts, or both. Talking about reality can be easier, while creating a story can leave more room for experimentation.
- Do you want to do it for work, to earn some extra cash or for fun? The reason is vital to your approach. If you choose the full-time freelance profession, you will have to work hard and place yourself in a niche.
- Use your bachelor's and writing degrees to your advantage: in this highly competitive industry, there are people who are looking for the same career as you without the necessary qualifications.
Step 2. Communicating is your job
Unless you want to be a hermit novelist who lives on hardship, you will need to reach a large audience as a freelance writer. You will need to prepare to sell yourself and chase opportunities. You will have to respond quickly to the customer, respect their needs and their changes. All this requires negotiation and interaction skills. Fortunately, you'll be able to take care of almost anything via email, although chasing opportunities can sometimes take you away from the screen.
You will need to know how to effectively write emails and letters with your proposals, including a brief explanation of your experience and qualifications. You will need this tool to sell your idea to an editor, blogger or website operator. Make this skill yours
Step 3. Don't forget that turning a creative passion into a job can dull enthusiasm
No matter how much you love to write, there will always be a casual job that you will hate. In such a situation, you will have to act at the expense of your feelings and your desire to procrastinate or escape. Break the barrier of disgust by thinking that you will soon be dealing with more interesting texts. Some freelance writers find it a great help to separate what they love to write from what they produce on contract, so they don't risk losing their passion.
Step 4. Balance the pleasure of working alone with being around other people
Working from home can make you feel lonely at times (even if you love to write). Part of the answer to this difficulty is to accept the unusual, and often liberating, nature of working as a freelance writer. On the other hand, try to be in contact with people. Grab your laptop and go to work in any public place that has Wi-Fi access, especially when you're feeling lonely. You will be able to work in a cafe, library or park. You may feel the need to do this often or once in a while. Find your own pace but don't lock yourself in the house all day.
Step 5. Prepare to have a lot of self-discipline and to know how to manage money
If you have this career in mind, you will need to be responsible to your clients and to yourself.
- Establish a financial system to follow to manage bills, taxes, income and expenses. You cannot afford to overlook this aspect.
- Organized. Devote a space to writing, where you will keep reference books, all the necessary equipment and where you will make an ergonomic workstation. Writing every day can be awful for your posture.
- Write down deadlines on a diary, on a wall calendar, or on a white board. You will need to know exactly when you will deliver each job and to whom. This way, you will prioritize and won't have to rush in at the last minute.
- Communicate effectively and regularly with clients, reassure them of your skills and your ability to meet deadlines. Tell them about your progress and ask them questions when in doubt.
- Don't take more work than you can get done. Part of being organized is being aware of your limitations. Entered the flow of constant writing, don't feel too confident or work too hard. Remember to keep a good balance in your daily life.
Step 6. Determine realistic goals
If you are going to write for a magazine, on the internet, or for a newspaper, don't give up your job until you are sure you can make a living from it. Therefore, you will have to write as soon as you have a free minute or during the weekend. This exercise will test your aspirations and give you the opportunity to understand if you enjoy writing under pressure and from topic to topic. Also, it allows you to understand if you have what it takes for this job.
- Get a copy of “The Writer's Market”, which will open you up to the know-how you need.
- You can do a variety of exercises to improve your writing skills, such as writing letters to the editor of the local newspaper, writing articles for a magazine in your city, starting a blog or writing guides for wikiHow.
Step 7. Get active in the local writing community:
in your city surely there are groups and associations of freelance writers. Join an organization to get to know your colleagues and get information that interests you. Opt for a group that meets often and allows you to participate in writing workshops or make contacts in the industry, so you can also find out what vacancies are in your area or online.
- Attend writing-focused conferences - get to know various industry professionals and network with other freelancers.
- If you live in the United States, you can subscribe to "The Writer" magazine, which provides information and advice on this type of career, writing, publishing houses and organizing work.
Step 8. Decide what kind of writer you want to be
You can, first of all, opt between print (magazines, business publications, newsletters and newspapers) and web writing. It is possible to take care of both, but the internet offers many more possibilities, such as blogs and personal sites. You could also write for an institution, such as the government, but in addition to having writing skills, you will need to be familiar with its work. Finally, you have the option of writing business press releases or working as a copywriter.
Many print publications, such as newsletters and business newsletters, are produced by a company itself or commissioned to a writing company. In this case, you can work as a freelancer for this company, which will provide you with the materials you need: it will earn a commission, but you will have a new contact and you will open up even more to the market
Step 9. Before starting work, create your portfolio
Start writing for free for small magazines and websites, so you will gain experience, get better and better and get noticed, then get hired. Ask around and explore online to find the right publication for you. Do not wait for opportunities to fall from the sky: everyone is in the ranks.
- Post poems or stories in children's magazines if you are still small.
- If you are a teenager, write for the school newspaper.
- If you are a college student, practice your essays and term papers and offer to write for the university magazine or any other newspaper that has a vacant position.
- If you're an adult, start on reputable sites that are willing to receive articles, start a blog and advertise (don't spam).
- Write for nonprofit newsletters and newspapers to build your portfolio.
- Convert your best articles into PDF files that can be easily emailed to potential employers and clients.
Step 10. Start looking for work and connecting with the right people
Contact the newspapers of your choice and send test articles that respect the editorial line of a site, newspaper or magazine. Do not send samples without having researched the company. Learn about the market and the target. Before writing an article, send an e-mail to the editorial staff to find out if they would like it, otherwise you don't want to waste time writing a piece that may never be published.
- If you want to send an article to a newspaper, send a request letter to the editor and ask him if he is interested. Include the first paragraph of the piece and describe the rest. Call after two weeks if you don't get an answer. You can always submit a complete article without the guarantee of being published.
- If you want to send an article to a magazine, think about the topic you would like to talk about and send a request letter to the editor. Enter the first paragraph and a general description of the rest of the piece. Call after six weeks if he doesn't answer you.
- If you want to publish an article online, contact the site manager by e-mail, telling him that you really appreciate the page and that you want to collaborate. Good sites get a lot of requests, and some prioritize qualified authors, so provide your titles. Does the page publish everyone? It will undoubtedly be easier to work with, but you probably won't get a penny.
Step 11. Write the article
Did you hear from the editor? Well done! Combine your unique and brilliant point of view with the guidelines of the publication in question. Avoid clichés, trite phrases, monotonous prose and tedious content. But by now you should already have found your voice.
Always have your dictionary and grammar book handy
Step 12. You can sign a one-job contract or have a long-term freelance relationship
The possibilities are varied both in print and online. One of the challenges will always be competition, so you'll need to find a way to stand out and have good contacts. This factor is especially crucial if you work in rapidly changing areas, such as technology and fashion.
- Update the portfolio every time an article is published.
- Learn from the editor's comments. Fix grammatical errors, mend heavy prose, and rejoice in the good advice you have received in order to improve your skills.
Advice
- There are many opportunities online, but providing a list here could benefit some and disadvantage others. In addition, the sites are characterized by their changing nature. Consequently, do a long research before you start writing; if you get off to a good start, you'll be halfway there because the offers will run out. Try to work for serious pages and have several arrows in your bow, so if it goes wrong on one side, you will have profits on another.
- Keep your receipts.
- Devote a room in your home to writing. Ask your financial advisor if you can declare this space as an operating expense.
- Treasure any advice from the editors - they will be your best teachers, more helpful than any lesson. They know their stuff and they know how to add a unique touch to the lyrics. If they reject your work but give you suggestions, use them for your next articles, you will be amazed at the improvements.
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To understand if a site is ideal for hosting your work, consider these aspects:
- Does it have a good reputation? This is essential for both your portfolio and its longevity.
- Are the payments honest? Writing for the web is not a great financial resource but some pay better than others.
- Is the site punctual in payments? Over time, you will learn to prefer those who pay and not those who are late or pay nothing, making you feel frustrated and insulted. Find out who is running the page and how. If everything is unclear and you want to work full time as a writer, contact someone else.
- Does the site have a maximum number of published articles and do you run the risk of having your piece rejected? If you don't like this system, avoid such pages, they will hardly pay you.
- Is it easy to communicate with the customer? There may be misunderstandings or few interactions.
- Will you have to bid to work? Some sites are run this way, so you'll need to get used to it and be prepared to bid higher than someone else.
- Check the quality of the other published pieces: you don't want to write for a site full of grammatical errors or uninteresting articles. And such a page won't last long.
- Before submitting a piece to a newspaper, read its guidelines. Many well-written articles are thrown away because the writer was too lazy to look at them.
- Write about what you know. If you have to talk about an unfamiliar topic, find out first.
Warnings
- Keep honest financial records. You will have to pay taxes.
- Insist on getting a part paid up front - you won't work at all and protect yourself from bad payers.
- Never be superficial when working for sites based on reader feedback. Negative views could end your career on those pages.
- Don't sit on your laurels if you find a steady job: things can change and you could find yourself out of work in no time. Committed on various fronts.
