by Will C.

Although it can truly be said that success is in the eye of the beholder; I cannot help but feel I have made great strides towards it.  I have always dreamed of being a writer.  The writing bug bit me at a very young age.  As early as ten years old I was writing one page short stories in school and selling them to my classmates for a nickel.  My imagination has always gotten the best of me.  It still does to this very day.

My desire to become a writer dramatically increased when I began to watch the hit television show in the 1970’s; the Walton’s.  The family was growing up during the depression and a family bond was displayed that has always touched my heart.  The eldest son in the family was John Boy Walton.  He also dreamed of becoming a writer.  The show inspired me to chase my dream, but it would take decades before I pursued it seriously.  In high school creative writing classes my writing ability blossomed.  The words flowed naturally from my pen.  It felt good.

In 1979 I joined the Army.  I began keeping a journal and filled the pages with my most heartfelt feelings and emotions.  Over three decades have passed and I still keep that journal.  I spent 5 years serving my country.  While in the service I often wrote poems for my fellow soldiers to send home to their girlfriends and wives.  They would give me a few details and I would do the rest.

When I left the service in 1984 I did not pursue writing; but instead became a restaurant manager.  I would spend the next two decades managing restaurants and searching for avenues to write.  I had allowed writing to take a back seat as I worked diligently to support my growing family.  Not a day went by that I did not think about wanting to be a writer.  I believed in the power of the written word.  There was no doubt in my mind that I could make money as a writer.  I knew words from the heart and soul could touch the human spirit and I wanted to form that bond with the reader.

Although the desire was there; life is about the decisions that we make.  During my journey of life I made decisions that kept my writing in the shadows of my mind.  I finally came to realize that not everyone can write the great American novel immediately.  I had long since grown weary of the stress often endured in the restaurant management field.  In addition, I knew in my heart that there had to be a way to write and earn money as well.  So I began to surf the Internet looking for opportunities to write.  I knew the Internet was the new frontier.  The vision of becoming a freelance writer on the Internet pushed me forward and little did I know that my dream was about to come true.

My Birth As A Freelance Writer

In early 2008 I began to seriously surf the Internet seeking opportunities to become a freelance writer.  Although writing had always provided me with personal satisfaction; I wanted to do it professionally and make money working right from the comfort of home.

That was always one of my secret goals.  A freelance writer could earn money and never leave the house.  The possibility alone drove me to find options and in May 2008 things began to fall into place.  At this time two very important things occurred.  First, I saw an ad on the Internet about making money from writing.  I followed up and before long I was enrolled in a course that would show me how to make money as a freelance writer online.

Debbie was the course instructor and she had been a freelance writer online for over 5 years.  She was very straight forward with me.  From the onset I was told that writing success would not happen over night.  There were steps to be followed, foundations to be built, and processes to complete.  However, the dream of becoming a freelance writer at home was a heartfelt reality.  Within the first two weeks of the course; Debbie began to show me some websites online that allowed you to bid on projects and start making money writing.

These websites would not make me rich over night, but they would lay the ground work for future success.  I was taught the importance of preparing eye appealing bids for projects.  Somehow I caught onto the process very quickly.  Within the first two weeks I won 15 projects totaling around $500.  Debbie told me this was unusual but that I had learned fast.  After the first month I withdrew from the course and I have never had to look back.  I created my own webpage and this is what Debbie wrote on it:

“Will Curl is a fast learner!  He joined my freelance writing program and within two weeks had obtained several freelance writing clients and fully grasped the concepts of online writing.”

“I regularly subcontract overflow writing work to Will, and it’s always well written and on time.”

“I highly recommend Will for your writing
needs.”

Debbie D.

Debbie was not simply my instructor but my mentor as well.  She had given me the boost I needed and I was on my way.  From the very beginning I worked hard to find clients on the websites and those that I could work for independently.  On the websites I realized that I could basically earn anywhere from $3 to $8 per article, depending upon the size.  Offline, I gained clients that would pay me anywhere from $5 to $12 per article.  Some projects were small and would only pay $10 and others were large and paid hundreds.

My Freelance Writing Journey

The second thing that gave my freelance writing a boost was meeting a website owner from Australia named Lama.  She was building a poetry website and she was looking for a Poet/Editor to help her get the site off the ground.  I joined up with her in the fall of 2008 and we have been working together ever since.

This is what Lama had to say about me:

“Will, I don’t think I have enough words to thank you for the brilliant work you have delivered. Your writing abilities continue to amaze me. I consider myself very lucky to have met and dealt with an expert writer like you.”

“You have excelled in all areas of writing including content writing, creative writing, web content, article writing, press releases, and even poetry. You have surpassed the many challenges I have given you while always providing excellent work early or on time as expected.”

“Not only I will be sending you all my future writing work but I will recommend your services on all my sites and to all my online colleagues. I wish you all the very best with your writing business.”

Thank you

Lama

The point I am trying to make is that your writing success depends on networking.  I learned rather quickly that success was like planting a tree.  I would have to branch out and always be on the lookout for independent opportunities.  Through this very type of networking I picked up another important client that I have kept for over 2 years.  Today, her account alone brings in $500 a month to my company.  Her name is Nikki and she owns a card printing company and website.  This is what she said about me:

“We were lucky to find such a great writing service in Will’s company.  They are always sensitive to the requirements of the job and finish before the deadline. We hope to be able to work with them for a long time to come.”

Nikki Stephens
Safe-Card ID

In late 2008 I created a writing service.  I began to take on more projects.  I was on my way.

My Freelance Writing Future

Today, almost 2 years later my writing business is still going strong.  I still write from the original writing website where I first won my first project.  I have completed over 250 jobs there and I hold an excellent rating.  I have completed as many projects independently as well.  During that first year of writing I had to build a reputation.  There were good weeks and there were bad weeks.  However, I was persistent and in the end it paid off.  By the end of 2009 my writing business was doing $4000 worth of work per month.

I had taken on 4 freelance writers to help me.  In addition, I had formed long term writing relationships with numerous clients on and off the website.

My dream of becoming a freelance writer and working from home had become a reality.  My wife has been working for the same company for over a decade and of course this gave me room to move slowly and grow.  However, it should be known that the majority of freelance writers I meet online are women.  They are house wives that are dedicated to making money from home as well.  All 4 of my freelance writers are women.

It is very important that any would be freelance writer understand this.  You do not have to be Mark Twain to be a freelance writer.  If you can put good sentences together and know how to research; you can be a freelance writer online.  The good thing about freelance writing from home is that you can make your own schedule.  You can take care of the children, the home, and your partner in life, and still make time to write.  How much you will make will depend on the hours you want to put in.

I myself normally write at least 8 hours per day.  However, everything revolves around the deadlines.  Therefore, I have pulled some all nighters and have worked many 12 hour days in a row.  It is all about organization.  My freelance writing future looks good.  I have built a foundation and I feel comfortable that it will support me through good times and bad.  My writing business is consistent now and I bring in $2500 a month personally, give or take a few hundred.

I am finally at a point in life where I am perfectly content with the work I do.  I look forward to the challenges that lay in front of me each day.  Some projects are repetitive, but every once in a while you get some that allow you to be creative.  I am still the Editor and Senior Writer for the poetry website and I continue to write full time.  I would advise anyone who wants to work from home, part time or full time, to pursue it with vigor.  Don’t be afraid to sign up for a legitimate writing course and keep in mind that Rome was not built in a day.  I am a successful freelance writer and you can be too.