So many people today mention from time to time how they would love to start working as a freelance writer. They say that they have always loved to write, and they’d love to spend their days working from home without the hassles of a commute, a nagging boss, and other negative aspects of their current job. The fact is that if you enjoy writing and have some skills at it, you may very well be successful in a career as a freelance writer. Of course, if you are like many people, you may want to test the waters first, so to speak, but taking on just one or two assignments at first to see how it goes.
For most people, however, they never go beyond simply dreaming about being a freelance writer because they just don’t know how to get started in the job. So just how do you go about picking up those first few jobs? Here are some tips:
The Internet Is a Great Resource. Most freelance writers today make a full-time living without ever meeting, and often without ever even talking to, their clients. Most all of the job is now done online, and this includes looking for jobs, applying for jobs, sending completed work to clients, and even getting paid. So if you want to take that first step and find a freelance writing job, you will want to start by searching online. There are numerous different websites designed to link freelance writers with clients, and just a few of these are Elance, Suite101, Freelanced, and others.
Write For Yourself. When you use the sites mentioned above or other similar sites, you will essentially be reviewing project details that clients need you to do. This may be writing product descriptions to be placed online, writing blog posts for a business or non-profit organization, ghost writing a book, or something similar. There are other venues you can turn to to get published under your own right. These include sites like AssociatedContent, Constant-Content, and other sources. With these sites, you will think up your own topics, write your own content, and post it online. Some will offer your content for others to purchase full rights to, and others will pay you on a per-view basis.
Other Options. The internet offers a wide variety of options for aspiring freelance writers to pursue. The fact is that so much of our lives revolve around the internet today from news and entertainment to business, shopping, and more, and so there is a constant need for fresh content. Of course, there are other options to consider as well, and these include writing magazine articles for traditional print publications, writing newspaper articles, writing greeting card blurbs, and more. These routes are generally more difficult to break into, however, and so you may find the best luck with getting your first paycheck as a freelance writer comes from online sources, and then you can venture into other outlets later.
As you can see, there are so many different ways you can earn a living as a freelance writer. Because of the incredible number of opportunities, most freelance writers have no trouble at all staying busy once they learn how and where to find jobs!
