Are You Committed to Freelance Writing? Are you are committed to being a freelance writer? There are questions you need to ask yourself.
The first and most important question is: can you work in a room for hours by yourself? Some other important questions for you to answer are:
- Are you creative on your own?
- Can you write about various subjects?
- Can you meet tight deadlines?
- Are you persistent and patient?
- Are you in it for the long haul?
If you are committed to being a freelance writer, you should have answered YES to each question. If you did not, rethink your position. Nothing happens over night, especially when first starting out. You will have long periods with no work, little work, and low pay; just to get started and you garner some reputation for your work. Face it; you are not the only freelance writer on the block. There are many with years of experience, some with degrees in English and Journalism that will get jobs before you. You will have to do your homework and practice your writing. You might also have to take non-paying intern jobs to gain some experience.
When writing an article or web content, who is going to do the editing, you, or someone else? Think about this also. If you submit error-prone copy, you will not get return clients and reflect badly on freelance writing in general. As a freelance writer, you must strive to be the best you can while always working as hard as you can to improve. When you believe you have reached the apex of your talent, you become lazy and your copy will reflect this attitude.
Do you know what SEO is? If you do not, learn. Never say you can do something you do not really understand. Both you and the client will be disappointed. This will also reflect on writers in general. You will find that clients do not really value the work of writers. Part of this is because of the people that submit substandard copy, and the writer does not value their time and work. It is by submitting top quality writing that the profession of freelance writing becomes a profession and not just something to do.
All writing is a business, and conducted as a business. When you consider it a business, you will consider it something special and not just something to crank out garbage. Writing reflects on the writer and the care they took to create something. If you go to a cabinetmaker for a china cabinet, you expect quality work, not glue, and nails sticking out all over. The person creating it should always think of writing as a work of art. Writing is creating something from nothing; always think of it as art.
