Become a freelance writer

Video: How to Become a FREELANCE WRITER in 2022 (For Total Beginners) | Location Rebel

Content

To step
Tips
Warnings
Necessities

There are hundreds of thousands of options for writing. It is the freelancer's art to get the best out of this. A freelance writer is someone who writes without belonging to a particular company, but operates as a small business or as an independent self-employed person. It is possible to earn a living as a full-time freelance writer or to supplement your income as a part-time freelancer. Another way is to just do it for fun or to build a portfolio of skills. In this article, you will learn the basics of what you need to make your career or hobby as a freelance writer easier.

To step

Be a good writer. It may seem obvious, but there is a significant group of people who think they can write, but when they try, their lack of originality, good grammar and self-discipline shows the opposite. Make sure you enjoy writing, that it is a medium that allows you to express yourself easily and clearly, and that it is something you don't mind doing almost every day of your life without delay. If you do not already have writing qualifications, consider training in journalism, Dutch or English, or a workshop so that you are aware of the key writing requirements and the terminology used. Even if you already have a degree that has nothing to do with writing, it can be easy to either earn a degree in copywriting or find a job starting as a copywriter or editor in a field related to your studies.
- Decide whether you prefer fiction or non-fiction, or maybe both. Non-fiction is easier to sell than fiction so keep that in mind when making your choice. However, if you write for pleasure, you have more leeway to experiment.
- Decide whether you want to write for a living, for extra money, or for fun. The reason for your freelance writing career influences the approach you take to run your freelance business. Keep in mind that if you want to earn a full-time income from freelance writing, it will require a lot of work and you will need to establish yourself in the niche, so be prepared to put in the effort and time.
- If you already have qualifications, whatever your degree, always use them to support your expertise. These are extremely useful in a world of competition where many people are after the same thing but lack the qualifications to stand out.
Make sure you find it easy to to communicate. Unless you want to be a writer living in poverty as a hermit, as a freelance writer you will have to reach out to other people. You have to be willing to promote yourself, do business and win customers. You should also not mind getting work done quickly that is in line with the needs and changes of the client or employer, and all of this requires good negotiation and interaction skills.Fortunately, this can largely be done by email, which means you can rely on your writing skills to network, but it does mean you need to be willing to promote yourself and not just wait for assignments.
- As part of this, you need to know how to write a pitch. A pitch explains the concept of what you propose to write, along with a very brief explanation of your experience and qualifications. This letter must sell your idea to an editor, blog owner or website owner and will become a regular part of your toolkit. The sooner you learn to do this, the better.
Realize that turning your creative passion into a job can dampen your enthusiasm. No matter how much you love writing, there will be occasional writing assignments that you hate. In this situation, you must learn to learn the art of "just doing it," regardless of your emotions, your desire to procrastinate, and your tendency to rush it. Learn to break through your aversion by seeing it as the work it is and look for more interesting writing assignments in the future. Some freelance writers benefit from writing for themselves so that at least something they write remains pure pleasure.
Balance the pleasure of working alone with the vibes of other people around you. Working alone at home can sometimes be very lonely (no matter how much you love writing) and feel like you're working in a vacuum. Part of the solution to this is to accept the unusual (and often liberating) nature of being a freelance writer; another part is to go out and be among the people as much as possible. Work mobile with a notebook or laptop, a portable Wi-Fi modem and write among people when you feel lonely - a cafe, a library, a park, wherever you feel like part of society. You can do this regularly or occasionally; just find your own rhythm and don't lock yourself in the house all day long.
Be prepared for a lot self-discipline and good financial management. If you plan to pursue a career out of freelance writing, you must have a good sense of responsibility towards your clients or employers and yourself.
- Before you take on work, make sure you have a financial system in place and regularly send your invoices, declare your taxes and pay your bills. You can't afford to be sloppy when it comes to your income!
- Be organized; have a dedicated writing space, have all your books in one place and are easily accessible, have all your writing supplies working, and have a decent ergonomic workspace. Writing every day can hurt your posture if you don't take good care of it!
- Have a system for deadlines. Whether you're using a diary, an online agenda, a map on the wall, a whiteboard, or whatever, have some sort of system that lets you see at a glance what writing should be submitted when and for whom. That way you can set priorities and you don't have to rush last-minute.
- Communicate well and regularly. It is very important that you are comfortable connecting with people for questions, to assure them of your skills and your ability to meet deadlines, and to keep your clients and companies informed of your progress or possible problems that arise.
- Don't assume more than you can do. Part of being organized is knowing your limits. Once you get into a flow of regular writing, don't be tempted by a false sense of confidence that you can do more than spend hours in a day. Don't forget to keep a good balance in your daily life.
Set a goal and keep working on it in the meantime. If you plan to write articles for a magazine, online or for a newspaper, don't quit your current job until you earn enough money to support your lifestyle. This means that you may need to do your writing early in the morning or evening or when you have time to spare, such as on the weekend. However, it is a good idea to try out your writing aspirations that way because it gives you a chance to see if you enjoy writing under pressure on a wide variety of different topics. It also gives you a chance to find out if you can write well enough.
- Go to the writing section of your local bookstore and buy "The Writing Handbook." This gives you insight and knowledge about writing in an easy way.
- There are numerous exercises you can do to practice your skills as an author - send letters to the editor of your local newspaper, write articles for your church bulletin, create a blog, or write articles for wikiHow.
Join a writing community. In many countries there are writing groups and freelance writing societies, and it is a good idea to join them so you can meet other writers, get information and advice, and establish yourself as a writer. A quick online search should return organizations in your location or country. Find a group that meets regularly, conducts seminars, invites guest speakers, and provides advice on all aspects of writing, including publishing and marketing, contacting publishers, and networking opportunities. Many of these groups can also be an excellent resource for writing assignments, so if you are a member it pays for itself quickly in the form of contacts and job offers.
- Attend conferences and conventions that focus purely on writing, authors, and freelance writing. At these events you can meet professional publishers and have the opportunity to network with other freelancers.
- In America, you can join "The Writer", a magazine that provides information and advice on how to write a pitch, find publishing houses, and run a business as a freelance writer. It is an excellent resource if you would like to become a full-time magazine writer. In the Netherlands there is the "Schrijven Magazine".
Decide what kind of writing you want to do. Today you can choose between offline writing (magazines, trade journals, newsletters and newspapers) and online writing. It's possible to do both, although at some point you may find yourself overworked to keep up. Even within the online writing world, there are several possibilities, including blogging, guest blogging, websites on specific topics (eg sustainable living, pet care, collectors, etc.), "article collection sites" (these differ in quality) and so on. You can also write officially for the government, but this requires qualifications and experience in policy making that you write about; contact a company offering that type of work and ask what they are looking for.
- Keep in mind that many printed publications such as newsletters and trade journals are produced in-house or outsourced to a text agency. In this case, it is better to make a name for yourself at a company where you can do freelance assignments for various subjects and use their network. They take a commission, but you benefit from their expertise and market position.
Look for opportunities to write to build your portfolio. In the beginning, it is important to build brand awareness and build a portfolio. It's easiest to start writing for small, paid or unpaid magazines and websites. By writing for small magazines you gain experience, you gain brand awareness, and you have a lot of published articles with your name underneath that you can use to show to your clients and employers. You need that portfolio so that well-known magazines take you seriously and hire you. Visit your local library for a list of publishers and ideas to contact.
- If you are still young, submit a poem or story to a children's magazine such as VPRO Achterwerk.
- If you are a teenager, help out with your school newspaper and submit articles. Think of this as good practice for your future freelance career.
- If you are a college or university student, prepare powerful, well-written essays for the class that you may be able to publish later. You can also offer your services to a copywriting association and write articles for the university magazine, a literary magazine or an alumni magazine.
- Grown-ups can start at reputable online websites that accept articles - contact the owners of the sites and blogs you admire and explain that you want to build your portfolio and would like to offer some articles for free in exchange for publishing your name . If you have your own blog or website, you can put a backlink on it.
- Nonprofits are also a great place to find writing assignments. Donate your time and energy and get your work published in their newsletters and publications, and use them for your portfolio.
- Convert your best articles into PDF files for easy emailing to potential employers or clients.
Start searching for assignments. If you think you can write professionally, come up with a topic you want to write about, and then reach out to the right people. Find publishers you would like to write for and read their guidelines. This cannot be overemphasized - submitting a pitch and articles unrelated to the magazine is just as bad as having an interview and not researching the company. Know what the market is and focus your writing on it. And always send a pitch to a major magazine before submitting a full article, unless you want to submit some at a gamble or you're okay with wasting valuable time on an article that may never get published.
- For a newspaper: Submit a pitch to the city / lifestyle / sports editor of your local newspaper asking if they are interested in publishing an article on that topic. Provide the first paragraph of your article and an overview of the rest. Call in two weeks if you have not received an answer. Another approach is to submit a complete article on the guess. In this case, the editor can read it but does not need to publish it.
- Magazine or other major publication: Come up with something you'd like to write about and then send a pitch to the editor of a relevant major journal asking if they are interested in publishing an article on that topic. Give them the first paragraph of your article and an overview of the rest. Call in four to six weeks if you have not received an answer.
- Online: check online vacancy sites for vacancies such as columnist, blogger, web content creator and other vacancies for copywriters. Use a pitch in your email if appropriate or simply respond directly to the job description. For guest blogging, make it clear that you enjoyed reading the blog in question, and keep your suggestion short and sweet. Good blogs get an overwhelming supply of requests, and yours needs to stand out for the blogger to take a look at it. If they ask on article collection sites that you apply to become an author, do so and provide them with all necessary background information and proof of your qualifications. For the sites that don't require anything, you can become a member but don't count on them to make a living!
Write your article. If you haven't already submitted a complete article, just the pitch, then it's time to start as soon as your client or employer confirms that they want your article. (Congratulations, by the way.) Write in your own unique and brilliant way and avoid conforming to the form of other writers. Be sure to pay attention to the guidelines of the magazine in question, but avoid clichés, hackneyed expressions, dull texts and boring content. You've already figured that out, right?
- Keep a thesaurus, dictionary and grammar book with you at all times. If you are writing in English that is not your own dialect or native language, make sure you also have a grammar book for the English language you are writing in.
Find regular freelance writing assignments or even long-term contracts. There are plenty of options in both print media and online media. Competition will always be tough, so you need to keep your writing style sharp and interesting, have an extensive contact list and an enthusiastic motivation. Continue to improve your writing skills by reading extensively, attending relevant discussions and seminars, and keeping up to date with the subject areas you are writing about. This is especially important if you are writing on topics that are changing rapidly, such as technology and fashion.
- Update your portfolio every time you publish an article.
- Learn from your editor's comments. Improve your grammar, edit heavy texts, and celebrate having someone give you golden tips on how to improve your writing skills.

Tips

Before submitting to an important magazine, make sure you have read the guidelines. Enough good writing is rejected because the writer was lazy to follow the guidelines.
Cherish any suggestions from professional editors. They are the best teachers available for fiction or commercial writing, and much better than a lesson. That is their specialty - polishing a good piece of text to perfection. If they criticize a rejected piece of text, use that advice and adapt it to the rest of your articles. You will be amazed at the progress.
There are tons of online writing sites out there, but it's not fair to some sites to list potential sites with other sites being preferred, and that list probably isn't accurate anyway when you're reading this, given its constantly evolving nature from online sites. And therein lies a problem for the online freelance writer - which sites can you trust and put your energy into, and which sites cannot. A number of well-known article collection sites tend to change their policies without warning, leaving mainstream writers in the dark or even thrown off the site. The motto is to be prepared for change in the online world and to cast your lines in many different places. That way, there are plenty of other sites to fall back on when something goes wrong on one.
When checking if a writing site is right for you, here are some things to consider:
Is it a reputable site? This is important for your own reputation as well as that of the sustainability of the site.
- Are you paid fairly? Online writing jobs often don't pay very much overall, but some pay better than others, and the more often you can get them the better.
- How quickly do they pay? Of course some clients or employees will be better than others. Over time, you will learn to prefer those who pay, both because you want to be paid and you will become frustrated and angry with those who do not or never pay on time. Pay attention to what is being said on writing forums and bulletin boards by writers who have had low paying customers, and stay away from it.
- Does the site have a quota? A quota can mean that the site has reached its quota and is not publishing your article, no matter how great the article is written or even if they accepted it. If you don't like this system, don't write for sites that use it.
- Does it seem that there is good communication by the employer or client? A lack of this can lead to misunderstandings or bad interaction.
- Do you have to bid for assignments? Some sites require you to bid. This means that you must understand the bidding system, are okay with using it, and be prepared to be outbid.
- What English do they use? If you write for English online sites, you should be aware of the English they use. If you're writing in Australian English for an American site that doesn't allow any other spelling that America does, you'll need to learn American grammar unless you want to continually piss off the editor (you don't want to!).
The best success probably comes from pitching ideas on topics you are most familiar with.
Set up a place in your home to write. You can indicate this place on your tax return as business expenses: ask your accountant or organization for more information.
Keep your receipts. You can probably deduct a lot of your expenses from tax, so it's a good idea to keep your receipts instead of losing their potential value.

Warnings

While ongoing earnings from articles that have already been published are nice, don't let it rest on your laurels. Things change and articles can be deleted or updated without warning and your earnings can suddenly disappear or plummet.
Provide fair financial data. Your income is taxable in most countries.
Insist on prepayment or partial payments. Partial payments and prepayments prevent you from working for nothing with bad payers.
Never be casual when working through a site that collects feedback. Negative feedback can make it difficult to find new work on that platform.