Improve Time Management

Freelancer writers often struggle with meeting the deadlines of multiple clients at once, and one of the biggest problems that new writers face is the approaching deadlines that they simply cannot meet.  Enter time management.

Time management is incredibly important because it will help you figure out when you can start accepting new clients, and what kinds of deadlines are reasonable for both you, and the clients you’re working with.

If you want to figure out a good way of doing things more quickly, start with some organization classes or perhaps try to master a new skill.  I personally just took up speed reading (and in fact, there’s a good free speed reading test you can take online), which will hopefully help me cut down on some of the time I spend researching.

Make Your Articles Worthwhile!

Whenever you’re writing articles for other people, you need to make sure that they are very interesting and engaging right from the start.  Articles that beat around the bush, or open  with a lot of irrelevant information are not going to be very useful to your buyer, and as such, not very useful for you either.

Most readers will speed read your document anyways.  Therefore, you need to give them something that engages their interest right from the get-go, and makes them slow down and consider.  Questions are great ways to get the reader interested and thinking about what you’re writing.

You should also have a captivating title.  One which reveals what you’re going to talk about, yet makes it unclear what your stance or your original information is.  Again, since readers are more than likely going to skim or read quickly, you want them to have to think.  This will slow them down and make them more involved in the writing.  This thinking and figuring process is essential.

Another Source for Freelance Writing Jobs

Can’t seem to find a good contract?  Check out this Writing Jobs site, which stays current and up-to-date with some temporary low-paying contracts which can help you fill in when you don’t have anything going for a while

How Do I Break Into Freelance Writing?

Many of you are no doubt asking the question: How do I break into freelance writing?

There is no single answer to this question, because the ways you go about getting involved will be different depending on what kinds of freelance writing you want to get involved in.

If you want to become a blogger, or write on the internet in any way, the best thing for you to do is start up your own blog, and try to gain a following.  Try to make sure that the majority of your posts on this blog are in a single topic area, and you will have more success.  If you are noticed by someone who really likes your work, you may be hired to take on one of their assignments.  By offering this proof of your work ahead of time, it allows people who are interested in your subject matter to find you and offer you a position, and it may become lucrative enough on it’s own if you do a good job promoting yourself.

If you want to write for a newspaper, then your best option is to try by starting very locally. Aim for small local newspapers, or niche periodicals first.  You will need to build a strong resume, and have lots of good examples of your work to show off, and it is very difficult to start with a large company, who will likely give you odd jobs and a very short column, if anything.  this is a good way to build your skillset and proof of what kind of writer you are.

No matter where you work, however, there are some very simple tips to follow.  Always aim to take jobs in your target niche.  If you want to be a travel writer, then work for travel magazines and posts.  Don’t do restaurant reviews, because this doesn’t help you target the right audience.

You should also consider taking on some online jobs.  These are good practice, and can bring in an income while you are searching for a more permanent contract. And who knows…maybe you’ll find a permanent contract or a long term freelancing opportunity with one of those writers.

Freelance Writing Online

Freelance writing online is a lucrative and rewarding career path. Some freelancers eventually learn to make as much as $50 per hour writing content for websites, brochures, and other sources.

More often than not, freelance writing online will mean that you’re writing content for websites in a particular niche. This is a very easy job, and not nearly as hard as you might think. With the help of Wikipedia and Google, you have all of the research you need right at your figertips, and it’s just your ability to fill in the word to have it make sense.

Freelance writing online requires that you have an elementary understanding of how grammar works, but since it is more important to be conversational than explicitly correct, this can be worked around. Simply by being in an English speaking country, you have a decided advantage over foreigners. If you write how you speak, then you should have no problems with anyone correcting your grammar.

Freelance Writing Assignments

There are a bunch of possible topics which you’ll find yourself writing about, particularly if you start work as a freelance writer. The variety of freelance writing assignments you can get will amaze you.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make as a freelance writer is that they narrow themselves down to a particular niche or two, and they don’t expand beyond that. There are so many jobs available that will require you to write on multiple topics, or develop articles taking a particular spin on a topic, that you’ll find yourself out of work if you decide to focus only on particular kinds of freelance writing assignments.

You should take a more open approach. Don’t be a travel writer…be a writer with a preference for travel subjects. If you try to narrow yourself, you’ll see only one or two freelance writing assignments per week that you feel confident bidding on, instead of hundreds.

Start a Freelance Writing Business

If you want to start a freelance writing business, then you are not alone. There are dozens of other people who have the same idea, and the competition can be difficult sometimes. Here are a few tips if you want to start a freelance writing business:

Tip #1 – Write a sample article on a generic topic, something you feel particularly strong about. Try to stay within the topics of business, health, travel or finance, as these are the four major topics you’ll be writing about.

Tip #2 – Build a successful business through freelancing sites first (see the sidebar for a list), and build a website where customers can come to you later. It is hard to promote yourself and still find time to complete projects, so save that project until you have a lot of customers coming in from other sources.

Tip #3 – Don’t overbid, particularly at the beginning. If you have little or no feedback, few buyers will trust the quality of your work, especially at the beginning. As you get more feedback, you can charge more because you have a solid reputation.

Tip #4 – Be ready to work a regular schedule. One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they start a freelance writing business, and then they fill their calendar with other commitments because they fall into the trap of relaxing. You must do the work to make the money, so you should make and keep a regular schedule.

Tip #5 – Start right away. The longer you wait, the more jobs will be taken away from you. You can’t start a freelance writing business without a job, so the sooner you sign up and get started, the better off you will be.

Novice Freelance Writing

Freelancing is sometimes an intimidating career path to embark upon. If you’re a beginner, you might want to look at some novice freelance writing jobs before you jump into something big that you can’t complete.

The best way to do this is to sign up for an account and get started, bidding on small projects where the pay is not necessarily great. These kinds of jobs are good for novices, because not as much is expected of you, and that means you get a chance to practice without the fear of a let-down or bad feedback. Think of these novice freelance writing jobs as an internship, where you can be allowed to learn more about your own abilities, and what is required of you as a freelance writer, and use that experience as a test to see if this is something that you really want to do, either to make extra money on the side, or even as a career.

Many novice freelance writing jobs lead to full-time jobs, so it can also be an opportunity to find a new position.

Work From Home Writing Jobs

When you’re searching for a work from home writing job, you’re really searching for information about something called telecommuting, or freelancing. These two terms mean the same thing, which is essentially using the internet as a method of “getting to work”. This has nothing to do with those scams about making money online or selling other people’s stuff (which is nearly impossible), it’s about taking jobs and finishing them. You get paid not by luck, but for the work you do, just like a real job.

Our ability to do this is completely thanks to the fact that the internet allows us to transmit data so quickly. It is important to remember that when doing a work from home writing job, you’re essentially responsible for creating data, and that doesn’t require you to stay in an office or drive to work if you own a computer at home.

The work from home writing jobs you can find online are tremendously varied. There are jobs where you can work for a brick-and-mortar company writing brochures and advertisements, or you can work as a blogger. By far the most common work from home writing job is creating content for websites. Most business owners don’t have the writing skill necessary to develop all of the content they need, and they need you to help make themselves successful.

Most of the time, you’ll make between one and two cents per word, though you’ll likely have to work for a little less when you’re first starting off. If you type at a little bit over 50WPM, then you can make $30 per hour.

The best part about work from home writing jobs is that they don’t require you to do too much research. For the most part, you’re reciting pretty basic information, so you need only do a little bit of introductory work, and then you’re off and running.

Check out the links in the sidebar for some up-to-date job listings, and some informative tutorials to help you get started.

Freelance Writing Opportunities

Freelance writing opportunities come along every day. Seriously. There are more freelance writing opportunities available now than ever before, in no small part because companies are finally coming to realize the power of the written word.

Most of the time, you’ll be writing short, informative brochures for companies, or website content which will be used to promote a particular site.

These freelance writing opportunities are often given out via sites like Scriptlance and Getafreelancer, where people bid on projects given out by buyers. You’ll always be paid by buyers since money is kept in escrow and paid to you upon completion of the project. As you do more work, you’ll begin to earn feedback, which can allow you bid more per job, and eventually earn even more money.

By working with freelance writing opportunities, you’ll be controlling your own destiny. Being your own boss, and controlling when and how hard you work on a given day. It’s also quite lucrative once you get the hang of it. Many freelance writers can write quickly enough to earn as much as $30 per hour. Practice makes perfect.