Freelance Writing Tips on a Tuesday
Because, earning a living as a writer may be within your reach
Have you dreamed of being a writer-for-hire? A freelance writer, or maybe a novelist, working from your home office with a nice view of the back garden?
I did too. And somehow, by some strange twists in the universe, it’s exactly what I am doing. I wish I had known sooner that this was the key to finally earning a decent living. To think, of all those years I worked an hourly wage, barely getting by while my debt went up up up.
(Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash)
Now, writing is helping me finally find my footing, financially speaking, and as a person too. I feel I am, at last, in my element.
If you have thought about a writing career, there are some things you can do right now to help make that happen.
First, get on LinkedIn. This is, in my opinion, not an option but necessary. This is where the writing jobs are hanging out and if you want one— you’ll have to polish up your LinkedIn to be professional, to reflect your writing experience, and to showcase what you can do. You might also have to take a few chances—apply to writing positions, reach out to companies with blogs you might want to write for, post some of your work as a demonstration of your abilities. Start building a writer’s profile and set your photo to say “open for work.”
Another thing you’ll have to do is get a few smaller orders under your belt. These folks can help you with a public review or thank you — ask them to post it right on your LinkedIn page. It helps to show that you are working and that you are professional.
(Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)
Yes, you’ll also need to hone in on the type of work you want to do. I started by taking orders for poetry editing, which turned into larger bodies of work, which led to one happy client that gave my reference to a company looking for blog writers. Then, I learned SEO and added a few more clients. Now, I work for top rates and attract the attention of high-paying companies for my blogging services.
In short, you have to start somewhere and you can’t do that from a place of fear. You have to suck it up. Pretend you are ready even when you aren’t completely sure what you’re doing—and be willing to siphon all the learning you can from each job.
Writing work is out there.
And there’s plenty to go around.
And… you can find your space in this writing-for-hire life. You can.
A few other brief tips for getting your freelance writing career off the ground:
Learn some stuff about SEO. It’s kind of a big deal and higher-paying clients will expect you to know how it works and how to apply SEO to your work.
Work on your productivity. You’ll need tools for writing, for organizing your jobs, and for invoicing. I use Google Docs, Word, Freshbooks, and Artful Agenda to keep my business on track. (For the record — Artful Agenda has provided me with my very first affiliate link! I am proud to share their gorgeous digital agendas — which I cannot do without!)
(Photo by Amarnath Tade on Unsplash)
Thanks for reading today and for following my writing journey. Stay tuned. Because I am about to take this writing show to the beach — for good. I’m currently shopping for my first home purchase, a condo at the beach, WITH MY WRITING MONEY. (Want to help? Sign up for my paid poetry-learning newsletter or buy my books:)
Life is so good.
Christina