Freelance Writing Questions: Starting Out In Freelance Writing
Why aren’t you writing yet? A lot of people dream of starting a freelance writing career, but never get around to doing it. One of the reasons is that they fall in love with the dream of writing, but find the reality hard to achieve. So what’s the first thing you should do if you want to be a writer? The answer is simple – it’s to write.
I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all, but I can tell you from my own experience that the more I write, the better I get at writing. One of my former students, SB, a mature student of around 50 looking for a new career, said that telling him to write was the best advice I’d given him in two years of teaching him journalism.
There’s a lot you can learn from journalism courses about techniques and approaches, but that’s only a complement to your own writing skill – and the only way to develop that is to write.
Getting Started
So, how do you get started? First of all, don’t worry when you start about whether your writing is any good or not. The important thing is to have an idea and follow through by getting something down on paper. You may throw it away, but psychologically you will have taken a big step.
Find a publication that you want to write for and study it (I’ll talk more about that in another post). This will help you to identify important elements about the content and style. Then try to write something again.
Finding A Critical Friend
One thing many beginning writers need is a critical friend. That means someone who can critique your work in a constructive way, but who has your best interests at heart. When I started out, my editor was critical, though not my friend. Other people have given work the thumbs up because they are friends, but have not been critical. The trick is to find someone who will strike the balance between being encouraging and helping you to improve.
This was what I did for SB and for all my students. I was thrilled when he got his first paid writing commission, and within six months or so, he didn’t need my help as often. You can do that too. Your critical friend might be a member of your local writing group or a forum. Ideally, this person should have a bit more experience, so that you can ask specific questions about the writing process and particular skills. Don’t worry if you can’t find such a person, you can always ask me – and I’ll be happy to answer.
On The Path To Success
You can become a successful writer. My student, SB, who had not written or published a piece of journalism when I met him, was writing and publishing in several magazines in his chosen niche within a year, and also did some PR work in a government department. So while you’re waiting for the next instalment, start writing and you’ll have taken the first step in achieving freelance writing success.
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Get Paid To Write Online by Sharon Hurley Hall is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Copyright for posts written by guest authors remains with them.Useful info
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Long ago when I started out, I was pretty disgusted at the lack of good information available for people who want to finally take a step towards making a dream a reality. Sure, there were a lot of motivational sites. There were a lot of cheap how-tos that only gave you crap information. I kept thinking, I wish someone could give me the answers I need.
I won’t spam your site with a link, but that’s why we produced our ebook, Write for the Web. (People can see it at our site.) There was a lack of information for people who were thinking of but weren’t doing yet.
Thanks for making sure this post wasn’t just another “You can do it!” that doesn’t give people anything more. There’s plenty of writing work to go around – all we need are talented people to step into the available positions.
Hi Sharon–I recently found your profile through HubPages, and that lead me to link to your personal site, to some of your articles, and then to this site! I just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for sharing all of your writing experience, as well as specific “how-to” advice. Reading your collected knowledge shows me a welcome example that it is possible to live the dream of writing and creating abundance from sharing that talent with others. I look forward to reading more of your posts, articles and blogs. Many thanks, Yoga Grl
And thank you for the compliment, James. I am about to add a resources page to the site, so I’ll remember your ebook when I do it (if I don’t, nudge me by email.)I think it’s important to get practical help when you start out. While it’s good to have encouragement, that’s not enough to teach the skills and build confidence in writing.
@YogaGrl: thanks for dropping in. I’m always happy to meet new friends, especially when they love my blog.
I’ve got a few friends who have followed these tips and are freelancing successfully. I hope that you achieve your dream as well.
I guess the difference between writers and dreamers is that writers write and dreamers dream about writing.
Good post Sharon!
Well, we all need dreams, but it takes action to turn them into reality, Laura. Thanks for stopping by
Sharon, you helped stir up a gift that SB had but wasn’t using. Recognizing the qualities it takes to write and improve upon one’s writings is essential to achieving freelance writing success. You recognized talent and helped him cultivate his gift.
Thanks, Matt – and I got a real kick out of his success.
You can say the same thing as blogging (and yes, I know that it IS writing) but people have a tough time being successful at blogging as well as freelancing.
But like I told you before, I’m going to try to read your site more often because there’s a lot of informative things I need to learn…
Jay
DatMoney.com
DatCurious.com
I was a dreamer for about three years. I wanted to write, but didn’t know how to get started. Plus, fear of failure held me back. My first paid assignment was a major confidence booster – and I haven’t looked back. As my writing improved, I was able to find better assignments.
Yes, it can be tough to be a successful blogger, Jay – and there are many ways to measure that success. Community, comments and cash earned are just three of the possible measures. Hmmm, I can feel another post coming on.
Great job, Valencia! It’s always inspiring to hear of other freelancers’ sucess.
I’ve always been told I was a good story teller and have a vivid imagination. I want to try freelance and the more I search for how to start the more I am bombarded with what my BS detector believes to be SCAM. “Send my $$ and we’ll send you work” are any of those real? Somebody, please give me the scoop. I spend an average of 4+ hours a day on my computer, probably alot more and I’d love to find a way to make a career of it….but, I hate SCAMS. Thanks
Kenny, I wouldn’t sign up for any of those. There are plenty of other opportunities that don’t require up front fees.
Hello, sharon. A very fascinating post about how to start as a freelance writer.Well, like you said, it is pretty hard to find a expert that can criticize about the articles we wrote (I’m also facing this problem right now…)IF you didn’t mind, can you please do me a favor? Can you come to my blog and leave some comment about it? A general comment will also really appreciated…All the best.Regards,Wilson.PS: Sharon, seem like you a Entrecard member as well
Hi Wilson
Finding a critical friend can be difficult, I agree, but there are also writing groups where you can make friends with fellow writers who will critique your work.