6 Tips from Six Months: Becoming a Full-Time Freelance Writer Online

I've been dipping my toes into the world of online business since I was a pre-teen. I spent my freshman year of high school selling hundreds upon hundreds of copies of VHS fansubs (fan subtitled) of Japanese anime shows from a website I created on Geocities. I created an account with Associated Content in February of 2006, and then didn't touch it until June of 2007. I've been a part-time, occasional writer on the web for years, and now I'm six months into my new life as a fulltime freelance writer on the Internet.

What a long, strange trip it has been. There have been plenty of ups and downs, and I've learned a great deal in the half year that I've spent pursuing fulltime freelance writing. Along the way, here are a few important things that I've come to realize:

1. No job is perfect - Working from home, no boss looking over your shoulder or telling you what to do... pretty sweet gig, right? Well it is, but it certainly isn't without its drawbacks. Any procrastination I take part in doesn't affect anybody's bottom line except for my own, and every day or week I have to go out and scrounge up the jobs that will be making me my money.

2. Writing can be tedious - Even when you love writing, doing it all day, every day, will wear on you from time to time. I've learned to break up my day into smaller chunks of time. So maybe in the morning I'll spend a few hours on content writing for somebody's website, and then I'll drop that and spend a few hours writing on topics I'm more interested in or working on another project. Switching things up will help keep you fresh, alert and engaged.

3. Coffee is my friend - See above.

4. Diversifying isn't just for stock portfolios - I now spend my time writing for several different outlets on any given day or week. I have my own blog and SEO web content writing website; I write for Associated Content and serve as one of the Sports Category Editors; I do website content writing with Need-An-Article; I pick up occasional jobs from Constant-Content; I turn to Demand Studios anytime I need more work; I've dabbled with Textbroker; I'm the editor of a growing boxing news website; I develop my own affiliate marketing websites and on down the line.

The point is that none of these options is the complete, perfect solution. I've tried some and never gone back - like Textbroker, which for me was never worth the time. In the process I've found ways to supplement my everyday income with larger projects, side ventures and more.

I've also discovered the specific realms of writing that I'm most suited to, and the ones I need to work harder on. You don't know what will work until you try it, and having a handful of different outlets to turn to provides you with more options, flexibility, and ultimately, cash.

5. Expect the unexpected - You never know what your day is really going to look like when you're a fulltime freelance writer. Maybe a client surprises you with a huge job you need to get done right away. Or maybe there are no fish on the line, and you have to really scratch and claw to bring in your day's earnings. You have to expect the unexpected, and you have to be OK with that. Perhaps even more so, you have to cherish it to some extent and enjoy participating in the process.

6. You CAN make it work - My hand was forced when I became a fulltime freelance writer, as I had just lost my job. However, long before that happened I had considered making the leap, but never pulled the trigger. Maybe I was worried about the big change, or about the long-term viability I had in this kind of role. However, what I found out immediately was that I really could make it work, and that anybody who goes at it with full force can make it work.

Is being a fulltime freelance writer for everybody? Certainly not, but six months after becoming one myself I can say confidently that it's for me.