Freelance Writing: is it for You?

The current state of the economy has led to a tremendous amount of job losses. Individuals have no choice, but to make ends meet. And with the hiring freeze that is going on within many industries, people are starting to go into business for themselves. Some people don't know how to branch off on their own. A lot of people are becoming attracted to Freelance Writing, because a " little birdie" told them that it is easy money. Yeah chances are you can make a supplemental income or even a full-time income by Freelance Writing. But it is not going to happen overnight. Even the most seasoned writers had to start out from the bottom and work their way up to best selling author, best copywriter, etc, etc. Freelance Writing will not make you an instant millionaire.

Story Structure before Glitz and Glamor

When you think of a Freelance Writer, or writer for that matter. Of course the popular names like Danielle Steele, and Nora Roberts may come to mind. But writing is so much more than Glitz and Glamor. Yes, it is great to have your byline in that popular magazine. Or see your name flashed on that hard -cover book you wrote at every bookstore in the world. But before you start writing your award acceptance speech, you have to make sure you can actually write. Writing is not throwing words on paper. When it comes to writing you have to make sure your story has structure, flow, and it is understandable.

Writing is more than writing

As a Freelance Writer, it kills me when I search Job boards looking for Freelance Writing gigs and I see people offering $.50 -$1.00 for a 500 word article that is well-researched and has perfect grammar and spelling, and they want it in 24 hours or less. HA! $0.50 is not enough to cover the cost of the pen used to write the article. And I am pretty sure the person requesting this crazy writing assignment is looking to make way more than just $0.50. Many people think just because you are writer, that you are able to churn out words at a rapid speed. Maybe some writers can write articles in 2.5 seconds, but those are the writers that have been in the game for a pretty long time. There is a lot that goes into the writing process: Researching,writing, rewriting, proofreading, editing.

Freelance Writers have to care about their audience

Articles are written to inform, educate, entertain, and instruct. Just to name a few. When writing an article the main goal is to provide value to the reader. Tell them something that they didn't know. Give them a better technique on how to exercise. Whatever it is, you want to make sure that the reader is enlightened by your piece.
Freelance Writing is a lot of work. You have to have discipline, dedication and passion. And most of all time management skills. You also have to have business skills to be able to market your services to people who will pay you for your work.