Freelance Writing Secrets Don't Exist

Marketing hype often promises to disclose all the best "freelance writing secrets" that will bring in success. They make lofty promises. Make $100,000 a year. The one thing you need to learn in order to make it as a freelance writer. And on and on. When I was a newbie writer, I was attracted to articles, books, etc that made these kinds of promises.

But after a while, I realized that all of these things either said the same thing, or were completely based on someone's experience. Whether or not this experience pertained to me was another story entirely. I started to have doubts as to whether or not there were such things as freelance writing secrets.

I have come to the conclusion that there is no secret to freelance writing success. Everyone has their own personal definition of what it means to be a freelance writer. But I have found that there are some things that remain constant. Most of them involve all the standard practices that make a business successful. None of these items are surprising, yet all of them will make you successful. I just wouldn't label them as secrets.

Hard work. If you work hard, you will eventually become successful. As long as your "hard work" is more than just wasted time, it will eventually lead to freelance writing success.

Be consistent. Setting goals for consistency and sticking with them is key. Writing two queries a day. Writing and submitting one article a day. These are examples of consistency goals that will eventually bring you success in freelance writing.

Set goals. Set goals, but don't be afraid to revise your goals as your desires change. There is nothing wrong with changing a goal before you achieve it. Things change. It is best to admit that and move on.

Learn time management. I've been writing for a while now, and I still struggle with this at times, especially when I am in the middle of a difficult assignment or my concentration starts to flag. I've learned that the better I manage my time, the less stressful my life is.

Exercise. I need to stay physically active or else I will feel like a lump. When I feel bad that I am not moving, I start to lose my concentration and my ability to manage time goes out the window.

So there are no such things as secrets to freelance writing success. Each person understands what they need to do to be successful. And though the above suggestions are helpful, not all of these will work for everyone. The path you will take to freelance writing success is much different than someone else's, and that is certainly okay!