Getting Started as a New Freelance Writer

If you've always wanted to be a freelance writer you may be wondering how to get started, and if you can truly be successful. Freelance writing can be a very rewarding and exciting career. It does take time to establish yourself as a writer, but with hard work and diligence it will happen.

Goals

Make a list of attainable goals for yourself. When I first started out as freelance writer my primary goal was to first brush up on my skills before I made the plunge to look for work. I took a few writing classes at my local community college, and I started building my own web site centered around one of my passions. My web site is now over 80+ pages, and the site has served as one giant sample of my work to show to potential clients. Check out my web site at: www.organicliving4you.com

Write your goals down, and refer to them often. Make weekly, monthly and yearly goals for what you would like to accomplish. For example, you could make it a goal to earn at least $500 per month working as a freelance writer. Then as you gain experience you can continually up date your goals, and strive for more. Then you will need to make your goals a reality by taking action.

Read

Expand your knowledge and read everything you can get your hands on. Make it a daily goal to read something each day. Reading will help you to see the flow of language and your writing will improve automatically. Read books about freelance writing. Some of my personal favorites are:

The Well-Fed Writer By Peter Bowerman

Secrets of a Freelance Writer- How to make $100,000 A Year or More by Robert W. Bly

Writers Digest -Handbook of Magazine Article Writing

Great Reference book

The Associated Press Stylebook

Set up your office

Find a quiet place in your home and claim it as your own. Make sure your office is comfortable and clutter free so you can think clearly. Organize your materials and keep everything together. Create a filing system, and use a calendar to chart your assignments and keep track of everything. I use google calendar and a standard calendar on my desk. You need to stay organized so that you can meet deadlines. If you really want to have a career as a freelance writer it is essential to be professional. If you don't have office space, choose a quiet corner in your house and let your family know that when you're working they need to be quiet and respectful so that you can get your work done.

My children are still very young so for now I have set up my desk in a corner in the living room so that I can work with my children under foot. I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old, so at times I try to work when they're asleep. It's taken me some time but I've also managed to train myself to work even with the noise. As they get older I will teach them to be quiet while I work, and when they attend school I will focus on getting my work done while they are at school during the day. As I am writing this I am breastfeeding my 6 month propped up with my boppy pillow on my lap, which just goes to show that freelance writing is a great job for mothers. You can work at home, set your own hours and essentially you are the boss.

Take Action

Apply for freelance writing jobs- You can find freelance writing jobs all over the net on job boards, bidding sites, and classified ads. You can also visit www.freelancedaily.net and sign up for their daily job source newsletter. This newsletter has been one of my best sources for obtaining more work. The leads are fresh and I am continually picking up work from it.

You can also start working right away by writing articles for Associated Content. I love working as a CP for Associated Content because I can make money right away from my articles, and even though the up front payments are low I feel good knowing that I will continue to make more money off of each article in the future. You make an extra $1.50 for every 1000 page views. Over time this can really add up and create a residual income for you. Also when you write for associated content your writing will continue to get better and better because with each new article you gain more practice. Be sure to choose popular topics, and be sure your articles are unique. Writing for Associated Content will allow you to write all the time especially while you're in between getting bigger projects. You always want to be expanding your skills.

Well that's it in a nutshell. Stay tuned for more up coming articles about freelance writing, how to get organized, the art of calendaring and more. Good luck!