Stages of a Freelance Writing Career

Freelance writing is a well-told story of success and failure. Success is often rarer than failure, but most writers see publication somewhere if they continue to write. This article will be a lesson in the stages of deciding to write, looking for markets, querying, and looking for sales.

Deciding to Write

All freelancers come to a point where they want to write for magazines, whether it is an online site that they admire, or a publication they consistently read. Reading these articles can provide the impetuous to write an article of your own. We all come to the conclusion that freelancing is a career, that we too can see our names in bold. The decision can come at any stage of life, whether it retirement or after finishing a degree in college. Deciding to write is only the initial stage in becoming a writer, but it is essential. We will have to go through some trials, but success is just around the corner if the building blocks of a quality story are in place.

Writing the first Article

The first article can sometimes reach publication, or it might sit next to the other stacks of paper a freelancing often has in their office. If we work hard enough on the article, if it has a lasting value and isn't current news information, this article should be worked on until it reaches published form. The first piece of writing provides the drive to continue: Often the writer will see in the style of their piece something they might not have ever noticed before-and this makes them want to write another.

Finding Markets

Finding a quality market can come right after the first article, or after a series of articles if we cannot stop writing-which happens often to practitioners of the writing trade. The current best resource for aspiring writers is "Writer's Market," which is published by "Writer's Digest." There are plenty of other key tools for finding more current calls for submissions. Search "Freelance Writing Jobs" on the internet and there will be a number of sites which feature calls for submissions and freelancing jobs. The trick is to check both the "Writer's Market" and the sites, to study them with a thinking eye.

First Sale

The first sale may not be $500 or it may not even be $15. The first spots for publication are often the internet; but usually these pay little or nothing. A good site for the beginning writer is Associated Content, where a first sale can lead to hundreds more. A first sale will rarely be a large amount as freelancing is about building a background first, then going for top markets like The New Yorker and Writer's Digest.

Continuing On

A first sale is only the beginning for a freelance writer. It will lead to future sales if the writers market themselves right. Even if you only publish on the internet, or only have one or two magazine sales, this will give you an edge over the thousands of writers who decide to write non-fiction every week. The career can be a trial, but it can also be about discovery talent within the writer.