Tips and Advice for Aspiring Freelance Writers

I went from working as a full-time bartender to working as a full-time freelance writer within six months. When I told my friends and family that I was going to quit my "real" job to pursue a career in freelance writing, they assumed I'd lost my mind. In a way, they were right to be skeptical: freelance writing is a competitive field that requires a considerable amount of responsibility and determination. However, contrary to popular belief, pursuing a career in freelance writing is not akin to chasing hopeless dreams. In fact, with a few tips and a little advice from a successful freelance writer, you'll be on the road to achieving your goal in just a few short months.

Before considering pursuing a career as a freelance writer, you'll need to make sure that your Internet research skills are refined. The only thing I'm an expert at is researching. I've written on so many different topics that it's ridiculous, from mortgages to pharmaceuticals to cell phone covers to rap music. I had no prior knowledge on any of these topics, so I employed the services of Google to inform myself. Unless you specialize in a field that has a desperate need for writers, you need to become an expert at researching.

There are many different jobs for many different types of writing. You'll need to decide up front which type or types of writing you want to offer to employers. After you've decided on the type of writing you want to do, you need to produce a few samples of this type of writing. Even if you have an ideal resume, a potential employer is likely to ask for a sample of your work. If you want to write articles, a good place to publish is at AssociatedContent.com. After signing up with Associated Content, you'll be able to write articles on topics you choose, and you'll be able to choose a distinct URL that you can direct employers to when they ask for a writing sample. Best of all, Associated Content will pay you for your work.

Once you've written at least three sample articles, you'll be ready to start looking and applying for freelance writing jobs. There are two websites that I visit to search freelance job postings: FreelanceWriting.com and AboutFreelanceWriting.com.

FreelanceWriting.com has a job database that is constantly updated. However, the jobs listed through this database are frequently low-paying. The benefit of the site, instead, is its ad placement service. Freelance writers who are looking for work can place an ad offering their services, and, after your ad is placed, employers will contact you through whatever contact information you provide. Personally, I've received dozens of job offers by using this service.

AboutFreelanceWriting.com is a freelance writing job database that collects job postings from several different websites. It is consistently updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, though the number of jobs listed can range from less than 20 to nearly 100. The jobs listed on this site are hand picked by its web moderator (another successful freelance writer), and the jobs featured are generally excellent.

The worst plan of action to take when applying for freelance writing jobs is to send a resume to only one employer and then wait for their response. As I said earlier, freelance writing is a very competitive field, and these employers are receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of replies to their job posting. For this reason, it is important to check the job boards frequently and attempt to be among the first to respond. Additionally, send out your resume and writing samples to every employer that interests you. You might hear back from all of them, or you might not hear back from any of them. Either way, it's much better to have too many job offers to choose from than none at all.

Allow some time to pass so that your portfolio strengthens and diversifies, then start looking for higher-paying opportunities. However, the rules of the real world still apply in the land of freelance writing -- give your current employer plenty of notice before you stop writing for them. It's important to maintain good relationships with your clients. You never know when you'll need a reference or some backup work.