Getting Started At A Freelance Career

The world is so full of a number of things, I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings. - Robert Lewis Stevenson.

Freelancers are the kings. They write about everything and anything.

Getting started in freelance writing and then having a successful writing career takes time and effort. You need to have realistic goals and plans if you are thinking of moving from an unpublished to a published writer. This is not a “get rich quick” scheme. Many successful writers started their careers by translating what they already know into a format that meets the needs of some specific newspaper or magazine.

That’s the mission of this article. I want to get you started thinking about how you can publish your own articles without venturing beyond the boundaries of your home or your hometown. Your best opportunities lie in writing about topics that are familiar to you. Each document that you create becomes part of your portfolio. Then, as you become proficient at writing, you can take some of those same documents and rewrite them for other publications.

If you focus on the “free” in freelance, you realize that you can write from anywhere whether or not you have access to a computer. You are not restricted to your home. You can write articles and essays anywhere, and then submit them when you find an internet connection. If you don’t have a laptop yet, you can still travel and use computers in any library. Just write the article and send it to your e-mail and copy it to your folder later.

A good alternate to a computer is to carry around a standard, spiral pad and write anytime you find yourself with some extra time. It doesn’t have to be whole sentences or paragraphs. Just make notes to yourself about what you would like to write about later. If you don’t have to try and remember everything, you will find your thoughts flow faster when you actually start writing your article. Your brain knows that you have notes down on paper and doesn’t have to work so hard.

Freelance writing gives you the opportunity to express your creativity and your point of view. Start with a simple spark of an idea and let it fly. As you work on one idea, several others may pop up. Simply start another article with the idea when you think of it and get to it later. You can have many topics all going at the same time. You will be writing about anything that excites you, that you are passionate about, or that you are curious about.

You don’t even have to be an expert on a topic. If you are curious about how something is made or how it works, do the research and compile an article that shows your own view. There are so many topics available and some of the documents haven’t been created quite like you would do it.

No one can positively tell you that you will make lots of money from the start. Each publication that you research will pay different amounts for quality work. You will get many rejection letters at first. It is by no means a personal rejection. In fact, most of the time, the publication will let you know why it was rejected so that you can make adjustments.

It takes time to write the articles, time for your query letter to be sent off, time for the publication to make a decision, time for their letter to get to you, and time for you to finish your document and send it to them. One such article could take several months depending on each phase of the process. If you have no other means of support, you could be in for some tough times. It can take up to 3-5 years to become proficient enough for you to devote your full time to writing.

Freelance writing, however, can eventually be your sole means of support, or it can be in addition to another job if you wish. There are no guidelines for the definition. It is what you make it to be. It can be a stress release from your other job, and it can be a means of voicing your opinion on a variety of subjects. From A to Z, you have a limitless supply of topics from which to choose. Even if the same topic was published years ago, you can take it and make it fresh and up-to-date. Publishers are always looking for a new voice.

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