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March 15, 2017
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By Karen Cioffi
Thinking of breaking into freelance writing, but feeling overwhelmed?
Unless you’re an established freelance writer, it’s easy to feel that way.
Maybe the thought of ghostwriting or editing a book seems daunting.
Maybe the thought of writing articles and submitting them to magazines
on a regular basis seems intimidating.
Well, freelance writing doesn’t have to be overly time consuming or difficult . . . or frightening.
Rather than taking on large projects or feature articles, you can find
smaller, less intimidating work. The main thing is to get started.
There are lots of types of writing, aside from feature articles.
You can write greeting card content, fillers, anecdotes, short articles
or blog posts, letters, jokes, and more. There are many opportunities to
write for money.
But, getting started and maintaining any business takes action.
Procrastinating and ‘doing nothing’ is a sure way to NEVER reach your
goals.
Dreams, well intentions, and even plans won’t get you from Point A to Point B without action.
So, no matter what genre you’re writing in, or want to write in, take the steps to move forward.
Once you decide you really want to start
a writing business, you will need to put time and effort into creating
and building it. To do this, to move forward, start with these 4 steps.
1. Write on a regular basis - even if the writing isn’t meant for publication.
You’ll need to hone your skills – practice helps do this.
In addition, it’s a good idea to read ‘good’ copy and content. This will also help you develop and sharpen your writing skills.
2. Copy the masters.
Another trick to keep you moving forward while you query for jobs is to
actually type effective copy and content written by pros.
This strategy helps train your brain to recognize good writing and will help you to emulate it.
But, a word of caution here, this is only a practice strategy – you
cannot use another writer’s content for anything other than practice.
That would be plagiarism.
3. Find resources to take advantage of.
You may be thinking that you just don’t know where or how to start.
That’s understandable.
The writing arena is broad and can certainly feel overwhelming when
first starting out. But, there are a number of programs, classes, job
boards, and other resources (free and for a fee) that you can take
advantage of to guide you to gigs, publication, and sales.
Start by asking in your writing groups or ask more experienced writer
friends if they know of tools and resources geared toward freelance
writing.
You can also attend live conferences or online webinars. There are a
number of free ones available online. In addition, you can do an online
search to find resources.
There are also writing membership sites that offer lots of helpful tips and guidance.
4. Jump in - take action.
While taking the three steps above, you also need to actively look for work.
This means researching magazines for what they're looking for, querying
for jobs, looking at job boards, getting your name and business out
there.
And, getting your name out there means having an online presence - this
means you NEED a website. And, your website needs to look and feel
professional.
Don’t feel overwhelmed. Don’t let fear stop you from jumping in.
Take that first step. Then take the second, third, and so on.
If you look around, you’ll find lots and lots of opportunities out there
for you to get started and move forward in your freelance writing
business.
Here are 6 resources to help you get started today:
And, please, don't forget to comment and share!
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Article reprinted from The Writing World newsletter. Want more must-know writing and marketing information to help get your writing career moving forward? Get free access to The Writing World (http://thewritingworld.com) today!
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