A Beginner’s Guide to Freelance Writing
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When I first graduated from college I had trouble finding a job. I had no real income, but still had bills to pay and my loan payments were right around the corner. I was in a tight spot. Luckily enough, I did some part-time freelance writing from home during school to make a little extra cash to have fun, so I thought to myself, “Why not do this full-time?” Thus began my journey into full-time freelance writing. I did not think I would be able to do it, but I did, and still had extra cash to spend after paying my bills. If you are wondering how I did it, I will explain it to you in three easy steps.
Step one: Know your expenses
If you are going to freelance write the first thing you need to know is how much money you need to make to survive. Once you decide this you can then find out how much you need to work. This means including your expenses such as rent, cable, car payment, etc., and your variable bills, such as spending money, to have fun. Once you do this, you figure out how many articles you need to write to survive. Let’s say your total expenses equal $2,000 a month. If you are getting paid $20 per article that totals to 25 articles you would have to write a week, five articles a day. While that may seem like a lot, the more you write the easier it becomes. I went from taking hours to write an article for 30 minutes. Once you find how much you need to write to survive, you take the next step in making a daily schedule.
Step two: Make a daily plan
One of the more difficult parts of freelance writing is that you have to take the time out to actually write! This may not seem like a difficult task, but in a world where people are used to having managers giving you tasks, it can be quite difficult for you to stay disciplined enough to write. So the best way to combat this is to make a daily plan. Make sure you have a nice quiet area to work in. This could be your local bookstore that has a quiet spot or a home office. Regardless of where you write, make sure you get up early and choose a certain time to write. My usual daily schedule started with me choosing my five articles for the day and giving myself mini-deadlines to stick to them. I always took a time out for lunch and got right back to work once I finished. Some days I worked later than others depending on how well I focused, but I made sure to meet my daily quota every time.
Step 3: Stick To it!
Sure this may seem like a no-brainer, but freelance writing is not for everyone. You have to write a certain amount of content every day in order to survive, and sometimes it can be mentally draining. If the idea of writing 20 or more articles a week does not appeal to you than maybe this should not be an option for you, but it is certainly convenient. It was great for me while I continued my job search for the perfect career and it also made it possible for me to start a business of my own on the side. It is not for everyone, but it could be an option for many.
Websites I used to Freelance write
If you are wondering where I went to get my freelance jobs the answer is MANY! I wrote for Associated Content, Internet Brands, Yahoo, AOL, etc.
Many of these freelance writing gigs don’t exist anymore, unfortunately, but there is an incredible course I took that gives you all the steps and resources to start freelance writing sooner rather than later. Gina Horkey is pretty much a freelance writing badass. Not only does she show you how to be successful in your freelance writing business, but she will tell you all the tools you need to get there in 30 days!
I am not lying ya’ll! I took her course and had a freelance writing gig in only 2 weeks! If you want to learn more about what she is about, I highly recommend you check out her course, 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success.
Happy writing guys!
