After blogging for many years on different niches, I decided to go professional Freelance Writing early last year. I did it for two reasons: pragmatic and romantic.

On the pragmatic side, I thought my writing is good enough to mess it up with the pros and that I should earn from it as they do.

Romantically, I was smitten by guys like Sean Ogle who writes his posts on a beach in Pattaya, Thailand. I find it cool for Jon Morrow to write money-making blog posts from his balcony overlooking the ocean in scenic Acapulco, Mexico.

So I did. And do you know what happened? I fell flat on my face. There was no beach, no balcony and, to my chagrin, no money.

Moral of the story? It’s not that easy to be a freelance Writer. Just because you “think” you know how to write, people will drool around your feet for shit.

Yes, to put in bluntly, for a newbie, your first articles will be pure shit.

I am not kidding.

For example, I’ve read so many articles from people who claim to be freelance writers and, to say it mildly, they all suck. Their grammar is horrible and the composition and syntax are as tangled as a bowl of spaghetti – except that I love spaghetti.

So what does it take to be a freelance writer? There are several ways to arrive at the destination, but this one eases the pain more than the others. LOL!

Things you must have to be a freelance writer

1. Desire

“The starting point of all achievements is desire,” Napoleon Hill

My daughter is now a successful OB-Gyne. But she gave up all the pleasures of her youth, like hanging out with friends, or going out to parties, to get there.

There were days, while a Medical student when fatigue and frustration were etched all over her face. And when asked whether she will go on or quit, her answer was always the same, “If I can’t be a doctor, what will I be?”

That is desire.

And you must have no less the desire of my daughter’s if you want to succeed as a freelance writer.

Desire motivates. It propels you to study, improve, succeed.

2.  Learn

if you hate going back to school, then you can’t be a freelance writer. Because there’s a lot to learn before you earn a single dime.

before you even earn a dime, you have a ton of new things to learn.

First, learn everything you can about freelancing writing, and skills of the trade, i.e.,  grammar, sentence composition, syntax, the angle of approach, editing, proofreading, and more.

Follow the threads of experienced freelance writers, join writers’ forums and comment on the threads, if necessary. In other words, network with people in the trade.

When you have made your debut, find out where the best freelance writing opportunities are and study the various ads to see where you can best use your skill set.

But before you jump into the fray, you must learn how to write a “pitch” – an application for your desired position. Remember that you are not the only fish in the pond. There are millions of them. The good thing is that the pond never seems to get filled.

Learn how to accept rejection because you will get rejected for times than you can count before you get a “hot” lead.

Ooopppsss, learn how to make a killer Resume. That’s your pass into the world of freelance writing.

3.  Develop the necessary skills set

Keep in mind that “writing” is the primary weapon of a writer. But writing, alone, is not enough to succeed in this business. You must have the following as well:

• Blogging skills: you can’t hope to succeed in freelance writing if you don’t have a blog. A blog is where you can practice your writing. And when you put up a blog, use the hosted WP platform. It is easy to use and has several plugins to make your blog readable and searchable.

• Organizing skills: clients often have very exacting demands of the jobs they entrust to you such as delivery time, the number of words, the credibility of data therein, formatting requirements, etc. You can’t possibly hack it if you don’t know how to effectively organize your day-to-day activities effectively.

• Editing skills: nothing ruins your writing more than bad editing and proofreading. Never rely on Word’s Spell Check. It sucks. Instead, install  Grammarly on your device and learn how to use Hemingway Editor. I use the Yoast plugin to write articles. It incorporates the features of Grammarly and Hemingway Editor, plus the SEO function.

• Image editing skills: though not as demanding as text editing, a post can be ruined by a poorly-edited image. There are several photo-editing software in the market. Install one on your laptop. Choose one that requires a short learning curve.

• Learn how to use a pay processor: most writing jobs are paid through PayPal (there are several alternatives, of course). If you are a newbie, it is necessary to have an account with it and how to use it properly.

4.  Write, write, and write some more

Do you know the secret of the great writers? They write more than anybody else.

So if you want to be not just a good writer but the best, write, write and write some more.

And this is where a blog is useful. Populate your blog with fresh content each week. When you write, turn on your Grammarly app. Better still, write it through the Hemingway Editor app. If you are using WP, be sure to have the Yoast plugin installed and activated.

And for Christ’s sake, edit your work as suggested by these self-editing tools. I once reviewed an article from a freelance writer that was full of misspelled words. When I asked him if he has turned on his Spell Check and Grammarly while writing, he answered “Yes.”

I rested my case…

On top of that, read blog posts from famous writers. Feel out how they arrange words, study their style, take down the metaphors they use, try to edit their work to see grammatical lapses, wrong word use, or misspelled words. This will give you a keen eye to edit your own.

And edit your work until you bleed. This is the only way to improve your writing skills.

5.  Make a writing portfolio

Other than for self-improvement, as a newbie, your blog is also your only source of articles that go into your Portfolio.

A Portfolio is a collection of your best works. This, together with your Resume, is your proof of worthiness as a writer. Potential clients always ask for one or the other, or both. Without them (or either), your freelance writing career is dead in the water.

6.  Get to work

Once you’ve covered everything, start pitching for writing jobs. This is the day you’ve been waiting for – recital into the world of freelance writing.

It’s going to be tough. Though there is never a shortage of freelance writers, you will be pitted against millions of people out there – some as fresh as your, while others have a number of years writing experience tucked beneath their belts.

But don’t lose hope. Somewhere out there is a client waiting for you to come and save the day. Now go and find ’em.

Image: Center of Excellence

~oOo~

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