Answers for Full-time Freelance Writing

I want to be a full-time writer. How did you do it?

Let me start by saying that I am a full-time freelance writer at work on a full-time writing career. I think that that the two directions are different, although they can be related. Today my freelance writing pays the bills and allows me to push towards a writing focus of my passion and purpose.

Understanding freelance writing can be the beginning of pursuing a full-time freelance career. My own journey still continues to be discovered, but here are a few of the answers I have learned so far.

My Writing Answers

What is a full-time freelance writer? A full-time freelance writer makes a living off of words. The amount of time involved will vary based on the research requirements, but it is the paycheck (or paychecks) that determine a full-time freelance writer.

What do freelance writers write? A full-time freelance writer will usually write anything a client needs. The key to successful freelance writing is not wisdom or knowledge but sold research skills. Being able to find out information about a topic and then transform that information into something valuable for a reader makes a freelance writer a benefit for clients and will help lead to success.

Do I need to find a niche? I believe that when I say I am a freelance writer that means that I write everything – my niche IS freelance writing. When I started pursuing full-time freelance writing, I wrote about cars. Anyone who knew me personally knew that I could not tell a corvette from a chevette – and that is NOT an exaggeration. Cars were not my thing, but I dug in and found what I needed to create helpful articles for the clients. You may want to focus your clients in a particular area, but the flexibility to write about anything is often what gives a freelance writer the success that she is aiming to hit.

How do I get started as a freelance writer? To being a career as a freelance writer you have to start building a client base. That means applying to job opportunities around the web and around the community. Contact local businesses that have websites and discuss the possibility of creating a blog for the website to draw in new customers. Send out query letters to all of the job listings you see on Craigslist, Problogger and other similar sites. My first two years there were months when I sent out 30 to 40 job queries and never landed a single job. I kept pushing until the jobs started coming in. Fear of rejection will always hold you back from your desire to pursue a full-time freelance writing career.

Start right now. No matter where you currently work or what you are doing as a career – if you want to be a freelance writer then began to pursue writing opportunities. Once you build a foundation of writing then you may be ready to begin to build that full-time career and let other jobs fall to the wayside.