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Freelance Writing Jobs
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Daphne Gray-Grant very kindly offerred to write this article about the skills you need to be a freelance writer, and in return she is getting publicity and an all important 'external link' for her site.
Might a freelance writing career suit you?
Here are five key questions you need to ask yourself
When I heard I was pregnant with triplets, I apparently told the doctor: “But that’s impossible. We just bought a new car and it’s too small.”
I don’t actually remember that exchange. But I’m pretty sure that while the promise of triplets caused me to fret about our transportation, it didn’t cause me to give even a second’s thought to my work. I was confident it could easily “adapt” to my new multi-multi-multi-tasking lifestyle.That’s because I am a writer and editor. And while I knew my job was sometimes irritating and occasionally exasperating, it was also the very definition of flexibility.In fact, writing is a great job for anyone who wants to work from home.As I write this article, I sit in a loft at the top of our house and look over a sea of rooftops to the ocean and mountains beyond. Meanwhile, my now-12-year-old children make themselves lunch, two floors below.I don’t want to paint too glorious a picture, though. There are times when the juggling is tough – sometimes I have too many clients; at other times, not enough. I frequently work in the evenings and weekends.
But I also can easily schedule in the chance to see my daughter’s dance recital or take all three kids to the dentist. And if a suddenly warm and sunny day arrives, I’ll probably knock off work early and take everyone to the beach. Might a freelance writing career suit you? Here are five key questions you need to ask yourself:- Are you good at scheduling and organizing? People often have the romantic notion that writing is all about “creativity.” In fact, writing for a living – especially when you’re doing it from home – is mostly about being an excellent planner. You need to juggle multiple clients and multiple deadlines. You have to track projects at varying stages and keep them all humming along. And, in addition to the writing work, you also need to plan time for marketing, networking and self-promotion.
- Do you have outstanding concentration skills? Can you tune out the sound of fighting children, barking dogs and ignore the pile of dishes in the sink? Writing from home means, well, writing. There’s no paycheque for a clean house.
- Can you write what someone else needs rather than what you want? Freelance writing means you can’t ever afford to fall in love with your own words. (Writing for yourself, which is something I always encourage, is a separate proposition – usually unrelated to earning any income.) You have to satisfy the client.
- Can you write quickly and without too much angst? The writing world is filled with procrastinators and avoiders. When you’re a freelancer, you must be able to write on demand, whether you feel like it or not.
- Are you aware that the big secret to writing is actually a willingness to re-write? Or as novelist Kurt Vonnegut says: “The writing trades…allow mediocre people who are patient and industrious to revise their stupidity, to edit themselves into something like intelligence.”
In other words. “talent” is the least of your concerns. Organization, stick-to-itiveness and determination are the attributes that will help you launch a successful career as a home-based writer.
Daphne Gray-Grant is a writing and editing coach who helps people write better, faster. Get the benefit of her knowledge by signing up for her free weekly newsletter, Power Writing, at www.publicationcoach.com
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