Become a Freelance Writer - Three Things to Consider
By Thomas A. Bradley
Working as a freelance writer can be exciting and lucrative. It also has its down
sides. As a successful writer, I'd like to share some of the essentials you'll need to
consider if you really want to write for a living.
Is there good money in this field? Absolutely! Is it all ice cream, roses and days of
doing whatever you want? Categorically not! Like anything else, if you really want to
succeed at this you'll have to work. Sometimes harder than others, but this is not a
free-ride to the lifestyle of the rich and famous.
If you're serious about beginning a new career in freelance writing, there are three things
you'll need to consider before you jump into the wordsmithing pool. Naturally, there are a
lot more than just three things you'll have to do in order to start making the kind of money
you want to. But these three are essential if you want to have a chance at all.
Now, I'm sure if you do a quick search of the web you'll find all kinds of pages and
ads related to freelance writing. And I'm also sure you'll hear how the author is going to
show you how to make thousands of dollars a month like he did? Is it possible? Yes. Is it
practical to believe, that right out of the gate you're going to be raking in hundreds a
day? No. Be careful when you interpret these sites and ads. They may well be legitimate.
But if you're going to gamble your life on starting a new venture, be wary of the
"pie-in-the-sky", "too good to be true" avenues to success.
So what are three things you should consider first?
• Your Business Plan
• Your Survival Budget
• Skills You Need to Succeed
We'll take a good look at each of these separately, but first I'd like impart my humble
beginnings in this area, to demonstrate that, aside from the ability to write, you don't
have to have any special background. And also show you that there is really a chance to
make good money by doing what you love (and I'm assuming you love writing, or this is
definitely the wrong move for you.)
Not long ago I decided that I needed more enjoyment out of life than I was getting. I
wanted to do something that I really loved, but I wanted to do it from home. I was sick of
my commute every morning. Although not as bad as some have it, I got pretty disgusted with
an hour-and-a-half commute (in good traffic) every blessed day. I knew there had to be a
better way, but wasn't sure what it was.
At the time, I was a scientist working for a small biotech company in northern New
Jersey, while living in the Pocono Mountains. Being a scientist, I began by researching
"Work at Home" jobs. To be totally honest with you, most of them out there are either pure
scams at worst or pipe-dreams at best.
Then I came across the idea of freelance writing. After diligently researching the
possibilities in this field, I decided to give it a shot. It seemed to hold promise. As
you'll soon see, the initial investment was minimal. I could begin slowly working part
time without having to give up that all-important steady paycheck. And I didn't have to
pay anyone to give me lessons.
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