I discovered freelance writing much by chance many years ago. I decided to give it a fair chance, and I started liking what I was doing.
It worked out for me, and so I stuck to it, despite several ups and downs. The journey has not been easy, but it has been all worth it.
Do You Wish to Pursue a Freelance Writing Career?
There are several preconceived notions associated with writing for the web. The term ‘freelance content writing’ rings many melodious bells – the thought of working on your own, at your pace and as your boss sounds intriguing.
Add to that the charm of working from home, another perceived perk that freelance writing gives you.
However, in reality, there is a lot more freelance web writing involves, and it is important to consider all the pros and cons before making an entry into this viciously competitive field.
KNOWING IF FREELANCE WRITING IS FOR YOU OR NOT
Here are some of my observations that may help you gauge whether or not freelance writing is a suitable profession for you –
Unpredictability
The life of a freelance web content writer is unpredictable, at least in the beginning stages of this roller-coaster ride. When you are new and inexperienced, you will have to sustain yourself with very little work that comes your way.
As you start building clientele and become relatively more confident, you can start landing new writing gigs. However, there is no certainty of how many projects you will have on hand at any given point in time.
Hence, get into this field only if you are okay with not having an assured salary.
Loneliness
When you are writing for the web, a lot of your social life becomes restricted to the web world.
Unlike your peers and acquaintances who regularly attend office parties and team meetings, you will have to suffice with your company and a somewhat monotonous (initial) work life.
Moreover, if you work from home, you may miss a 9 to 5 routine of getting out of the house and going to work.
Lack of Assistance
Unless you personally know someone who has been there and done this before you and can give you assured help, you are pretty much on your own to find your way through the baffling freelance maze. Do not expect to be given anything on a silver platter.
If you do become successful, it will be through your talent, hard work, and never say die spirit!
No place for Impatience or Short Cuts
If you are considering making a freelancing writing career, ask yourself this
Do I have the patience to start from scratch, and keep going till I taste the sweet taste of success?
Since there are no shortcuts to getting successful, you just have to be ready and prepared to work hard, deliver high-quality content and build an impressive writing portfolio along the way.
Networking and content marketing is also an important and essential exercise that you must pursue aggressively, along the way.
Taking Failures in your Stride
Every once in a while you may face difficulties in your freelance journey. The client may not like the content you deliver, or worse still, may not pay up for the content you provided even though they liked it.
You may have to face naysayers who bring you down and make you doubt your decision to become a freelance writer. Negative feedback is not easy to digest, but it surely teaches you something valuable along the way.
Are you strong enough to hang in there? Do you have what it takes to face failures with a positive frame of mind?
Before you leave your present, full-time job, do take into consideration all that freelance writing entails and whether or not you are prepared to face its ups and downs.
It is not easy to make space for yourself here if you lack patience, willingness to learn from your mistakes, and of course, a professional attitude.
However, if you have what it takes to learn and grow as a web content writer, freelance content writing can be an extremely satisfying experience. All the best!
