One popular option for home-based work is freelance writing. When I first considered working as a freelance writer last year, a few thoughts passed through my head. I wondered if I was qualified to be a freelance writer, I wondered whether I would be able to earn any money doing freelance writing, and I also wondered whether I would be able to find any work. Fortunately, I was able to find positive answers to all of those questions within the first few weeks of starting my freelance writing business. If you are thinking about working as a freelance writer, you may have some of the same questions that I did.
Here are answers to a few common questions that people ask when they consider working as a freelance writer:
1. Am I qualified? Fortunately, there is no one “right way” to become
qualified to work as a freelance writer. Whether you have a degree or
not does not matter, as long as you have solid writing skills. If you
have a degree, it does not matter what degree or degrees you have,
although certain degree programs may have provided you with skills
that will enable you to do more types of freelance
writing work. For example, I have a J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree.
While I was in law school, I learned how to do many different types of
legal writing and I can provide that service as a freelancer.
2. Will I make any money? You will be able to answer this question in the
affirmative if you are willing to put the time and energy into finding
the right types of work and doing high quality work that keeps your
clients coming back for more. It is also important that you charge
enough money for your services because otherwise, you will be working
long hours for little pay and you may not make enough money to meet
your needs. While it is true that some writers will underbid others to
get the job, it is also true that clients often get what they pay for.
Good clients will pay you what you are worth, so be sure to ask them
for it.
3. Will I be able to find enough work? Freelance writing is a popular
line of work. That said, it is also a type of work for which there is
always quite a bit of demand. If you are willing to put in the effort
to look for the work, you will be able to find it. There is even
enough work out there that you can be somewhat choosy. I learned this
the hard way when I was just starting out, and since then I have been
selective about what projects I bid on. One of the best things that I
have found about working as a freelance writer is that I can adjust my
work load to be as large or small as I want it to be at any given
time. I cannot say enough about how thankful I am for this aspect of
my work as it’s essential to successfully
combining working with being a stay-at-home mom.
What are your questions about freelance writing? Just let me know, and I will gladly answer them for you.
Photo by kakisky on morguefile.com.