Freelance Writing Jobs: The Best Places To Launch Your Career

Freelancing appears to be the best kind of work for people who are not comfortable with strict timetables. The general perception is that once you are free to choose the jobs you would like to do and the hours that you like to work, all is well. Not so! A freelance career requires more discipline and time management than any other kind of career, especially if you are charging by task and not by the hours, you spend working on it. There is, after all, no boss watching your schedule, no company paying you a wage whether you deliver or not, no benefits, no sick or maternity leaves, and no bonuses! Having said all that, there are still plenty of people out there, there numbers growing, who prefer a flexible work schedule and the comfort of working from wherever they are. The allure of such a life is obvious: You are your own boss and the master of your own game, you are an independent contractor who does not take his or her orders from anyone, you are a freelancer who does what they love to do and charge a fee for it!

The most confounding, and often the most difficult, step in launching a freelance writing career is how exactly to launch it. True, there are plenty of avenues available for freelance writers to explore, but there are a number of roadblocks and bumps on the way. Here are a few suggestions that can help when you are starting out:

1. Write for the love of writing (but display it): Spend some time writing quality articles, posts, stories, or whatever your genre is. Upload this work on self-publishing sites where you are not paid right away (or at all!).
2. Now go to the content mills and make a profile: Beware, freelance platforms are basically bidding sites where the race is for the lowest bidder. You can be the Shakespeare of the 21st century but that will not stop clients from offering you slave-wages. If you take this route, you are likely to remain stuck in the rut for some time before a break through. Take calculated chances here.
3. Build Credentials, Contact Niche Sites, and magazines: It is better to have one or a few niches you write well about, than to be a generalist. Write about something that you have certifications, or other forms of credentials in. Send your resume (a writers’ resume) to potential magazines and clients that might be interested in the field you are knowledgeable about.