Four Hot Tips for Wet Behind The Ears Freelancers

In 2008, I started freelance writing on the side to help improve my real estate business. I wrote about everything under the sun having to do with real estate, answered common questions in article format and send my publications to buyers and sellers in newsletters. In 2010, I picked up the pen full time and put down the gauntlet of real estate. From this lesson, I learned a few harsh truths about freelance writing as a career, and it’s important to be prepared for these when you embark on this rewarding yet (at the same time) challenging career field.

Friends and Family

If I had a dime for every new wet-behind-the-ears freelancer told me that their “friends and family think they are a great writer” I would be retired in a Tuscan villa. The cold, harsh reality is that friends and family often lie to you to spare your feelings. If you really want an honest review of your writing, publish something. I used websites like Fanstory.com to put my writing out there and have it reviewed by my peers. The worst thing you can do is rely on the opinions of your friends and family.

Read More

Another cardinal sin acted out in great detail by newbie freelancers is that they suddenly stop reading. Perhaps they forget how or perhaps they believe they have entered into a new echelon of professionalism, who knows? The truth is that the best writers are readers. Commit to reading at least five articles outside of your comfort zone every day, and learn from the style, voice and commentary of people who have excelled already beyond your station.

Be Prepared

Editors are generally nice and wonderful people…to their friends and families. Good editors will pick apart a piece with a fine toothcomb. Remember, there is a lot of competition out there, and it’s imperative to set yourself apart, use your voice but also be prepared to face a heap of scalding hot rejection. It happens.

Think Outside the Box

Similar to competition and finding your style and voice, remember that the internet is overflowing with information. Some of the information out there is good, some of it isn’t so good, but the bottom line is that many people have read what you are writing about before. In fact, they have likely read it a million different times in a million different ways. You have to dig deep and embrace that inner creative dragon in order to come up with something fresh, new and worthy of gaining readership.

In short, freelance writing, even as a hobby, is not full of magical ponies and sunshine and rainbows. It has challenges far beyond the fire-breathing dragon of writer’s block and tired fingers. Be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best. Now, go write something and make it stellar.