Why You Should Become a Freelance Writer

Do you have a natural flair putting words on paper? Do you enjoy writing? If your answer to any of these questions is in the affirmative, then you should seriously consider a career as a freelance writer. As a freelance writer, you can earn a decent income right from the comfort of your home – without even having to takeoff your pajamas. 

Most people gifted with writing talent fail to exploit it because they have been led to believe that to become a successful writer, you must have attained a literary degree or similar qualification. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, most freelance writers do not hold literature or English major degrees. Good writers are born, not made. Thus, if you have received unsolicited compliments regarding your writing from your teacher’s in school or various other people, chances are you have natural born writing flair. All you need to do is to develop this talent and in a few short months you could be banking enviable freelance writing fees. 

The best way to hone your writing skills is to enroll in a short writing course.  This way you get to understand what kind of writing editors and potential buyers are interested in. You also learn to avoid the mistakes made by freelance writing novices.

There are a number of potential sources of income for a freelance writer. These include:

·         Writing for women’s and men’s magazines

·         Writing general interest articles

·         Travel writing

·         Writing for trade publications’

·         Writing for children and the teenage publications

·         Writing humor

·         Writing for religious and inspirational publications

·         Writing reviews

·         Writing news reports/journalistic writing

·         Writing non fiction books

·         Writing fiction

·         Writing scripts for TV, radio, movie and stage plays

·         Writing web content and other online writing

This list is not exhaustive but is a fairly good general guide for any budding freelance writer. Each of these niches can potentially earn you a good living. This list of writing markets that pay up to 20 cents a word should set you off to a good start as a freelance writer.