Three Things Freelance Writers Should do After They Have a Website and a Resume
There are things in every career that help us or hinder us. In freelance writing, one of the toughest things to do is to prove your credentials. Without an actual degree in “creative writing” it’s hard to prove that one has learned the necessary skills to get the job done right. Hard but not impossible.
When I talk to freelancers, it is hard for them to accept that the job breaks down to some very simple steps:
- Learn to write well
- Build up some samples
- Create a resume
- Establish a presence online to send people to –preferably your own website-
- Pitch clients
- Deliver quality work
- Receive money and pay bills
- Repeat steps five through seven
But, it really is that simple. It may not be easy to get all of this done depending on what skills you have starting out. Some of us spend more time on step one than others, especially if we didn’t see the value of English class when we were there the first time. Others get stuck on the salesmanship and research it takes to land the first job. Still others can perform, but find repeat performance tough and so on.
While not everyone follows every single one of these steps, in one way or another, most successful freelancers have. Without them, you are either:
- Selling a poor quality service
- Waiting for clients to find you
- Depending on all new clients to provide you work all the time
It is like any other job, learn the skills, market yourself, do the job well.
It was pointed out to me that my one and only writer’s guide –book link– contains only information that is easy to find and free in many cases. Fair enough, so, here are some things writers who have gotten to step seven should do!
- Write an Ebook
- Join a Writers Group
- Teach Somebody Else
If you want to move beyond base line projects, these are some things you need to do to give yourself more credibility, gain new skills and ideas of how to get what you want and solidify your writing abilities.
It is simply a matter of raising your profile, networking with others and sharing what you know to gain confidence in your own ability. If you’d like to read more about these tips, or just freelancing and writing in general, visit me at MarkRMorrisJr.com
