Starting Out

Am I Cut Out for a Freelance Writing Career?

Are you brand new to freelance writing?

Maybe you recently quit your 9-5 job. Or perhaps you’re trying to supplement your income as a stay-at-home parent. Either way, you love to write and you’re hoping to develop yourself into a full-time freelance writer.

Am I Cut Out for a Freelance Writing Career?

You doubt yourself and your abilities as a writer.

Yay!

That’s when you let your emotions get the best of you. You begin to experience a constant flow of negative thoughts and bad feelings. You doubt yourself and start to question everything – including your abilities as a writer.

Stop!

Establishing yourself as a freelance writer isn’t easy. (Especially in the beginning!) But if you’re wondering whether or not you’re cut out for a freelance writing career, the answer is YES.

Is it hard work? Yes.

Is it a commitment? Yes.

Is it worth it? Yes!

Take a look at these five tips to find out if you have what it takes to launch your freelance writing career today!

1. Honesty is the Best Policy

Before you decide to take the plunge and venture into a freelance writing career, you need to have an honest conversation with yourself.

Ask yourself these questions:

Do I enjoy writing enough to make it my full-time job? Am I willing to write about things I’m not necessarily interested in? Will my enthusiasm for writing diminish if I’m no longer writing just for fun?

You also need to be realistic about your capabilities as a solopreneur:

  • Will I be able to consistently deliver quality content to my clients?
  • Will I be able to stay productive and stick to my deadlines?
  • Am I okay with working alone?
  • How will I handle difficult clients?
  • Am I capable of managing my own accounting system?

Being a freelance writer is not for the faint of heart. You’ll likely need to wear many different hats on a daily basis and keep up with what’s trending in order to expand your client base. But as long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort, the benefits of a freelance writing career are well worth it.

2. Confidence is Key

You’re checking job boards regularly and you’re pitching every day. You’re doing everything right and yet you haven’t landed your first client.

Don’t let on!

One of the biggest mistakes a freelance writer can make is admitting that they’re new to freelance writing.

Confidence is everything. Be your own cheerleader! Stay positive and don’t let rejection get you down. Trust that your style and charisma will win over the right clients at the right time.

3. Hustle, Hustle, Hustle

Here’s where that commitment we talked about comes in. If you haven’t already figured this out, embarking on a freelance writing career takes a ton of energy!

Working unconventional hours may be part of the deal, at least in the beginning. All of a sudden, early mornings, late nights, and weekends are the times you’re turning around your best work!

Am I Cut Out For a Freelance Writing Career?

It may be necessary for you to give up a portion of your personal time to get all of your client work done.

Are you willing to make that sacrifice?

A good freelance writer needs to be organized and persistent. After all, this is your business! Keep track of your workload and stay on top of your deadlines. And use the opportunity early on to perfect your researching skills. They’ll come in handy down the road when you take on a project you don’t know a whole lot about.

4. Join Freelance Writing Communities

Staying motivated is one of your top priorities as a freelance writer. And what better way to stay motivated than by surrounding yourself with other freelance writers who have been in your shoes?

Being active within the various freelance writing communities is essential!

Subscribe to blogs. There are a TON of helpful blogs out there catered to new and seasoned freelance writers alike. Some personal favorites include:

Join groups and ‘like’ pages on Facebook. Use this platform to interact with other freelance writers. Ask questions, provide feedback, and get involved!

Start following influential freelance writers and organizations on Twitter.

Make your presence known! Start commenting on fellow freelance writers’ stuff! They’ll likely return the favor. And wouldn’t that make you feel good?

5. Don’t Let the Haters Get You Down

One of the hardest things about pursuing a freelance writing career can be gaining the support of your family and friends.

Let’s face it – the amount of client work you receive each month may be inconsistent, the irregular hours you keep can become insufferable, and you’ll never really have a steady paycheck on which you can rely.

But you already knew this going in.

That’s why you’ve been reading posts about freelancing from top bloggers and researching how to implement SEO keywords into your own writing.

You’ve been guest posting on multiple blogs to get your name out there and build up your portfolio. You’ve started following prominent freelance writers on social media and you’ve enrolled in an online course for new freelance writers.

Reject that negative energy and prove everyone wrong. Believe in yourself and trust that you know what’s best for you. You’ve got this!

Wrapping It Up

The only person standing in your way of pursuing a freelance writing career is YOU. It won’t be easy, it’ll take a lot of hard work and unwavering determination, but you CAN and you WILL succeed!

Over to you – what’s standing in your way of becoming a freelance writer full-time? What obstacles have you had to overcome? Any additional advice?

Kate Muller is a freelance writer, blogger, and digital media journalist. A Jersey girl through and through, Kate has a BA in Radio/TV/Film & Journalism and boasts a wide-ranging background in digital media. Her savvy know-how of social media trends, campaign management, and writing for the web are what drives Kate to pursue her passions and help her clients’ businesses succeed. She’s a self-proclaimed pop culture aficionado, lover of good wine, bad reality TV, and live rock and roll music. When she’s not writing, Kate can be found riding bike trails or taking in the New York City sights. Check her out over at katemullerwrites.com and follow her on Twitter at @kmullerwrites.

Leave a Reply

10 Comments

Hi Kate, I’ve been struggling with getting clients, readers, and having trouble setting up my site so much that I started questioning if I’m really cut out for this. This article gives me a boost and cheers me on, thanks for that! 🙂Reply to Christine
Hi Christine! I’m so glad to hear that. Trust me, I’ve been there! When I decided to freelance full-time, it didn’t take long before I started to question everything. I had to keep reminding myself that success doesn’t happen overnight, and I really can’t stress enough how supportive the freelance community has been. Hang in there and feel free to reach out if you ever want to swap notes! 🙂Reply to Kate
Awesome article Kate, especially for a newbie like me. As a food blogger and online instructor I am now positioning myself to enter the freelance writing market and your article is a great step-by-step guide. so thanks and now I’m going to read more of your writing.Reply to Judy
Thanks so much, Judy! As freelancers, we’re all in the same boat. The thought of changing gears completely and committing myself to freelancing full-time was really intimidating to me at first, but I quickly learned how supportive the freelance community can be and I’m so happy to be a part of it!Reply to Kate
Excellent post Kate! thanks for the motivation!Reply to Ale
You’re welcome! Happy to help in anyway that I can! 🙂Reply to Kate
Kate this post is excellent. I felt like you were talking directly to me, maybe because I am going through some of this at this very moment and it gave me the kick in the butt I needed to keep at it.Reply to Heather
Happy to hear it, Heather! When I was weighing my options not too long ago, I asked myself these very same questions. Making the commitment to freelance full-time can certainly be scary, but I’m so glad I took that leap of faith!Reply to Kate
Great post, Kate. Confidence really was the key for me, and it helped with the haters, too!Reply to Alicia
Thanks, Alicia! I think confidence is the one thing most new freelance writers lack. Because, let’s face it, jumping into something so new is scary! Staying active in the freelance community has really helped me a lot, I love the motivation!Reply to Kate