FREELANCING
Working at Home as a Creative Freelance Writer
by Stu Leventhal
Working at home as a creative writer is one of the largest work
at home categories. Being a freelance creative writer has traditionally been a
work at home job and now that working at home is becoming more popular, there
have been more creative writers entering the industry. If you like to write and
have a good grasp of the English language, you will never be at a loss for work at home creative writing jobs. Freelancing gives you artistic freedom!
Starting your career as a work at home freelance writer is as easy as doing
some Internet research and applying for a job. Simply do a Google search for
writing jobs and start working your way through the posts. There are many ways
to break into the creative writing field, even if you have no previous
experience. Online writing opportunities abound. Product reviews, guest
blogging, article writing, the short story market are just a few examples of
creative writing gigs listed on popular freelance writing job websites.
While many writers dream of one day writing the great American
novel or Hollywood movie script, most writers are realistic in knowing that they
are going to have to do some other types of writing to get paid on a consistent
basis. Writing for consistent pay is mostly, if not exclusively, done in the
non-fiction genre. This is due to the fact that fiction story writing is never a
sure thing and the author's pay day may not come for years after a book is
finished. While occasionally a writer will find contests for fiction writing or
for poetry, the pay is minimal if anything unless you win the contest. High
paying fiction and poetry opportunities are few and far between when compared to
the non-fiction opportunities.
Writing from home as a creative writing freelancer has few
requirements. A reliable Internet connection, good written communication skills
and the ability to be a self-starter is about all it takes to launch a freelance
writing career. In time you may wish to add a good quality printer, a fax
machine and a scanner. As a freelance creative writer, you will be in charge of
your time and your projects. There will always be deadlines to meet and new
writing opportunities to try. You will be responsible for balancing your writing
work with the rest of your life. You must also have the ability to research a
wide variety of topics, as you will be challenged to learn about and write about
topics that you may have little experience in or knowledge of.
Freelance writing from home can break down into three specific
areas: writing for print, writing for the web and blogging. Although blogging is
technically writing for the web, there are many distinctions that make it
different from other web writing
opportunities.
Writing for print is what people generally think of when they
hear the term “freelance writer.” Freelancer writers who write for the print
markets need to first build a reputation as reliable and eloquent writer. If
you’ve never written for the print markets before, start with smaller, local
publications and then work from there. You’ll need to find a list of
publications that are accepting
“queries.”
Your Queries should be designed as a combination of a letter of
introduction telling about yourself as an author and then your pitch for a
creative story idea. Most writers rely on the Writer’s Market reference guide
for lists of print publications worth querying. The Writer’s Market has
comprehensive information on a variety of newsletters, magazines and other
publications that are taking queries. Each publisher has their own set of
querying criteria that has to be met or they will not bother reading your
proposal. Start with topics that you know the most about and try writing a few
queries to get yourself going in the print
market.
The only drawback to writing for print is that the period between
when you write and when you get paid can be months long. For many freelancers,
this is just not feasible. Writing for the web, however, can meet their income
needs and still allow them to write from home as they continue to work on their
big ticket movie script. There are many categories of creative writing for the
web. You can be a ghostwriter for e-books or other Internet media. Many people
need copywriters to provide content for their sales letters and websites. You
can also offer your services to webmasters who need fresh content for their blog
or newsletter. The opportunities are
endless.
Blogging is yet another way to make money as a writing
freelancer. Blogs are an ever-growing form of Internet media. Blog writers
generally provide their own content. You can make money as a freelancer by
starting your own blog and posting to it daily. If you love to write, you can
start several blogs at once and multiply your earnings. Once you become an
experienced blogger, you can apply for blogging jobs and post for other
people.
Being a freelancer means that you get to set your own prices for what your
time is worth. No more waiting years for a raise that may never come. As
you become more proficient and widen your client base you can double and
triple your earnings as you see fit.
You should not rush to quit your day job immediately and hope to
make $10,000 next month. Instead, start slow and work your way into the field of
creative freelance writing. You have to build a client base. Once you are making
the equivalent of your full time job and you have too much freelance work to do,
then decide to freelance full time and quit your day job. If you work hard this
process can happen rather quickly, so don’t be discouraged. The jobs are real.
The money is real. The only investment is the amount of time you are willing to
invest.
The market for freelancers is growing in leaps and bounds. The future markets are
projected to continue to grow at the same rapid rate. This means more fantastic
freelance opportunities and greater potential income.
by Stu Leventhal
Working at home as a creative writer is one of the largest work
at home categories. Being a freelance creative writer has traditionally been a
work at home job and now that working at home is becoming more popular, there
have been more creative writers entering the industry. If you like to write and
have a good grasp of the English language, you will never be at a loss for work at home creative writing jobs. Freelancing gives you artistic freedom!
Starting your career as a work at home freelance writer is as easy as doing
some Internet research and applying for a job. Simply do a Google search for
writing jobs and start working your way through the posts. There are many ways
to break into the creative writing field, even if you have no previous
experience. Online writing opportunities abound. Product reviews, guest
blogging, article writing, the short story market are just a few examples of
creative writing gigs listed on popular freelance writing job websites.
While many writers dream of one day writing the great American
novel or Hollywood movie script, most writers are realistic in knowing that they
are going to have to do some other types of writing to get paid on a consistent
basis. Writing for consistent pay is mostly, if not exclusively, done in the
non-fiction genre. This is due to the fact that fiction story writing is never a
sure thing and the author's pay day may not come for years after a book is
finished. While occasionally a writer will find contests for fiction writing or
for poetry, the pay is minimal if anything unless you win the contest. High
paying fiction and poetry opportunities are few and far between when compared to
the non-fiction opportunities.
Writing from home as a creative writing freelancer has few
requirements. A reliable Internet connection, good written communication skills
and the ability to be a self-starter is about all it takes to launch a freelance
writing career. In time you may wish to add a good quality printer, a fax
machine and a scanner. As a freelance creative writer, you will be in charge of
your time and your projects. There will always be deadlines to meet and new
writing opportunities to try. You will be responsible for balancing your writing
work with the rest of your life. You must also have the ability to research a
wide variety of topics, as you will be challenged to learn about and write about
topics that you may have little experience in or knowledge of.
Freelance writing from home can break down into three specific
areas: writing for print, writing for the web and blogging. Although blogging is
technically writing for the web, there are many distinctions that make it
different from other web writing
opportunities.
Writing for print is what people generally think of when they
hear the term “freelance writer.” Freelancer writers who write for the print
markets need to first build a reputation as reliable and eloquent writer. If
you’ve never written for the print markets before, start with smaller, local
publications and then work from there. You’ll need to find a list of
publications that are accepting
“queries.”
Your Queries should be designed as a combination of a letter of
introduction telling about yourself as an author and then your pitch for a
creative story idea. Most writers rely on the Writer’s Market reference guide
for lists of print publications worth querying. The Writer’s Market has
comprehensive information on a variety of newsletters, magazines and other
publications that are taking queries. Each publisher has their own set of
querying criteria that has to be met or they will not bother reading your
proposal. Start with topics that you know the most about and try writing a few
queries to get yourself going in the print
market.
The only drawback to writing for print is that the period between
when you write and when you get paid can be months long. For many freelancers,
this is just not feasible. Writing for the web, however, can meet their income
needs and still allow them to write from home as they continue to work on their
big ticket movie script. There are many categories of creative writing for the
web. You can be a ghostwriter for e-books or other Internet media. Many people
need copywriters to provide content for their sales letters and websites. You
can also offer your services to webmasters who need fresh content for their blog
or newsletter. The opportunities are
endless.
Blogging is yet another way to make money as a writing
freelancer. Blogs are an ever-growing form of Internet media. Blog writers
generally provide their own content. You can make money as a freelancer by
starting your own blog and posting to it daily. If you love to write, you can
start several blogs at once and multiply your earnings. Once you become an
experienced blogger, you can apply for blogging jobs and post for other
people.
Being a freelancer means that you get to set your own prices for what your
time is worth. No more waiting years for a raise that may never come. As
you become more proficient and widen your client base you can double and
triple your earnings as you see fit.
You should not rush to quit your day job immediately and hope to
make $10,000 next month. Instead, start slow and work your way into the field of
creative freelance writing. You have to build a client base. Once you are making
the equivalent of your full time job and you have too much freelance work to do,
then decide to freelance full time and quit your day job. If you work hard this
process can happen rather quickly, so don’t be discouraged. The jobs are real.
The money is real. The only investment is the amount of time you are willing to
invest.
The market for freelancers is growing in leaps and bounds. The future markets are
projected to continue to grow at the same rapid rate. This means more fantastic
freelance opportunities and greater potential income.
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