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How To Become A Full-Time Writer

By on November 20, 2019

Making the transition from someone who dabbles in writing to becoming a full-time writer can be a challenging one! It can feel a little daunting to finally pack in whatever else it is you have been doing and focus on your writing once and for all. Putting all your eggs in one basket, particularly into a career that has no guarantees, can feel a little daunting. However, luckily, there are lots of ways to can prepare to do so. Preparation is key to make sure that it goes as smoothly as possible. 

So what are the steps that you need to take to become a full-time writer? 

Carefully build a network of allies, friends, and associates.

Spend some time building up a robust network of people who you can rely on for support. These people will provide advice and certain services that you’ll need to employ. It’s also worth investing time in building relationships with people in the industry. Ones who might be good prospects for doing business with or getting you work in the future. However, these relationships cannot be forced. Take your time to genuinely, authentically nurture them and you are sure to get a payoff further down the line. 

Practice good time management

All full-time writers will have many demands, deadlines, and other essential tasks to meet throughout the day. Making sure that you have effective organizational systems in place is key to success. You need to be confident that you have the discipline to set up and meet your goals. On top of this, the ability to solve problems and overcome obstacles. By practicing this as much as possible before you take the plunge to go full time, you can feel confident in your ability to make things work, even when the chips are down. 

Gather the right tools together

Having the right tools to get you started is also advisable. Find a good piece of editing software, make sure your computer system is up to date, learn as much as you can about design, and write different types of copy and creative content too. 

Don’t just rely on one income stream

While you might hope to make lots of money selling your books, for most writers, even if they do manage to sell their work consistently, this isn’t the only way they make their money. Think about putting many different fingers into many different pies to ensure that you can make a decent living and can feel assured that if one income stream dries up, it won’t be the end of the world.

Set up a schedule and be prepared to give it your all

Finally, it’s essential to ensure that you have a good working schedule set up, one that you are sure you can stick to. Think about all the practical stuff like how much you aim to earn, how many hours you plan to work, whether you’ll give yourself a holiday, and so on - the more you treat yourself and your writing like a business, the more successful and driven you’ll be.

By following the above steps, you can hope to transition to being a full-time writer smoothly and efficiently. Of course, it will take a lot of hard work, and being ready to face any challenges and obstacles is also wise, as no writer’s journey is ever an entirely smooth one. However, by being organized and taking the time to prepare appropriately, you can hope to make it as straightforward as possible and will soon start to flourish and find success as a full-time writer in no time at all! 

So now you know how to become a full-time writer, why not learn which freelance writing jobs to avoid?

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bethany cadman
Bethany Cadman - bethanycadman.co.uk

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