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Take The Plunge And Become A Full-time Freelance Writer

By on September 16, 2016

Have you been toying with the idea of packing in your current job and going freelance full-time?

If so then congratulations! While it is not an easy decision to make, and is certainly not for the faint-hearted, taking charge of your freelance writing career can be so rewarding.

If you are willing to put the time and effort in it could end up being a very lucrative career choice, and probably the best decision you have ever made!

So if you are ready to take the plunge and become a full-time freelance writer, what should you expect? Here are some useful home truths to prepare you for what you need to do and what you can expect from this new journey!

You’ll have to make sacrifices

Particularly when you start off, making sacrifices and giving up things you used to have time for is all par for the course.

Every successful person will tell you that you have to work hard for what you want, and always give it your all. You can’t get something for nothing, and the more you are willing to put in the more potential your freelance writing business will have.

Nothing worthwhile comes for free so be prepared to say goodbye to some of your hobbies or social activities that you used to take for granted.

Go all in

Don’t um and ahh about your decision, don’t keep one toe dipped in a different pool. If you actually want to make a success of yourself as a freelance writer, you have got to just go for it.

When people ask you what you do, tell them you are a writer, and tell them proudly. Believe it yourself. Having this confidence and changing your perspective so you view yourself as a writer and nothing else will help you put those dreams into action.

Expect rejection

Not everyone will love your work, or think your ideas are unique and inspiring. Be prepared for this. You might be faced with many rejections when you start, or, worse still, just plain silence where you don’t even get a response!

This happens to all writers, and it is perseverance that separates those who go onto greatness and those who slink back to their 9-5 office jobs. Don’t let people get you down, rework your ideas and pitch them elsewhere, persist.

Stop procrastinating and just get on with it

Writers are incredible at coming up with excuses for not doing what they love.

It’s scary, we get that, but eventually you need to take the plunge.

If you hear yourself saying ‘well I just need to finish my website,’ or ‘ I just want to build up my blog,’ or ‘I just want to read this insanely massive book on how to write’ before I start’ then you are probably just getting cold feet.

No writer knows everything, or ever feels completely organised and self-assured. The best way to improve you writing skills? Write! So just get on with it and you’ll learn so much faster.

Push yourself, but know your limits

Taking on too much work, comparing yourself to other writers who seem to be able to bang out 15 articles a day, worrying about your work so much that you end up pulling it to pieces and having to start over - these are all common traits of the newbie freelance writer.

You can’t spend your time worrying about all the other established writers out there, or comparing yourself to those who have been in the game for years, and taking on an insane amount of work will only leave you struggling to produce any content of value whatsoever and quickly feeling disheartened.

Push yourself by all means, and work as hard as you possibly can - but only you know your limits and if you burn yourself out too quickly, you’ll regret it.

So many writers are afraid to take the plunge and become full-time freelance writers. It’s not for everyone. However, if you do feel like it, it could be the job for you so don’t let fear stop you, end those excuses now and just make it happen!

About Ty Cohen