Want to take a peek of a freelance writer’s mind? Allie Samborn shares her thoughts on her life as a freelance writer.
Having a talent for writing seems to be more in demand with the start-up of blogs and web-based businesses, yet jobs seem to be rarer each day. Writing online content can be a very hard line of work to get into, especially if you don’t have the money to take time from a paying job to source out and write articles to submit online.
In my experience, it really comes down to the number of connections you make with a slight bit of luck. Writing jobs must be avidly searched out online. Connections have to be made and the writer must reach out to publications with pitches, ideas and well written work. Writers looking for work online must also be able to think outside of the usual writing jobs, especially in this internet age, and there are no limits to where writing is needed.
Writing online, especially when you start out, requires a lot of work for very little return. The most important thing, even if you feel overwhelmed, over worked and underappreciated, is to do your very best on each piece you do. It is also really important to be nice and polite over correspondence with clients you write for. Especially with a website like Fiverr, you never know who is actually purchasing your work or what opportunities may come of it. If you are flexible and can take constructive criticism, editors will want to work with you again; especially if you do a good job on every piece. You have to have an open mind to every opportunity you find or are given. If you have no interest in the article, see it as chance to learn something that you would never know about. However, if you have no experience in a certain area which will compromise the quality of the piece, you must be honest.
As with any job, there are problems when you submit articles online for blogs, websites or publications. Besides the fact that it is very hard to make a substantial income from any one source, there comes the question of ethics. This comes in a variety of forms. You may be tempted to recycle work or reword things from online; if you are planning to be a writer of any standing, this cannot happen. On the other hand, you might get a client asking for an article that deals with something unethical or asking you to do something questionable for an article.
Writers online need to be aware of their standings on issues like plagiarism, and have a clear idea of what they will and will not do for a job. Writers that are new to the online community might get pressured into delivering work ‘round the clock’ or writing more words than they are getting paid for.
Writers need to be aware exactly what is asked of them and deliver that to the absolute best of their abilities. Never be afraid to stand up to someone who is trying to force you to do more than you should, but always remember to be diplomatic.
