How to Become a Successful Freelance Writer
In a nutshell: write, submit, write, submit.
Okay, there's more to it than that. But if you don't actually have a plan you will not be successful.
Sometimes, the conditions have to be just right for success. After 30 years of raising a family, homeschooling, and helping with our dairy and maple syrup business, I am now in a season of transition. And the conditions are right.
One bit of advice I had printed off last
January helped me find balance this week. On the topic of marketing strategies,
Holly Weiss writes in Scaling the Marketing Ladder in One Fell Swoop:
In a nutshell: write, submit, write, submit.
Okay, there's more to it than that. But if you don't actually have a plan you will not be successful.
After 18 months of learning, thinking, and
taking some baby steps with freelance writing, I carved out this week of July
15 – 20 to get serious. The goal is to launch a working schedule to stick
with regularly.
Sometimes, the conditions have to be just right for success. After 30 years of raising a family, homeschooling, and helping with our dairy and maple syrup business, I am now in a season of transition. And the conditions are right.
So, with my 11 year old off to camp, the
always-available wife, mother, and friend had to make sure this was my week. It’s day 2 and I am thrilled at
what I am accomplishing.
As I have been implementing all of the
wonderful lessons which I have learned here at WOTM, and from other seasoned
authors, I had to take a step back to not lose myself in the logistics. I
believe in hard work. But I also believe one can get buried in crossing all the
“T”s and dotting all the “I”s (pun intended) - to the point of not dreaming big
and following your instincts.
“Are you trying to get your opinions,
writing skills, or articles noticed? Do you spend hours a day reading advice
from well-meaning experts on how to drive traffic to you blog?”
Yup! That’s me. Trying to get it all figured out before I moved off of square one. Thing is, I wasn't going anywhere. I was getting buried under a heap of "getting it right" and all I was getting was overwhelmed.
Holly's advice was like a welcoming breeze. It filled out my sail and I started moving.
"Down deep, you know..."
This, coupled with the technical advice from seasoned authors, helped me find the right combination to set sail.
Only you know when the conditions are right. Learn, learn, learn. But don't be afraid to make a move when down deep you know yourself. Don't let too many opinions overwhelm you and hold you back.
Fair winds!
*Edit: week 2 and I'm sticking to my writing schedule!
You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts -http://kathleenmoulton.com/
