In yesterday's post I started talking about four essential qualities or attributes that you should have if you want to be successful as a freelance writer. I covered Confidence and Proven Ability. Both are necessary ingredients. In this post I want to cover the other two qualities that I believe are "must haves" for any one interested in pursuing the freelance writing lifestyle.
Persistence. You must possess a persistent spirit in order to find the work want at the price you want. It is a challenge because freelance writing is a highly competitive profession and there thousands of writers vying for jobs in a various niches and other specialized fields. You have to hang tough some times and take the smaller jobs and that takes tenacity and patience. If you are prepared to be persistent in your pursuit of higher levels of writing work, then you must stick with it. It will take some time. Of course, this is not something I can narrow down in some hard fast timeframe. it's going to be different with each and every one of you. It's different with me. I'm still on the trail.
I know there are many pathes for freelance writers to take that will lead them to writing that compensates them for both their time and abilities with meaningful wages. The internet is our resource and our livelihood. Like I said before, I've only been on the hunt for a little over three years. Others have been chasing the dream much longer. I am sure they could add their own collected wisdom to this discussion. I am sure some of them would talk about persistence regarding their experiences as freelance writers. If you're confident and you've taken the time to prove your abilities in some capacity, you will need persistence to attain bigger projects with better price tags, and perhaps, achieve the exposure and eventual recognition that you deserve for your words.
Professionalism. This quality of professionalism not only includes your interaction with your clients and your work, but it also has to with how you present yourself to the world. It is your want of labeling yourself as someone worthy of notice. It takes all of the previous qualities to develop professionalism. It is your brand and it is worthy of being nourished. If you want to get quality work, you must look fit for the challenge. It takes hard work and dedication to be a professional freelance writer. Freelancing on any level can be tough, but if you want to be known as a pro, you have to work that much harder.
Professionalism requires investment. You need to develop both your skills and your customer service mindset as well as provide a decent appearance in the form of your website and portfolio. (Yes, you need portfolio that includes a cross section of your work. You all need online presence. After all, that's where your customer base is located. You'll need to spend time pointing the way to your portal, providing incentives for prospects to choose you over other freelance writers.)
I've only summarized these qualities. Much more could be said, but I think you get the picture. I will tell you truthfully, that I am still nurturing these qualities in myself. I hope you are doing the same. I wish you luck on your future freelance writing endeavors.
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