The COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t been kind to everyone, especially to businesses and employees. With businesses not being able to operate at 100 percent capability, owners are forced to lay off a portion of their workers when operating costs can no longer afford to pay them.
Aside from the unfortunate layoffs, companies and businesses have also refrained from hiring new employees, which also makes recent university graduates included in the roster of unemployed individuals.
Because of this, there is a sudden rise of online jobs that can provide or add to the income of the employees affected by the pandemic.
Online jobs and freelancing has been around for years. Some individuals have lived their life freelancing as their source of income. And they love it! Flexible work schedule, no more suffocating attires, and office cubicles, no-hassle commute, and finally, goodbye to tiring mornings.
However, due to the pandemic, there is a sudden influx of people who are trying to get into the whole freelancing game and freelance writing is one of the most popular gigs that everyone has been wanting to try.
It is a highly regarded freelance job that makes you your boss and with the right amount of creativity and skills, can provide and pay the bills.
In this article, we will be listing the 7 characteristics that you will need if you want to become a freelance writer.
1. Business-minded
Many freelance writers started with favors from a friend or acquaintances. This usually results in a small earning and the cycle will go on. Sooner or later, new freelancers would realize that maybe freelancing is not for them and would resort to looking for a new day job again.
The best way to get out of this is to think of your freelancing as a business, which in a way, it is, and running it like one. This means deciding on your rates, proactive marketing, making contracts, polish your writing portfolio, set boundaries, collect late payments, and turn down offers that you’re not comfortable with.
2. Self-confidence
This is the usual scenario. An aspiring writer would buy every book on writing, attend classes, read every article out there on freelancing, would do everything except looking for clients.
Don’t make this mistake. You can’t just sit down and wait for clients, you have to go out your way and look for them.
This is why self-confidence is needed if you are aiming to become a freelance writer. Successful freelance writers approach clients with the confidence that they have the skills to offer.
3. Determination
In freelance writing, you don’t magically have a stable list of clientele or fantastic rates. You need to gear up and make that happen. However, making that possible is not all ABC. You’re going to hit rough roads and tough obstacles and you need to figure out a way to solve them.
Don’t stop at one difficult problem and commit to it until you find the solution.
If you’re at loss, you can ask in a writer’s community or forum or do your research. To survive freelancing, you need to be a fantastic problem solver.
4. Resilience
If you’re new to freelancing, it might be a heartbreaking moment when your query letter gets rejected. However, don’t fret. Rejection is normal and you can’t please every client.
Professional freelance writers are not scared of rejection, they prepare for it. Because they know that it’s normal and that not every client they have will like what they write.
What’s important is your mindset and the ability to bounce back from rejection.
5. Hustle
Freelance writing is not for the passives. It’s for the people who live for the thrill of finding clients, looking for better ones, raising rates, and negotiating.
Freelance writers thrive with hustle in their blood. Given, once you’re established, you won’t have to hustle as hard. But there’s no room for complacency in freelancing and no client is forever.
6. Self-discipline
As mentioned, freelancing is technically your business. So make sure that you set “business hours” and get things done during that period.
One of the perks of freelancing is having control of your time and it’s very tempting to just up and go to the mall in the middle of work. Don’t do that. Set a time to do the actual work, marketing yourself, and scouring for clients.
Treat your freelancing as a business and you will thrive.
7. Service-oriented
If you think freelance writing is you writing for a cause or getting your story out there, then you’re wrong.
Freelance writing is not all “you”, it’s about you who writes well for others. Your happiness comes from your clients who succeed and you are willing to write whatever it is that they need to further flourish.
Another thing to remember is that your work will get edited. If you’re someone who’s bothered if your hard work gets altered, freelancing might prove to be a difficult path.
If you love the challenge of being able to write almost anything in the face of the planet and being hungry for more of it, then you will survive in the freelancing world.
