The Word Wrangler

One of the questions I get asked most from beginning writers is: “What do I have to do to succeed as a freelance writer?”

My answer is always: “Market yourself like crazy.”

The truth is that your writing skills play a secondary role when it comes to how much success you’ll enjoy as a freelancer. That’s not to say you can be a sloppy writer, but you certainly don’t have to be a Hemingway.

In fact, if you’re target market is Internet writing, then a high school writing ability is sufficient. Many of your clients will be more impressed with your speed and ability to meet tight deadlines than with the quality of your prose.

If you’re just starting out your writing career, my advice to you is to focus your energies and studies toward the marketing of your writing services as opposed to trying to improve your writing skills.

This topic is far too weighty to cover in this post, but I suggest that you learn how to:

• Market your services through blogging.
• Take advantage of article directories like Ezine and Helium.
• Make use of free advertising like Craigslist.
• Tailor your services to different niche markets.

There’s an old saying that goes: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. That’s true in every aspect of life. A fair writer who works their tail off marketing their services will almost always beat a great writer who sits around hoping to be discovered.