How to Become a Writer

Do you like writing or is writing just your hobby? Have you ever wondered how to become a writer? Well, this is the case of earning from your hobby. Though establishing yourself as an expert writer may take a good amount of hard work and time, you can start your journey of how to become a writer today. It is not as hard as it may seem in the beginning.

Why become a Freelance Writer?

Freelance writing is a perfect profession for you, if you love writing and writing at your own pace.

You get to work from home.
You can be your own boss and still make money
You get a flexible work schedule. Set your own pace and time

Since writing needs a lot of concentration and peaceful surroundings, it is an advantage to be freelance writer. You can write from your home office without getting disturbed by people around you. Becoming a freelance writer is easier than other professions because it primarily needs a computer, internet connection and word-processing software.

The growth of the internet has boosted the demand for freelance writers, especially for those who are well aware of the differences between writing for print and writing for the web. Let us explore the kinds of freelance writing opportunities available online.

Who needs Freelance Writers?

Since the Internet offers global clientele for every product and every service, there is wide scope for every type of writing. It depends upon you to choose what is best for you.

Web Content writing: This area has huge demand for freelance writer since every website needs well-written content to attract and retain the visitors. If you are good at writing and are willing to learn about search engine optimization (SEO), you can look forward to a promising web-writing career.
Technical Writing: If you have technical background and can express ideas into writing, this is an excellent field for you. This area requires knowledge of computers and software rather than creativity in writing.
Blogging: This is one of the most popular activities most people pursue if they love writing. You can blog about topics you are passionate about with the help of software tools to write, edit and manage. Lots of blog sites pay you to blog on their sites. You just have to google “blog sites that pay you to blog” to get a list of sites that pay for blogging.
Resume Writing: Resume writing is a very rewarding field because you can help someone fetch a job because of the great resume crafted by you. Of course, you will be paid for writing resumes.
Medical Writing: Medical writing offers decent freelance writing opportunities to those who have knowledge about medicine. Almost every pharmaceutical company requires the services of technical writers for medical writing.

Some clients may want you to ghostwrite also. A ghostwriter is a writer who is paid to write books and articles that are not published in author’s name (but officially credited to another person).

How to find writing assignments and market yourself?

The internet offers several ways to find freelance writing assignments.

Register at freelance markets: There are a lot of freelance exchanges or markets where you can find freelance writing work. These are freelance job markets where writers promote their services and employers search for services. The most popular online freelance markets are elance.com, guru.com, ODesk.com and freelancer.com
Search niche freelance writing websites: You can search various freelance writer markets websites such as writersweekly.com, bellaonline.com, online-writing-jobs.com and many more.
Post your resume: Another option is to create an online resume on the various popular job portals such as Monster.com.
Create your own website: Moreover, you can create a website where you can promote your freelance writing services and display your samples for the convenience of prospective clients.

As an Indian freelance writer, the number of websites that talk specifically to you and address your needs is limited. Chillibreeze has profiled a lot of sites.

Creating an Online Portfolio

When you start exploring freelance writing opportunities, it’s best to have an online portfolio. To have an online portfolio, write articles in online article directories such as ezine.com, articlebase.com and others.

Choose niches for writing where you feel comfortable. Though writing for these websites won’t be paid, they give you an opportunity to get published easily. Moreover, you can start a free blog to display your writing skills. Get your own free blog site at blogger.com or wordpress.com

Conclusion

Due to low start up costs, ease of entry and a great opportunity to work from home, this field has high competition. However, you can earn a decent living once you establish yourself as a skilled writer.

Before you take the plunge to become a freelance writer, you can take advantage of various online courses and information available about freelance writing.

You can start at your own pace without making it hectic for you. You can start your freelance writing career without leaving your day job.