As a freelance writer, your time is flexible to a great extent. But, sadly, one of the problems you will face is time management.

In this article, I cover some of the lessons I have learned along the way.

As a beginner, you might ask, is freelance writing a career?

Of course, yes, it is a viable way to make money while you can have time for other things like building a side business or passive income.

It is a great feeling, but I could have done some things differently.



My Story as a Freelance writer

I have been on this journey since 2016 when I wrote an article at the rate of 0.8kobo per word.

I was an amateur when I started, of course. I didn’t know what I was doing. I aimed to make money, and though I achieved that, I was breaking my fingers, yet I was not earning enough.

I don’t want to continue that way.

And if you are reading this and asking, “where to start as a freelance writer?” you might find helpful tips in the article.

I once read a quote that says, “aim for the moon. Even though you might not get it, you are not going to come with a handful of mud either.”

You don’t have to settle for less. You can earn more, or you can be more than a freelance writer. You can be a millionaire.

I could have started freelance writing in 2013, but I didn’t overcome my fears till 2016. I started working with friends until I got the courage to ask for more.

Then I waited too long till 2021 before I started taking paid online writing jobs, by signing up on Upwork.

Here are the 7 things I wished I knew back then as freelance writer:

“Good enough” might sound average.

#1. Seek Growth

You are going to make money if you are growing as a freelance writer. One day, when you look back at pieces you wrote years ago, you feel proud, yet you know you can write something even better.

While you think your writing is good enough, you want to write better content that “good enough” sounds like average writing.

This should be your mission: Growth.

It is a personal thing, and you use your own yardsticks.

If you ask how I can grow in the freelance writing business, many ideas might come to your mind, and they could be personal.

For example, what are you good at? What do you want to improve?

When I started, my grammar wasn’t that good. So Grammarly came in handy. But before I could afford the software, I was searching online on how to improve. So I read books like Elements of Style, and I studied websites like Purdue.

The growth I am seeking is how to be consistent and disciplined when posting on this blog and with my creative writing career.

You see, it’s personal. My goal is to have a platform of my own.

Now, think for yourself. What are your weaknesses? What do you want to improve?

You will find ideas on the internet to improve or grow.

#2. Join a community

I can’t emphasize this enough. A community will help you improve or give insider tips to navigate a job search. Some will even bring you opportunities.

I received many rejections on Upwork until I started checking forums and social media to get accepted. This year when I was accepted, it seems my journey is just beginning.

Join a community early in your freelance writing career. You will avoid a or of mistakes that way.

The good thing about following a community at this age is that your options are online, and you can belong to a group from anywhere in the world. Check Facebook, Reddit, Whatsapp, or Telegram. Ask around; you might be surprised what group you will find.

#3. Prepare for the unexpected.

You can be hired faster than a regular 9 – 5 worker. So in a few minutes of an interview, you have a job. But it would be stupid of you to think you will be working for that person for five or ten years. I am not saying it’s impossible. I’m saying it is unlikely.

Maybe I am exaggerating, but I have been in situations where everything is fine, and the clients stop communicating. That’s it; my source of income is gone.

You might not experience this, but it will be advisable to prepare for the unexpected while improving the reality. If your client stop reaching out to you, your source of income stops.

#4. Learn how to manage money

Sometimes, you don’t have jobs. Sometimes, you have more than you can handle.

My bad, I thought I need to work every week as a freelance writer. I remember having weeks of no work, and I was afraid of what would happen if things persist.

Another month, I realized I had earned well, but I have spent it all on — you guess — nothing.

If you are not working with a high-paying client, you will panic when there is no offer.

What to do?

Improve and work with clients who would pay well.

Most importantly, understand how money works. I wish I had learned how to manage money. But I hope you won’t look at your earnings one day and say, “what! So I earn this much, and I don’t have money. What did I buy?”

As freelance writers, we believe we have enough time and will always get jobs if we have the skills. But that’s not a great mentality. Do you want to keep banging your nails on the keyboard? Don’t you want to have financial freedom?

Here are money management resources you can check:

#5. Invest in your skill

I know you are barely earning to feed yourself. But consider yourself a student in this journey. Learn, learn, and learn some more.

There are two ways to do this (1) Externally (2)Internally.

The two might look the same at some point.

Learn the Intrinsic Stuff

Internally, are things you learn on your own and are hard or impossible to teach others.

I remember those days when I copy Chimamanda’s Americanah by hand. I remember the time I was imitating Gary Harbert.

I know this affects how I attend to certain topics or tasks. When I was doing those exercises, it seemed pointless. But you can tell that things will get better when you persist. You will absorb and improve.

Evidence of Expertise As A Freelance Writer

Externally, this is evidence that says you are a professional in your niche. They include everything you can show others, such as certificates from a course, blogs you have built, badges you have earned, etc.

One more thing, when you engage in an activity like blogging, you have both internal and external rewards. You have the venture as proof, and the process of building that platform is teaching you lessons that are difficult to replicate or show others.

So what should I suggest to you? It depends on the kind of field or niche.

I can tell you to take just one paragraph of your favorite author and rewrite that by hand. Dissect it. Look at how each sentence forms a section. Ask yourself what makes the paragraph great? In three weeks, if you do it daily, you will wish you had started earlier.

Will that work for other freelance writers?
Well, I can’t say. But it worked for me when I was trying to improve how to transfer my ideas into written words.

Check online or forums by searching “how to become a better ‘input your skill.’”

Generally, there are three common ways:

Exercises (Deliberate practice)
Courses/videos
Books


#6. Take care of yourself.

Eat well, exercise, and clean up your home. Drink water. Not coke, not juice, not alcohol. Water!


Take your health seriously.

#7. Build a passive source of income

It is up to you how you are going to do this. Trust me; when you take point 4 seriously, you will come to this point. You want to build a source of income that earns while you are sleeping. Apply point 5 and point 1 and start funding methods that can make you earn while you sleep.

On the internet, your options are limitless. Here are a few I know:

Create courses
Blogging
Create YouTube content
Social Media management
Coding
Affiliate Marketing
Domain flipping
Kindle Publishing
Other digital products


Give your online business the right push

Check �

https://hadehwrites.com/blog/

I can recommend communities to some of you, but it might be considered advertising if I share links here.

You can tell me what you do, and I will give you recommendations.

This story resonates with me to the tee. Got my hands on the keys in 2015 and began a back and forth movement on Upwork. 2021 and I'm looking at all the lessons and smiling. It's indeed a great sojourn after these years. Hopefully I'd write my own story one day. Thanks Hadeh for this, I'd like us to connect if you don't mind. And the community too.

Lovely writeup .

Spiff20:
This story resonates with me to the tee. Got my hands on the keys in 2015 and began a back and forth movement on Upwork. 2021 and I'm looking at all the lessons and smiling. It's indeed a great sojourn after these years. Hopefully I'd write my own story one day. Thanks Hadeh for this, I'd like us to connect if you don't mind. And the community too.

That's the beauty of it. Looking back and seeing things you've learned.

Please write about your experience. We will read it.

I will be in your dm shortly.

Ammishaddai:
Lovely writeup .

Thank you

IamHadeh:


That's the beauty of it. Looking back and seeing things you've learned.

Please write about your experience. We will read it.

I will be in your dm shortly.

Alright will do. Pls send me a mail @ solacecopywriter@gmail the email I used for this nairaland account is no longer functional.

IamHadeh:


Thank you

I have a question : does copying a article help you become a better writer ? Of yes, what's your experience with it .

Ammishaddai:
I have a question: does copying an article help you become a better writer? Of yes, what's your experience with it.

Do what works for you.

I realize that when I pay attention to certain authors, I can pick what makes their work great.

Sometimes I understand it better by writing that paragraph and paying attention to length, structure, or asking weird questions. Lol

Then I’ll try my observation.

You see...
It is about asking questions about a style you love. You don't just love it. You have concrete reasons, and you need to find them.

IamHadeh:


Do what works for you.

I realize that when I pay attention to certain authors, I can pick what makes their work great.

Sometimes I understand it better by writing that paragraph and paying attention to length, structure, or asking weird questions. Lol

Then I’ll try my observation.

You see...
It is about asking questions about a style you love. You don't just love it. You have concrete reasons, and you need to find them.

True talk. I'll adopt that approach.

Thanks for this article. I am set to begin my journey as a writer. How can I reach you. I really need to connect with similar minds .

IamHadeh:


Do what works for you.

I realize that when I pay attention to certain authors, I can pick what makes their work great.

Sometimes I understand it better by writing that paragraph and paying attention to length, structure, or asking weird questions. Lol

Then I’ll try my observation.

You see...
It is about asking questions about a style you love. You don't just love it. You have concrete reasons, and you need to find them.

How do I reach you ? I would really like you to teach me one or two things .

Hello op. Thanks for this post. How can I connect with you and remain in touch. I really need to as I am setting out on the journey of a freelancer

Zhunnurayn:
Hello op. Thanks for this post. How can I connect with you and remain in touch. I really need to as I am setting out on the journey of a freelancer

There's little you can learn from me. Most of the tips are already on the internet or on this forum.

Ammishaddai:
How do I reach you ? I would really like you to teach me one or two things .

Check above