On The Path: Lessons From A Freelance Writer

By Shaun Kilgore

On The Path: Lessons From A Freelance Writer is a short book that shares some of the knowledge, tips, and experiences of a freelance writer. It is a good resource for beginners and veteran writers alike who might like find something valuable from a professional writer further down the path.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Founders House Publishing LLC
• Release date: Feb 16, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466011946

Shaun Kilgore

Shaun Kilgore is the author of various works of fantasy, science fiction, and a number of nonfiction works. His books appear in both print and ebook editions. He has also published numerous short stories and collections. Shaun is the editor of MYTHIC: A Quarterly Science Fiction & Fantasy Magazine. He lives in eastern Illinois.

Book preview

Introduction

There is nothing new about what I am saying in this book. Rather it was new to me and could be new to some of you who have just gotten your feet wet in the world of freelance writing. This small book, On The Path: Lessons From A Freelance Writer offers what it says, a few lessons, maybe some thoughts from a writer a little longer in the business, but by no means at the end of the road. In the six years I've been freelance writing, ghostwriting, and producing web content, I have learned a lot and I've most certainly put a lot of words down in the form of articles, product descriptions, eBooks, and special reports for my various clients. I've even managed to do some credited writing for a couple of websites.

This book is a reminder to me of where I've been. The information in On The Path can be useful for the newbie writer and it can be a refresher for more experienced pros. Is this book exhaustive in treating the subject of freelancing? No. The following pages are a mix of practical observations, tips, and steps that can be used by writers wherever they may be on the path and no matter how they feel about the work. Each essay is an adapted version of a blog post that originally appeared on my website, www.shaunkilgore.com. I culled through my posts and found those that I believed offered some further value.

Writing, as a profession, can be challenging. It is helpful to have reminders that we are not alone on the journey. I know I've benefited from other writers' expertise and knowledge of the craft and the business that is freelance writing. Through their willingness to share their information in books, on the web, and in person, I think I've grown as a writer. I hope I can offer the same encouragement and information.

Enjoy On The Path!

Shaun C. Kilgore

Danville, IL

2012

Four Qualities Any Freelance Writer Must Have - Part One

Whether you've been freelance writing for many years or you've just gotten started recently, there are certain qualities that every freelance writer must have in order to be successful in the long term. In fact, there are four that come to mind when I sit here contemplating the matter.

Confidence. This is the number one quality. It is also one that is very serious for me. As a writer and a person, I've had to work on my confidence. It's still a struggle for me, really. Confidence in one's self can make all the difference when you've stepped out to pursue freelance writing as a vocation. Without confidence, you probably won't take to plunge in the first place. Being confident in your ability to put words together into articles and ebooks that make sense and meet a client's needs is obviously mandatory. The bottom line is that you have to believe in what you can do. After all, freelance is now your business. It is up to you to make things happening - and keep happening month after month. Believe in yourself, believe in your abilities, and make sure that you keep moving forward.

Proven Ability. It is important to have a balanced, realistic view. Having confidence is great, even praiseworthy, but if all that you have is unconquerable enthusiasm and no substance you're in for disappointment. I like to balance confidence with proven ability. How do you acquire proven ability? Well, you start by doing the work. You train yourself in the craft. You become acquainted with what is required in the areas of style, usage, grammar, and other mechanics of writing.

Depending on your educational background, there will definitely be some differences here. Some new writers haven't considered the freelance writing profession before. Sure, they have some native ability for writing, but it hasn't been honed and shaped by the demands of online writing or other professional writing venues. This is the challenge facing new writers. You need to prove that you have the ability to be a pro. The length of this progress will vary with the individual. I know this from experience.

I've only started making my first strides to a new level of professional work. Working as a ghostwriter, I've been getting by with smaller hourly and flat fees. It's taken me three years. It may take you one or five. Remember that it is good to be confident in your abilities, but you should have something tangible to gauge this belief by. Proven ability is what separates you from any would-be writer. So, get going and get working.

Next time, I will talk about the other two qualities that any freelance writer must have to be a success in such a competitive business. See you then.

Four Qualities Any Freelance Writer Must Have - Part Two

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 paths 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