What I’ve Learned So Far as a Newbie Freelance Writer
What my five months of freelance writing work have taught me.
I began freelance writing back in August of this year. I decided to put all my cards on the table to try and build something.
I didn’t know what I wanted it to be precisely. All I knew was that I wanted to be a writer.
I was always a fast writer, and I had a vast knowledge of psychology and human behavior because of my college degrees and research experience. I knew that there had to be something that I could channel all of this education and experience into.
Throughout this time, I experienced the loss of my grandmother; I miss her every day.
During my grief, I barely wrote. I couldn’t do much more than one story a week. I went from being motivated to dropping my production to nothing. I don’t feel bad about my drop in production because I needed to grieve.
Through my grief, I got to reflect on writing. A tiny spark inside me was so excited to start up again. I was going to come back better than before.
So, as of this date of the article, I have made huge strides.
Through this time, I have learned that knowing where you’re going — and how you’re going to get there is a top priority.
Have clear goals
This is something I, unfortunately, did not have in the beginning. I had a rough idea of what I wanted, but even that was hazy. I wanted to try so many things and explore the freelance writing world that I didn’t know what I wanted to achieve.
But that’s how it starts off for a lot of people. Through this time I have learned about the freelance writing profession — and it’s definitely the one for me. As I explored more, I learned more about what I wanted to do.
From there, I decided to stick with blogging for the time being, and eventually branch out from there.
So how am I going to accomplish this?
First, there need to be short-term and long-term goals in place.
The short-term goals are made up of the small things that I work on during my work week. I divide up any task into multiple parts so I can complete it throughout the week. It makes planning, and goal progress much easier for me.
The long-term goal is where I want to be in the next 4–5 years. My long-term goal is set towards achieving passive income streams that allow me to have control over how much money I make. Meaning, I want multiple streams of passive income — but I'm going to need to take small steps towards reaching that goal.
With this in mind, the last few months have been interesting. In the end, I was able to turn a decent profit as I’m rapidly approaching my 6-month mark. As it stands I’ve made more on
NewsBreak is a lot more lucrative for me than Medium is.
Over three months later, I can finally establish the goals that I know I can achieve. But I need a plan to achieve these goals.
Your goals need a plan
To achieve your goals, you have to have a plan. How can you reach a goal without making the proper steps towards it? This meant that I had to break everything down.
I needed to break down my 4 income streams (many are still in the process):
- Affiliate marketing
- NewsBreak
- Medium
- Vocal
I needed to figure out how to best optimize these sites. I can’t just jump in and expect to make steady money. Yes, I am able to make a short burst of cash, but I want to build something that will last.
I want something that I can depend on; That’s really hard to achieve, but I know that I can create something that is steady and adaptable.
The business I create has to be able to withstand trying times. Let’s say Medium goes down the toilet in the future (really hoping this doesn’t ever happen!), what am I going to do? I have to be adaptable to whatever may happen in the future.
The skills I'm learning will be invaluable for me down the road.
Having a plan and short-term goals is excellent, but what is the ultimate goal? What am I striving towards? And if I set goals, are they attainable?
I’ll be keeping these questions in the forefront of my mind over the next 6 months.
The next 6 months
Consistency.
Consistency.
Consistency.
I am going to stay consistent with my plan. The small goals that I set up every day will lead me to that bigger end goal.
This is the one lesson that I have learned time and time again. Unfortunately, consistency doesn’t just happen — it takes a lot of work.
It’s taken me 6 months to fully understand the importance of consistency.
In the end, I am rocking it! Sure, I’m not making loads of money, but I am making consistent progress that will add up over time.
All my work today will make for a better tomorrow.
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Stay connected with this author: https://linktr.ee/JenniferMarch13
