Pre-requisites for a Freelance Writer

Author:  Sreelata Menon

You’ve always wanted to be a writer. You are brimming with ideas .You know you can write. But you wonder if there will be any takers or whether you can ever make a living out of it, at all. Or you are an established writer wanting to turn freelance and are looking for markets. Well then, welcome aboard. Let’s explore the world of freelance writing, markets et al, together.

But first, do you have the requisites?

Writing is an art. Oh yes it is. Everybody can write, you say, well that’s true. And they do write- bills, memos, letters and essays! But can they write them well- even memos? Can they with just the word, strike a chord or touch a heart? Create a laugh or shed a tear? You must agree that no, not everybody can. It is also an art that improves with every outing. The more you write the better you get .And the better you get, the wider the field. So it needs to become a habit. And every writer especially an aspiring freelance-writer needs a few essential tools to keep that habit polished and shining.

Aptitude: Without aptitude, writing is a thankless job. It becomes a chore. You must enjoy what you write for readers to enjoy reading them. That unique ability to weave words into a kind of tapestry that leaves an impression long after the written word has faded is vital.

Attitude: The right attitude is an asset, a must. Curiosity, interest and the ability to translate all of what you want into the written word with just the right amount panache is almost a necessity.

Self Belief: You need to believe in yourself. The one single most important trait a freelance-writer needs to have. It is without doubt the hallmark of a successful writer. If you don’t believe, you can write, who else will? You cannot market yourself without it either. J K Rowling and Doris Lessing wouldn’t be where they are today, if they didn’t have it in sackfuls.

Patience: Without patience you might as well give up before you start. An attribute that a freelance-writer must have oodles of. You send in your pieces-you wait, you work the markets-you wait, you network-you wait. Till, slowly but surely your articles start making the scene.

Motivation: What motivates a writer to write? The compulsive need to commit to paper his thoughts, his ideas, his beliefs. A compulsion that defies all explanation. Also the need to express one’s inner most thoughts and hold it up to the world to admire-to share it with others!

A lack of ego: Strong determination and a complete lack of ego keeps the freelance-writer in harness. These need to be inculcated selflessly. He needs to swallow his pride, his disappointments and keep pushing his wares till the markets start coming to him. A writer’s ability to write is not in question but an editor’s ability to recognize it is!

If you do, hop on!

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