How to Be a Freelance Writer - What You Can Do to Improve Your Writing

If you want to be a freelance writer the key lies in improving your skills and improving your job applications. By improving your skills you improve your writing and this of course is the basis or bedrock of your writing career. And this article will discuss a number of things you can do to improve your writing technique. But it’s also important that you understand that the best writers in the world will remain unemployed freelance writers unless they know how to apply for jobs. But first, here is how to improve your writing.

• ‘Horses for courses’ is a very important technique.
• Editing is a whole skill in itself.
• Less is more and always will be so.
• Finishing on time every time is essential.
• Study what successful freelance writers have done.

There is a style of writing which applies to every piece of work. You need to capture the style as required by the employer. Remember no matter how skillful you are, no matter how talented you are at coming up with a witty or clever style of writing, if it’s not the style required by the employer then it is wrong and you will fail. You must understand the brief. If the employer is not specific enough for your understanding, ask questions.

Don’t think that the first draft you write is the only draft you write. You need to understand the techniques of editing. You need to be able to spot mistakes and obviously correct them. Become as good at editing as you are at writing.

Don’t overwrite. There is nothing worse than somebody who goes on and on when fewer words will tell the story and do so better. Always look for ways to cut what you have written. Yes there will be a word count and you should observe this.

You must never, repeat never be late in finishing the job. This is where planning and preparation are so important. Treat the client with the utmost respect. Keep in constant contact with the client. If there is ever a problem which suddenly may arise, let the client be the first to hear about it.

And you can always improve your writing by studying the writing of other successful freelance writers. Samples of their work can be found online. Why is it good? What is attractive and interesting about their writing? Learn from their good points.