The ever-increasing numbers of freelance writing jobs are making many people turn their writing hobby into a profession. Basically, if you have been writing essays, papers, and blog posts as a hobby, you can earn extra money if you turn this into a profession. The most thrilling thing about making a writing hobby a profession is that you become your own boss and work from home. But, how exactly do you turn this hobby into a profession?
Here are some of the ways to become a professional writer or a freelance writer:
Conduct some research
The first step in the process of turning writing from a hobby into a profession is to know different ways of earning extra money through freelance writing. And, the only want to know this is through research. Therefore, take time to learn about people that need writers for hire and how to connect with them. Ideally, you must start somewhere. Many people start at the content mills because they enable them to gain writing experience. However, you can also start by creating a website via which you offer and market your writing services.
Think of writing as a profession
How you perceive writing will determine whether you become a successful freelance writer or a failure. Professional writing requires a professional mindset. That means you must stop perceiving writing as a hobby. If you have been writing once a week, you must start writing more often. That’s because writing will become a job for you. Therefore, according to your writing profession the same commitment you would give an office job.
Deal with old beliefs
To turn your writing hobby into a profession, you must deal with old beliefs that don’t fit in the current age. If you stay in the house the whole day writing, some people will think that you don’t have a job. That’s because of their belief that a job entails commuting to an office every day. You might also think that your writing is not good enough and that you need some training to do it. Generally, as long as you could write paper in college and score an excellent grade, you can become a professional writer.
Select your niche
Every writer is passionate about a certain topic or niche. That’s the subject you write most articles, papers, or essays about. Writing on this niche will be easier for you than writing on any subject or topic you come across. Therefore, go through the articles, papers, or essays that you have written in the past. Find out what topics or subjects are prominent in your writing and focus on finding jobs for writers in that niche.
Master your writing craft
It’s true that anybody that can write a good essay, article or paper can earn money by turning their writing hobby into a profession. However, you need to master whatever form of writing you choose. This may not be easy because you will always come across something new and learn from it. However, if you want to become a well-paid freelance writer, you must master your craft. That’s the only way you will impress pitching editors and article buyers. Remember, that hobbyists have a lot of time to write on any topic. But, professionals have limited time to spend on any article, paper, or essay writing job. That’s because the more they write, the more they earn.
Build a portfolio
As a professional writer, you need to build a portfolio and keep adding some of your best writing to it. Make sure that it has articles, papers, or essays on topics that you wish to get jobs for. You can start a blog and place a link to the portfolio in it. You can also include a link to your portfolio on different social media channels like Facebook and Pinterest.
Write to the end
Hobbyists don’t struggle to finish what they start writing. That’s why a hobbyist can have many unfinished short stories, articles, or novel drafts. However, as a professional writer, you must finish what you start writing. That’s because nobody will pay you for an unfinished paper, essay, book, or article. And, as a professional, you want to make money through your writing. That’s means you don’t have a way around this.
Spend time with the right people
Whether you focus on essay, article, book, report, or paper writing, you will need motivation at some point. That’s because there are up and down moments in every profession. Therefore, to turn a writing hobby into a profession, surround yourself with professional or freelance writers. People that are committed to freelance writing will motivate you when challenges make you feel like you can quit.
Generally, these are some of the ways to turn your writing hobby into a profession. The amount of money that you make from your new profession will largely depend on your efforts. But, if you master your craft and satisfy people that buy paper online from you, it’s possible to make a decent living from your writing.