If you’ve been on my website before, you’ve probably read the story of how I left my job to pursue my dream of becoming a writer.
After years of writing about my freelance writing journey, I’ve learned that a lot of people who visit my blog are after that same dream. They’re just not entirely sure how to obtain it. They’re looking for my help to get there, and if you’re one of those people, I’m happy to oblige.
But, it’s worth pointing out that there are a several genres of writing from which you can choose. You can freelance, writing what you want when you want. Or, you can work to become a published journalist, where the end goal is to eventually write for a prestigious online or print publication. Or, you may desire to become a published professional author,
Whatever your goal, each of these dreams start off with the same steps. In this post, I’ll examine the journey you’ll need to take to become a successful writer. I’ll also look at the resources you can use to help you along, as well as how long it might take.
The Journey
Time Management
The first thing you’ll need to decide is how much time you’re willing to commit to becoming a professional writer. Are you willing to give up your job and make this a full-time commitment? Or, will you work part-time?
Success will be achieved far more quickly if you’re willing to commit to this idea completely. It’s a terrifying prospect, giving up on your career to follow a dream that may not come true. But that’s what separates writers from other people: we are dreamers and will work hard to make it come to life.
If you’re writing part-time, make sure you have a set period each day to commit. This might be just one hour, but make sure there are no distractions. For those who decide to quit your job and focus full-time, it’s important that you start making money fast.
Set Up a Blog
To start making money as quickly as possible, you’ve got to put yourself out there. The quickest way to do this is to set up a blog. On a blog, you can write about anything and everything you want. However, it’s best if you write high quality articles on topics you want people to hire you to write.
These days setting up a blog is as easy as one, two, three. You can set it up yourself or hire the services of a professional web designer. Either way, you want your blog to stand out from other sites online. This begins with a nice design and quality content. Adding pictures and videos will attract even more readers.
There are countless websites that are never visited by any online users. You don’t want your blog to be one of them. One way to prevent this is to use SEO. Search engine optimization is a vital part of ensuring your website is found by users on search engines.
Social media is another way to get found. Every time you publish a new piece of content on your blog, promote it on your social media accounts. This will gain you some valuable reads and leads.
The more reads you get, the more promoters you will attract. Promotions are how you make money from your blog. You can increase the chances of promotions by setting up a “Work With Me” page or “About Page” that lets visitors know that you are open to reviews, advertisements or guest posts.
Get Noticed
If you want to be a freelance writer, you need to make sure people can find you. This is all about putting yourself out there and getting noticed. While making sure your blog is a hit, you need to use resources such as LinkedIn. You can highlight your portfolio and offer your services to employers.
By advertising as a freelancer, you will gain attention and experience. This is important if you are working to become a published journalist or author. One of the first things agents and employers will look at is how much professional writing experience you have and what you have published.
Resources You Can Use
We’ve already talked about some of the resources that you can use to make sure you find success online. Your blog is important for releasing your writing and social media is crucial for getting people to see it.
But you should also use social media to make a name for yourself. Make sure that you are active on as many social media sites you can manage. It’s not just about adding links; you’ve got to interact with followers. You will get more followers if people feel that you are more than just another blog owner promoting your content.
Don’t discount print resources, such as a newspaper printing service, to appeal to a local, offline audience that may be interested in reading your writing. You could even set up your own publishing service to promote your blogging.
As a writer, you might attend book festivals and exhibitions. With a resource like this, you can guarantee that you’ll be noticed at these types of events. At some point, you may decide to become a published author.
The Journey to Becoming an Author
For many writers, this is the ultimate goal. It doesn’t matter how much money you’re earning from your blog; if you haven’t published a book, you still haven’t made it. There are two routes to getting a book published: self-publishing or traditional publishing, which requires the help of a literary agent.
Self-publishing is easier because you can do it yourself through Amazon. But, there’s no guarantee it’s going to be a success. However, you can increase the possibility of your book’s success with an eye-catching cover; fantastic, edited content; and a lot of promotion and marketing.
Getting the attention of a literary agent is trickier. You have to dig into the reservoir of skills you have built up to this point, and start pitching proposals to literary agents that work in your genre of writing. Carefully read their guidelines and submit your proposals as instructed. Otherwise, your work will be dismissed before it’s ever read.
It’s unlikely, but not impossible, for a book to be accepted by the first literary agent to which it’s submitted. Typically the rule is fourteen, which means that if you’ve sent your book out more than fourteen times and it hasn’t received any attention, there’s a problem with the writing or presentation. You need to revise and edit it before pitching again.
How Long Will It Take?
This is a question I get asked all the time: “How long did it take before you became a success as a writer?” First of all, how do you define success? Money is a marker of success for some people. For me, it’s a published work, whether it’s an article, a blog post or a book. I’m always a work in progress.
Secondly, it all depends on your goals. To get your blog to the point where it’s making money will take at least a year. Gaining experience and obtaining clients is going to take a few months as well. You can write and publish a novel at any time during this process; however, it may take years to get it published going the traditional route.
Ultimately, your writing success depends on how determined you are and how often you push that envelope. I wish you all the luck in the world.
Great advice, Marcie!
Thanks, Clara! Please share with writers just starting out on their journey.