Want to make money from your writing? It's surprisingly simple, once you make a decision. You're changing your status from an amateur to a pro, so let's see how you can do that.
Tip: I said that you need to make a decision, and that explicitly means a commitment. Can you commit? Great! That's all it takes.
1. Discover Who Makes Money Writing
There are many different kinds of writers. Novelists, screenwriters, commercial writers, online writers, copywriters...
For the next week or two, carry a small notebook with you, and find out who makes money from their writing, and how they do it. Talk to people. In the online world, many writers are surprisingly accessible via their blogs, and via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Visit bookstores, online forums, and read blogs. Sooner or later something will resonate with you, and you'll think: "I could do that!"
Many professional writers turned professional when they had this epiphany. They read something and realized that they could write that kind of material, with just a little training and determination.
2. Research Markets and Pay
Once you've found something you feel you could write, it's time to research who buys that kind of material, and how much they pay.
Again, ask professionals via blogs, and networking sites. It's unlikely that someone will tell you exactly how much he makes each year, but most professionals will tell you how much an average writer of ________ (whatever) makes a year, and how much income you should be making in your first year.
Now you know what you're writing, and roughly how much to expect in terms of payment. From now on, it's up to you.
3. Set Goals and Schedule Your Time
Everything takes longer while you're learning. Once you know how something works, it's a matter of practice.
Get into the habit now of setting goals. A goal is simply a destination. Goals can and should be reviewed, updated, and changed if necessary. Review your goals at least once a week.
In addition to yearly, monthly and weekly goals, you need daily goals. When you're writing part-time, schedule a block of time for writing, even if it's only half an hour. You don't need a lot of time. You'll be amazed that once you're writing, your time expands -- and you have more time to write than you thought.
Recession-proof your freelance writing career
"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" gives you all the tools you need for a thriving writing career, no matter what the economic climate.
Three weeks after completing the class one student wrote:
"Thanks Angela, for all your help and advice in class. I'm quitting my job next week. I printed out my letter of resignation tonight after landing a contract writing job that will pay me more for three months part-time work than I earned in from my day job in the whole of 2008! You were right – the great gigs are out there, and now I've got the skills to land them. Your class opened my eyes. Bless you…"
"Write More And Make More Money From Your Writing: Develop A Fast, Fun Productive Writing Process" shows you how to thrive as a freelance writer. Would you like to write five times more than you're writing now, and sell to higher-paying markets? Take the class.
