Home Office - Is It For You?

One of the most obvious perks of being a freelance writer is working for yourself. Being your own boss means making your own hours and having the freedom to work right out of your home. Eliminating a long commute to the office is nice but is it realistic for you to run your writing business out of a home office? Not everyone can do it.

First of all, do you already have a home office set up or will you need to acquire one? Most of us have what we already need to get started. Internet connection, phone line and a reliable computer is about it. Some people may find that they need a printer and fax machine regularly as well. A nice thing about home offices is that it allows you to write off a percent of power, internet and other stationary expenses.

Distraction is the main thing that hinders most work at home writers. If young children are home or you have animals, it can get annoying and difficult to work. Trust me on the animal thing. When you have cats knocking things down, climbing curtains and doing all of the fun things they do when you're out during the day, chasing after them involves getting up from the computer. Do this enough times and you may just pack up your laptop and head to a coffee shop instead. Try creating an office space in your home that is off limits to all but yourself.

If you have the financial ability to do so, you may wish to consider renting an office outside the home. By having a place to be at everyday, it alleviates the temptation to lay around in your PJs all day. As glorious as that sounds, it puts a real cramp in your productivity. Even if you don't have a separate office, avoid the pajama thing. If you feel like a professional writer, you work like one. Pajamas don't do much to endorse that feeling.

Create a schedule for your home office time much like you would any other work day. By staying too flexible you risk only sitting down to write when you feel like it. And as much as we all love our freelance writing career choice, like any job there are "I don't wanna" days. Keeping a firm schedule makes productivity a priority.

Keep your office space free of anything that isn't work related. Eliminating the distraction level is essential.



~Trina M. Lee
www.tmlwritingservices.info

Build Your Portfolio

The first step to any writing career is just that, writing. In order to build a viable portfolio that will help secure you some clients, you need to have something to put in it. This is where writing for free comes in. If you have no current work experience then you may have to do some low pay or non-paying jobs just to get those samples. Of course if you have articles on http://www.associatedcontent.com/ or http://www.helium.com/ those may serve as work samples as well, depending what the project is that you are going for.

Find a place that you can host your portfolio online. If you have your own website that's great. Just add a link that you can refer clients to. http://www.freelancewriting.com/ also has a section where you can put your portfolio online for potential clients seeking a writer.

Keeping a blog is also a great way of showing off your personal writing style as well as keeping a continuously updated source of writing. Provide clients with a list of links to various types of writing rather than just one to show that you can excel in more than one area. If you focus only on one type of writing that's fine too. But make sure that you are well informed and on your way to being an expert. Flexibility is best when freelancing.

Marketing your work is just as important as the work itself. Start by preparing the best portfolio you can. You want to market the best representative material possible. Dedicate time to your portfolio and it will help do some of your marketing for you.



~Trina M. Lee
www.tmlwritingservices.info

Choosing to Take the Writing Plunge

Making the decision to pursue writing as a full time career can be nerve wracking hell. Getting up each day to head to the job you hate makes you feel like time is being wasted, because it is. Not all of us can decide to ditch our job and "be a writer". It's isn't so cut and dried...unfortunately.

If you're like most of us then you don't have the funds to quit everything and take a risk. Some things have to start small. Ease into it. If you really have the desire and the skill to write then start small doing part time work during the evenings and weekends. Even if it doesn't turn into a lucrative writing career, a decent amount of writing jobs could add a nice extra chunk of change to your monthly income.

New writers may have a hard time figuring out where to start. Weeding out the scams from the real jobs is usually the first challenge, especially if you're looking for online writing jobs. A tip is to limit your use of the term "work at home". It turns up more sites trying to take your money than pay you any. Avoid them completely.
A writing site like www.freelancewriting.com is a good place to find jobs adequate for most breaking into the writing industry. Keep an eye out for low ball jobs though. There is such thing as a low paying job and then there is such thing as highway robbery. Don't settle for any $1 an article jobs if you want to make money.

Market your services everywhere you can as well as your website. If you don't have a personal site up and running then it's time to get one. Html illiterate types can get free hosting and website layout help at www.bravenet.com.

When it comes to choosing to go full time, take your time and really think about it before making a rash decision. If you're making significant money and have a steady stream of clients then by all means consider it. However, patience is key. Don't expect it to happen over night.



~Trina M. Lee
www.tmlwritingservices.info

Professional Writing Services

If you are offering professional writing services then it's wise to ensure that you're doing all that you can to present that image. This includes everything from the layout of your website to the business cards you use. And yes when it comes to writing services, you need a good business card. It doesn't have to be a $500 order from a large name printer, even a home printed card can look good provided that you purchase cards without perforations. Be sure that they're sturdy too or else they won't last long.

Professional writing services should be all about quality. All work should be the absolute best. If you create a writing team then be sure all writers have provided samples and resumes. You don't want to waste time cleaning up someone else's work.

If you are looking for professional writing services then perhaps you are overwhelmed with the abundance of writers out there to choose from. Be wary of those willing to work too cheap. Though it may sound like savings to you, remember that saying "you get what you paid for".

An experienced writer should have no problem running pro writing services at their own luxury and convenience. Maintain your schedule effectively so that you never run short on time. Completing a project before the deadline looks good and feels great.

For all professional writing services such as articles, letters and more see: www.tmlwritingservices.info

Do You Have A Writing Schedule?

Being self employed as a writer can be an incredibly rewarding career. However, when you're the boss the schedule is flexible and virtually non-existent and for some people that lack of structure leads to a low production work day. If you're the type that needs a strict schedule to stick to the task at hand then consider typing one up and printing it off to hang in your work space.

Be realistic about it though. Allow reasonable amounts of time for each task and include time for breaks. Working yourself too hard without a break will just reduce the quality of your work. If you're sitting at a desk all day make sure to get up once an hour and walk around for 5 minutes. It'll keep the blood flowing in your legs and give your eyes a break from the screen.

Print out a copy and stick it to the top of your desk or stuff it in your laptop case. Of course it will only help if you can stick to it. Falling off the schedule can harm your deadlines and set you back. This is another reason why it's recommended to never take on more work than you can handle. Commitment to your schedule will help you as a writer to keep a steady pace and work under daily deadlines as well as increase your daily earning potential.





Trina M. Lee
www.TMLWritingServices.info

Bottom Feeders: An Unfortunate Truth

Being a writer is not at all the glorious job that some people dream that it is. True there can be perks, for instance the fact that you can call yourself a writer. But aside from that, it's all about hard work and plenty of crap jobs. Don't get me wrong here, every job is a job that furthers your career and assists greatly in getting you the next job. But like in any career, you have to start from the bottom.

Starting out as a writer often means working hard for little pay. Clients have a tendency to assume that it's easy to be a writer and that it takes no real effort on our part. How sadly untrue that is. A bottom feeder is someone who offers you extremely little while asking for a fair amount of work. Sometimes there is no avoiding these projects. However, you need to know where to draw the line. Once you've successfully gained credibility and legitimate experience as a writer you have the freedom to choose your work and be a little picky doing it.

Persistance Pays Off In Writing

It takes a brave person to head boldly into the writing world without giving up. Many people when faced with the adversity and dedication it takes to get that first job just quit when it doesn't pan out the way they had pictured it. My first job was compiling information on various antique wares for a website that specialized in the sale of those items. Not only did it pay little, it was also pretty boring. However, it was my first paying job and true credit on my writing resume. And we all have to start somewhere.

Scour the writing job boards and then scour them again. Eventually the right job will grab your attention. Place ads in appropriate places advertising your services as well. Marketing yourself is essential as a writer. Hit up all of the job listing sites and bid sites that you can. Once you get that first client it really gets the ball rolling to the next one.

During those slow periods when you're in between regular clientele, try your hand at writing for www.AssociatedContent.com or www.Helium.com. They are pay per click sites but a good writer can make some extra cash there while improving their skills. Persistance is essential in landing that first, second and third job. It's all uphill from there.