Freelance Writing Success

Gracepub has got an interesting questionnaire on her blog about freelance success and obstacles to success. Here are my answers.

1. If you had to start again, what would you do different?
I would have started freelancing earlier. Although the time I spent teaching was not wasted, I would have been happier and further along in my freelance career.

2. What one obstacle kept you from making money?
Deciding what to focus on. Just because you can write about anything doesn't mean you should. Once I learned to focus on areas of strength, I was able to use those to branch out to other areas and build my knowledge base gradually.

3. What helped you make money?
Blogging was something I fell into by accident, but it turned out to be really good for my writing career. It gave me the discipline of writing every day, which improved my writing speed and style. My writing was also noticed by editors and publishers, which led to more freelance writing work.

4. What mistake did you make?
Thinking people would pay for my years of writing experience. Some people will, but many won't. I learned to work out what I could do the job for and use that as a basis for a bid.

5. What advice would you give others?
Set a schedule for working at home which matches the schedule you would have in an office job. If you give the same time to working for yourself as you give to working for others, you'll find it easier to be successful. During working time, don't do housework, laundry or catch up on your favourite soap. Be disciplined. Learn to recognise opportunity. Sometimes working for free actually helps boost your career.