Many choose to work freelance writing jobs because of the variety of work available. Rather than being an in-house writer, where you would normally be writing one sort of thing day in and day out; even at an advertising agency, copywriters are often tasked with only ad copy, only radio spots, etc.
There is a nearly endless variety of different writing work out there; from technical writing to SEO (search engine optimized) copy for interactive usage to ad copy and much more. There are different projects available to writers willing to track them down.
Other writers take up freelancing because of the freedom and personal autonomy offered by freelance writing work, especially online writing jobs. You can then work on your own schedule and accept or reject work as it comes along. Freelance writers also have some say over their rates; although it should be kept in mind that there is a significant amount of competition out there for paying freelance writing jobs – so you may not be able to demand a price as you’d like, at least you are getting your start in freelance writing work.
There is also the matter of location to be considered. With online writing jobs, the writer can be based anywhere at all – you can be in a different country than your clients and still deliver your projects; this represents a great advancement which has been seen in many fields. It would be difficult to imagine going back to a time before the ''virtual office'' was the norm for freelance writers. For better or worse (mostly better, on the whole), the web has opened up the global marketplace to writers as it has so many other sectors of the economy.
There are many different ways to find paying freelance writing jobs. One can look in the classified ads section of one’s local paper (although this is an increasingly rare place to find freelance writing jobs). If you happen to live in a larger city, this may be worth a look. A better bet, especially for online writing jobs is to look (where else?) online. Classified ad sites such as Craigslist and Backpages are a good place to begin looking for work. There are many freelance writers, who got their start in the writing business this way. If you have little or no professional experience writing, this is a good way to begin building your portfolio, your client list, and your reputation for producing quality content.
Speaking of portfolios, this is as essential as you begin trying to secure some of the more lucrative freelance writing jobs. Keep copies of some of your best pieces as samples to show prospective clients in the future. You may also want to write pieces specifically for your portfolio, even if they are not the sort of work you have done in the past – these are known as ''spec'' pieces and producing them can be a valuable exercise as well as making you more marketable as a writer.
A strong portfolio can win you a lot of paying freelance writing jobs, so don’t neglect to maintain a portfolio of your strongest work. As a freelance writer your livelihood depends on finding freelance writing jobs and convincing clients that your writing skills are up to par for the task.
One skill, which is necessary to succeed in freelance writing, is effective time management. Since there is no punch clock and no one there reminding you of deadlines, you need to be your own boss. This is a plus for some, since they are well suited for working independently. Others may need a little practice to get used to pushing themselves to produce. Those who do not work well independently, however, may find making a viable career in freelance writing jobs to be too much of a challenge.
Purely online writing jobs are another possibility for finding paying freelance writing jobs. There are a number of websites, which act as clearing houses for freelance writing work, with writers able to either bid on projects or receiving a flat fee per piece written. While this is not nearly as lucrative as finding writing projects on your own (especially the bid-based writing sites, where you may be competing with writers who live in countries with a much lower cost of living than your own), but these sites offer a good way to get started with freelance writing jobs.
