Sunday, April 25, 2010

Are You Prepared For a Full Time Freelancing Career? by Lisa A Mason

It's a big leap between freelancing part time because you like to and switching to a full time career as a freelance writer where your bills depend on whether or not you earn enough through writing. Some people pursue freelance writing on the side while they are active in another career. Some others try it part time while a spouse or partner takes care of most of the bills.

While you still want to succeed, there is a different type of pressure from this compared to depending full tome 100% on the income earned from your freelance writing. While it may sound exciting or romantic to be able to work for yourself or make a full-time living from writing, before you toss away your day job, it's time to sit down and ask yourself some very serious questions.

How can you tell if you are prepared for a full time freelancing career? Here are some tips and ideas to help you know:

· When it comes right down to it, are you motivated enough to continue work on your own?

· Do you know what it takes to be a full time freelancer?

· Do you have a supportive family that can see you through this career decision?

· Have you researched the industry and what it takes to be successful?

· Can you be flexible with the many changes that will come in the industry?

· Are you capable of taking constructive criticism and using it to grow as a freelance writer?

Once you have answered these questions, you have a better idea of whether or not you are prepared for a full time freelancing career. Now you will want to sign up for writer's organizations and other places that you can use as tools to help you grow in your career.

You will want to be sure you have an office or writing space where you can go for uninterrupted work time. You also need to be sure that you have all the tools needed to do your job properly. If you are required to work online, do you have proper, regular access to the Internet, for example?

Now that you know these tips to answering the question of whether or not you are prepared for a full time freelancing career, you can make the decision about what is right for you. This could be an excellent career path if you do all of your research before jumping in.

About the Author:

See "100 Days to Better Article Writing" to find out how you can become a master of article writing today.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in her 10+ years as a professional writer.