Freelance Content Writer, SEO Blogger, Ghostwriter – squareONE

The number one reason most freelance writers quit early on is because they don’t understand when and how they will see a steady flow of income.

Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

If you are like most new freelance writers, you are very interested in learning how others have managed to make a full-time job out of it and when they started to see a sizeable, consistent income. You need to know that not every writer’s journey is similar, and knowing how to manage your own will help you succeed.

Everyone right off the mark is enthusiastic when they first start freelancing. It is almost like being given a blank page to write on whatever YOU feel like rather than being handed a project in a full-time job that you just can’t finish fast enough because it’s so uninteresting.

Having to constantly work with team members and being called into meetings that are a waste of time is exactly why you chose the freelance route. It’s liberating, to say the least.

So now what?

Sometimes, many lucky freelance writers work on projects from the get-go and don’t have time to think about the next step. But sometimes, you don’t have work immediately, and the weeks or months roll by, so you aren’t quite sure what to do next. If this is you, do not despair.

Focus on the following five core tasks to streamline your freelancing career:

1. Specialize

Okay, so many experienced writers will tell you to pick a niche and focus on that so that you are considered an expert in that particular topic. I believe it’s not about what you write about as much as what kind of writing you are skilled at. For example, e-commerce copywriters have different skill sets compared to blog writers. Long-form writing requires different talents than social media post writing. As a freelance writer, it is best to specialize in specific writing instead of becoming a jack of all trades.

2. Set a Goal

Have a goal in mind of how much income will come from your freelancing writing tasks per month or year. This way, you will know where you stand instead of just working blindly in the dark with no specific goal. Knowing how much you earn per month can help you tweak your schedule and activities to meet your goal faster. If you are way off and not just getting any work, it may be time to start looking at writing firms needing writers to take on extra work they cannot handle.

3. Be Realistic

Be realistic about how fast you earn a full-time income from freelance writing. Not everyone can do this right off the back, and for many, it takes years to get to a point in their career where they feel solid when it comes to consistent income. For others, this time never comes. Freelancing is inconsistent. Sometimes we have work, and sometimes we don’t, which means sometimes we have money and sometimes we don’t. This is why it’s a good idea to keep putting a little money away for a rainy day or when you have no work.

4. Set Work Time

This is critical. Working from home or freelancing means you can set your work hours and separate them from other social and home chores. This is sometimes difficult for new writers who are going solo in the beginning. Many are used to clocking in and out, but with your schedule, you need to be able to create the blocks of time that you are 100% focused on writing and creating content to meet work goals.

5. Networking

When working independently, it is very important to constantly connect and network with individuals who can provide leads for work. This is good advice for beginning writers who may not know where to look when they first start. It is intimidating and sometimes confusing. Applying blindly on job forums often turns up nothing, especially if you do not have an extensive portfolio to work from. Meeting with work colleagues or colleagues of friends can sometimes lead to opportunities you may not see by just simply sitting behind your keyboard and applying to anything that looks interesting.

The Point Is

Wherever you stand in your writing career, sometimes it’s good to take a step back and assess where you are and where you want to be. To do that, you need to be realistic and make the changes that can help you work towards a consistent income.

What do you personally use as a writer to structure your work tasks and ensure that you are meeting objectives? Feel free to comment below.

Originally published for New Writers Welcome on Medium on February 20, 2025