Setting Your Goals as a “newbie” Writer

These are several goals that you should set as a newbie to online freelance writing. In reality more in the way of a guideline. Not necessarily to live by, but to try and guide your freelance writing career in the right direction with as much success and as little chaos as possible. Setting goals as a newbie writer will make your chances of success increase tenfold.

a)    Don’t raise the bar too high

You will not be able to sit down and write the Count of Monte Christo just starting out and certainly don’t try. Most writers that are just beginning their careers should usually write something they are familiar with.

You don’t have to write everything from memory, a little research or fact checking is not a bad thing. Write something that flows naturally to you and can be written fairly easily. Numerous new freelance writers are nervous and very subconscious when writing on the internet where they may be imagining millions of people leaving horrible comments concerning their work.

Start out comfortable and give yourself a little confidence. Write blogs to begin instead of full SEO articles until you have a comfort level to do so.

b)    You should control where you want to go and when you would like to go

As a freelance writer many times it isn’t in your control whether or not you receive a written assignment or job. You may receive 1 assignment or job this week or 10. A deadline of 2 days or 2 hours. The most out of control item when starting out is your income. 

You can try to control some of these aspects mentioned. For example, the more articles you write usually the more you will have in income. The more marketing you do, the more you increase your client base. The better your work, the more clients you keep. These are goals that you can control. When and how you go toward each one of these depends on you to some extent. For example, writing for pleasure or experience, you don’t rely on income so much. Relying on income, you may have to write more with less content. Instead of e-books, you may have to write for blogs. However, you still have some control over where you go and when.

c)    Allow goals to provide you with inspiration

If article writing is a window or a step to another place within the industry or writing community let that be it. Do you want to edit? Copywrite? Publish an eBook? These are things many new writers aspire to. Keep these in mind when toiling in the trenches.

d)    The money may come slowly at first, but it will come

Along with the money will come hopefully other things will come. Other things such as what inspired you to write will also come. Contacts and even errors. Better to make them now then at the top of your Fortune 500 Company. There are things that are learned at the early stages of writing that will serve you well when hiring, letting go, staffing, going rates for what content, etc.

Writing isn’t for everyone but for those of us fortunate enough to have the opportunity to find out, better to find out now than later. Remember, everyone was a newbie at some time or another and setting your goals as a newbie writer can help you reach them sooner than writers that do not.


other great related content;
http://thewritestuffpenandpaper.blogspot.com/2011/02/tips-for-writing-great-articles-from.html