1. Introduction

You may have dreamed of “becoming a writer” ever since you were a child, but today is the day that you’ll find out how to turn this vision into reality.

As you read theFabJob Guide to Become a Freelance Writer, you’ll be amazed at the numerous options that are spread out before you as you carve out your own fabulous career. You can write to motivate, to persuade, to entertain, to educate, to inform and to clarify. The list goes on and on – and only you know the ways in which you intend to use your writing skills in your career.

Because each piece of original writing is unique, each writer creates a unique career. Here is what freelancer Deanna Adams has to say about what she loves about hers:

“The creativity of it, making something worth reading that didn’t exist before. To take an image, idea or story you have in your head and – through words – implant it into someone else’s. That’s just so cool! To weave words together and work at it to make it better and better until you read it and just can’t believe that actually came from you.”

It doesn’t get any better than that! So, get ready. This guide will provide you with the step by step advice that you’ll need to fulfill your dream of becoming a freelance writer. Let’s get started!

1.1 Freelance Writing as a Career

1.1.1 Types of Freelance Writing

Writing is one of the primary ways in which people communicate information – and share hopes and dreams, goals and visions. As a freelance writer, there are multiple avenues that you can choose to pursue – and many freelancers choose to pursue several of them, rather than just one. In the big picture, though, there are two main routes and, really, there is no reason why you can’t choose to do both kinds of writing!

Writing for Publication

The type of freelance writing that most people are familiar with is writing for publication. When you write for publication, you may write articles or other pieces (such as essays, columns or reviews) for publication in magazines, newspapers, newsletters, websites, books, or even encyclopedias.

If you choose to write for publication, you will work with editors, copyeditors, fact checkers and, on occasion, directly with publishers. You will be paid per word or per piece written. This type of freelance writing is covered in detail in chapter 3.

Writing for Clients

This type of freelance writing involves writing for clients such as corporations, non-pro