Freelance Writing- Beginners Journey. Learning the Power of Clicks

I have decided to document my freelance writing journey. Whether it will go according to plan or not, I do not know. One thing for sure is that I have discovered the power of a few clicks which has enabled me to put the things I think about on the worldwide web.

As an avid reader, I have always had a passion for writing. I decided to start my journey by creating this free website. I created it to document my travels abroad, as well as, to educate, inform and inspire those who may come across my work. I have been updating this website that I renamed "ThinkSpiration Lifestyle" on and off over the past eight months and I am finally at the place where I am consistently writing and publishing new articles, at least once or twice per week.

Naturally, the next logical step for me was to begin outsourcing my writing skills. So I began stalking Google with variations of the term "freelance writing jobs." Of course I found A LOT of information and several other established blog sites that provided a list of job boards, content mills etc. I clicked and clicked, day after day and finally decided to start applying. Content mills are by far the easiest to get into. Once you apply and pass the initial test, if the website has one, then you are set. Immediately you can start writing for clients. This is where you can start building a portfolio. The job payments are usually quite small and often times just not worth it. My strategy with these has been to build up my rank/skill level in a fast time (one week) in order to be paid more for the same jobs that are available for lower skilled individuals at a much lower price.

There is the possibility of getting invited to projects (like I have been) that pay a little more but let's face it, you cannot pay your rent working for content mills. Give yourself a time limit to develop your portfolio if you choose the content mill avenue. I gave myself a month and so far, I have written over thirty articles in niches I never thought I could write about. You may be surprised who some of your clients are, even some of your favorite store brands or bloggers.

At the same time I have been applying to job boards, mostly in search of long-term clients that pay much higher. Based on the portfolio that I have developed, I have found a few that are interested so far and I am just waiting to finalize our arrangements.

I must mention that over the past two months, I started writing my own e-books. Yes, even while writing for clients. One thing I have learnt is that you have to put time into your own work and passion. And I am very happy about the four e-books that I have published in the process. I have had to learn new skills that I had no idea I would ever need to learn, having a background in Dentistry. I have managed to design my own book covers and even posters. It is amazing what you can learn online these days in just a few clicks.

So far, this has been a two month journey. Now that I am pursuing a masters, I still plan to put just as much time into writing as I did before. So in two months I have managed to build a portfolio, write and publish four e-books (of which I have sold a few copies organically) and started applying for long-term freelance writing jobs.

I myself am looking forward to where this next chapter will take me. I could be just a click away from a great opportunity or click away from starting all over.

Remember, if writing for a brand, build your own brand