5 Skills You Need to Have to Be a Successful Freelance Essay Writer

You are a student who wants a job as a freelance writer in companies like topwriterlist.com or other prestigious service writing companies. You are quite confident in your writing skills and initiative to provide the best quality output you can. You also have the equipment to be able to do the necessary work in your own leisure and environment and other aspects which you think is necessary to become a freelance writer.

After verifying all the things you needed, you submitted your resume to a certain company and waited a few days for their feedback. The company liked your resume and scheduled an interview with you; however, at the end of said interview, they realized that even though you have the drive, you lacked the skills needed to be successful in the field. Left defeated, you decided to do some research on what these skills are and luckily for you, we have prepared such a  list!

Organization and Time Management Skills

 

 

Generally, academic writing runs on non-toxic deadlines (in most cases) and the person is able to do it at their own convenience; however, by wisely managing your time and organizing your schedule, you are able to make the most out of your career since this is also one of the most fundamental skills to have as an academic or freelance writer.

Staying organized can be hard for some so here are some tips and tricks you may use:

  • To-do list – in this time and age, it is expected that most freelance writers operate a smart phone which holds necessary applications such as notepad or calendar. To create a to-do list efficiently, utilize your notepad and meticulously write all your projects in chronological order: which has the earliest to the latest deadline or organize them in terms of priority which depends on you since it can be based on difficulty or the length of the task. Other than the projects you need to be completed, you also need to make an input of your other tasks which are not related to your freelance writing job since you will want to try and avoid as many interruptions as possible once you start writing.
  • Calendar – regardless of whether or not you use a physical or a digital calendar, this works alongside with your notepad. When you are finished listing your tasks in your notepad, make sure to plot them in the calendar as well. This serves as an additional reminder for you to start working on your projects or perform normal activities.
  • Organized folders – this is essential for all writers. I know that this takes a lot of time and may even bore you to some extent; however, take the initiative to create folders for all the task you created so far and a folder for all the sources you used, you should also label them per week depending on the quota or the month and then finally the year. It is best that you label the name of your files coinciding with the name of your order so you will be familiar should you decide to look for the file again.
  • Organized work environment – though academic or freelance writing may take place anywhere, you should also remember that having the optimal environment to write will tremendously help you in your progress. I cannot claim for everyone; however, a quiet place where you can listen to preferred or relaxing music helps and drives me to write much faster and better.

Fast Turnaround

 

 

You must understand that this skill coincides with time management. As a freelance writer, you must be competitive and take as many projects for higher revenue; however, the reality is, a lot of writers tend to be lenient with their schedules and would rather opt to submit their work on the same day and time as the deadline, completely neglecting the potential to submit earlier so they are able to take more projects. Always be conscious of the schedule, say for example, you are given a task that would last a week so take the initiative to complete it at most two days earlier before submission all the while accepting tasks which you know will not be a hindrance to your primary task. In this way, not only are you focusing on one project but you have the opportunity to earn more.

Different Writing Styles

 

 

Other than having efficient time management skills, you as a writer, must be able to adapt to many different writing styles. It is not always that you will write topics on politics or even law but you may even be required to write topics on nature or science if jobs in your particular field or preference are either running low or you are obliged to write in another style.

The capability to acquire this skill will also help you in your academic life since you will be able to express yourself in school essays you normally would not write. Moreover, with this skill, you will have the confidence to accept tasks which you never thought you would be able to do and the like. Learn to explore different styles through reading journals, books or other sources about them.

Adapt in Length

 

 

Used to writing short articles? That really is no problem since you may choose tasks which are only two to three pages long or even less; however, these types of tasks often pay little. As a freelance writer, you need to be able to adapt and accept writing long articles on a strict deadline since it does payout more and will help challenge you to provide quality output and at the same time in a quick and efficient pace.

Editing Skills

 

 

The sad reality is that freelance writers need to be all around in the field and that includes editing your own work.  Editing your paper means you have to remove bias from your own work and look at it in a manner what a normal editor would such as looking for all errors in grammar, spelling, misplaced modifiers and punctuation. By having this skill, it will help you vary your workload since there will be days you would rather be editing someone else’s work other than writing your own piece which can also produce additional income.

There are other skills such as marketing or networking but those skills are typically not necessary if you get hired to a company which does not require you to put out a platform of your skills and projects you have done. In essence, these skills may be basic but these are the most important skills to remember and acquire if you want to be successful as a freelance writer.  

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