One other attitude change is to remind yourself that successful freelance writing will take a lot of practice. You can’t spend only an hour a day (when you can fit it in) and expect to prosper. You have to make an agreement with yourself to devote quite a bit of your spare time to the practice of writing. The joy of freelance writing is that it is not limited to any one place or any one time. Get in the habit of carrying a pad of paper with you at all times. There are stories everywhere. Jot down notes for later when you can tie it all together into a project that you can sell. Even watching television will generate new ideas for you.

Your goal is to build a strong portfolio of projects with a wide range of topics. This portfolio will provide you with samples of your work should a client request one. Keep all relevant research material, thank-you letters, and correspondence from your clients so that you can refer to them later if asked. Start right now keeping everything organized. Each project you complete will add value to your education and experience which is your marketable resource.

Another attitude change that writers require is to learn marketing and selling themselves to get the jobs they want. As one of many competitors for each job, you want your reputation to be professional and skilled. You and your talent are the product you are marketing. Treat it seriously and carefully. You are the only one who knows which direction you would like to take your writing career. Too many writers just drift along and let life dictate what they accept as a project. You won’t earn significant amounts of money that way. You choose your battles. Get organized. Start drafting a freelance writing plan. Take the initiative and move your life in the way you want it to go….not the way it ends up.

Once you have your plan, then you market yourself and sell yourself to those accounts that will value. Selling yourself is an easily acquired skill. It benefits your bottom line. Writing magazine articles won’t pay as much as some of the larger corporate accounts. But, if you have enough of them, you can be financially successful. It is your choice. Your final measurement is the dollars earned divided by the amount of hours you spend on the project. It won’t happen overnight. The amount of practice you put into it will make changes happen over time.

The last attitude change is that this is a business and deserves to be treated as such. If your writing is just a hobby, a pleasant way to pass the time occasionally, and you are happy that way, then that is wonderful. However, you can still have additional income and make your dollars-to-hours ratio come out better if you learn to pick appropriate jobs. In the meantime, you must respect the fact that potential clients are going to give their work to the person who will devote time and effort to finish a project on time. A professional writing approach builds over time and results in more jobs coming your way. You have to be enthusiastic and prompt in your dealings with clients, or they will find someone else.