Freelancing, in plain and simple terms, means –“work whenever you want and however you want!” Imagine the luxury of not having a boss whose sole ambition is to make your life as difficult as possible, not having to wake up to go to office at inhumanly early hours, not having to beg for a leave to go on that long awaited vacation with your family and at the same time being able to handle family, domestic responsibilities and the likes without loosing out on financial independence! Sounds like a dream come true, does’t it? Well, thousands of people around the world live this dream and also make a living out of it and a large fraction of them are freelance writers.
Freelance writers from India are highly in demand all over the international circuit because of their reasonably good English writing skills and a willingness to work for peanuts (we'll get to that one later).
Although freelance writing has not yet gained popularity at par with mainstream journalism, it has definitely grown from writing a couple of hand written articles every now and then to a booming Internet business which is providing opportunities to many people in India who would otherwise have little else to do. Those who know their way around words may pick up a part-time writing gig for some extra money or even give up a "regular" job to make a full-time career out of freelance writing. The opportunities are plentiful and there is enough work for all (thanks to the outsourcing fad).
This profession is extremely beneficial to women in particular who are educated, ambitious but smothered with domestic responsibilities and kids. Any individual with an aptitude for the language and original thinking can make a decent living from freelance writing jobs and this applies to a lot of physically challenged people who are denied job opportunities in a conventional work environment.
A freelance writer can adopt any genre of choice- he/she can explore areas in academic writing, creative writing, feature writing, copywriting,SEO, web content writing, editing/proofreading or even blogging! Most freelance writers associate themselves with Internet based companies and organizations that provide them with orders on subjects and topics they are well versed with. The writer then works on the article and submits it before a pre-specified deadline. A writer may choose to market himself/herself independently through a blog or a website and directly get in touch with clients. Although the rate of professional growth can be sky- rocketing at times, it can work the other way around too. Any work that lacks originality and structure can send the career graph plummeting to ground level. Therefore, consistency and sincerity are very crucial components in determining success as a writer.
Financial returns in this field are totally dependent on individual capabilities, quality of work and the time and dedication put into the same.
Though an academic background in English or Mass Communication/Journalism is beneficial, it is not absolutely necessary.There is an unbelievable variety of "writing courses" available online through distance learning but their credibility is highly questionable. I shall delve into greater detail regarding these sometime later.
The flexibility and control a person is entitled to, as a freelancer is unparalleled. It does not require fancy degrees from acclaimed universities or a mentor; all it takes is a flair and passion for writing, command over the language, dedication to meet deadlines and last but not the least- an Internet connection!
Freelance writers from India are highly in demand all over the international circuit because of their reasonably good English writing skills and a willingness to work for peanuts (we'll get to that one later).
Although freelance writing has not yet gained popularity at par with mainstream journalism, it has definitely grown from writing a couple of hand written articles every now and then to a booming Internet business which is providing opportunities to many people in India who would otherwise have little else to do. Those who know their way around words may pick up a part-time writing gig for some extra money or even give up a "regular" job to make a full-time career out of freelance writing. The opportunities are plentiful and there is enough work for all (thanks to the outsourcing fad).
This profession is extremely beneficial to women in particular who are educated, ambitious but smothered with domestic responsibilities and kids. Any individual with an aptitude for the language and original thinking can make a decent living from freelance writing jobs and this applies to a lot of physically challenged people who are denied job opportunities in a conventional work environment.
A freelance writer can adopt any genre of choice- he/she can explore areas in academic writing, creative writing, feature writing, copywriting,SEO, web content writing, editing/proofreading or even blogging! Most freelance writers associate themselves with Internet based companies and organizations that provide them with orders on subjects and topics they are well versed with. The writer then works on the article and submits it before a pre-specified deadline. A writer may choose to market himself/herself independently through a blog or a website and directly get in touch with clients. Although the rate of professional growth can be sky- rocketing at times, it can work the other way around too. Any work that lacks originality and structure can send the career graph plummeting to ground level. Therefore, consistency and sincerity are very crucial components in determining success as a writer.
Financial returns in this field are totally dependent on individual capabilities, quality of work and the time and dedication put into the same.
Though an academic background in English or Mass Communication/Journalism is beneficial, it is not absolutely necessary.There is an unbelievable variety of "writing courses" available online through distance learning but their credibility is highly questionable. I shall delve into greater detail regarding these sometime later.
The flexibility and control a person is entitled to, as a freelancer is unparalleled. It does not require fancy degrees from acclaimed universities or a mentor; all it takes is a flair and passion for writing, command over the language, dedication to meet deadlines and last but not the least- an Internet connection!
hey that's all good. but what about the peanuts?????
ReplyDeleteExcellent tips !! Thanks
ReplyDeleteMost of the people who publish their jobs online do consider India and Pakistan candidates as they are providing quality at really low price thats why scope is awesome. You only need resume writing services while applying to a project as your application is the first thing that will allow employer to know about you.
ReplyDelete