5 Habits Of Successful Freelance Writers

Written By: Vandana Singhal

I know writing is not as easy as many people think it is.  It needs thorough dedication and professionalism to churn out fresh and engaging reading material.  Professional writers not only work hard, but also work smart! They seek every opportunity to learn, get inspired, gather new ideas and write in a manner that entices the reader. Here are the 5 habits that I believe every aspiring and established freelance writer should cultivate in order to achieve success.

• Write Daily
  
  
  Write daily and write often! This is the only mantra that can make you a good and prolific writer.   Even though you might have heard this a zillion times, yet this point cannot be emphasized enough. Since writing is a craft, only practice can make it better.   Believe me, writing daily should be as important to you as eating, sleeping and other routine activities.  This way, it will be less of a struggle for you to write a few words when you have a project at hand.

• Pick A Time When You Are Most  Prolific

Just as you feel like sleeping or eating at a particular time of the day, pick off a time when you feel most prolific. It may be early morning, mid-afternoon or late in the night!  For me, afternoons are the best for writing as it is the time when everything settles down for a while until evening before starting all over again.  If you are an early morning bird, pick up your pen before every gets up.  If you hate mornings, go for quiet afternoons.  And if you have some nocturnal instincts, do not waste the witching hours of midnight.   Also, when you set aside a time for writing, people around you will be used to it and won’t try to disturb you.    As a result, you will have fewer distractions, and can work more efficiently.  At the same time, your body and mind will also get tuned to your need of writing at that particular hour of the day.  

• Follow Method Writing
  
  

Now, what is this method writing? Method writing is nothing but a process that not only helps you write better but also write smart.  Research, draft, write, rewrite and proofread till you end up with the perfect copy. When you have an idea with you to write upon, it is important to gather more information in order to convert it into an interesting and engaging story.   Next comes the drafting stage. once you have the outline and rough draft ready, allow it to rest for a while, say 24 hours and then come back to it. You will definitely be able to look at it with a fresh perspective and point out any inconsistencies. However, your work is not ready for submission unless you proofread it thoroughly. So make it a habit to read and rewrite your work to deliver an error free copy.

• Reading
  
  

You cannot be a good writer until you are a prolific reader. Reading, in fact, is one of the top habits of successful writers. Read everything - be it newspapers, novels, nonfiction or others. Reading helps you improve your vocabulary and language skills. In addition, it helps you get ideas and stimulus that you need to write something fresh.

• Seek inspiration and keep a journal of ideas

As a writer, you should try to seek inspiration everywhere.  Conversation with friends, colleagues, newspapers, magazines, kids, music, politics, environment or any other thing that stimulates you can inspire you to write. In addition, keep a notebook with you to note down sudden ideas that may sprout up anytime and anywhere. Like a photographer keeps a camera handy to capture sudden moments, a writer needs a ready notebook with him or her to jot down ideas.

Since habits are easy to form, hard to break, so form habits! However, I would say that while habits can be formed and nurtured, the most important is your will to write and write well. Do you agree?

Author Bio :

Vandana Singhal is a Delhi based freelance writer. She is an experienced writer who has written for various websites, article directories and magazines. She has written articles on various topics ranging from lifestyle, health, beauty, travel, insurance, relationships, culture, cuisine, tourism, hospitality, science, technology, education and other lots of things. Her versatility to write on different topics with ease is her strong point.

Blog : http://indianfreelancewriter.wordpress.com/