People who are freelance writers often worked in different fields before embarking on a writing career. Some were medical professionals, others were teachers and still others were hobbyists with a gift for writing they were able to turn into a sustainable and desirable career choice.

Getting into the writing field can seem daunting, but there are two essentials you must have before stepping out: a desire to write and a talent for writing. I’ve learned that many people have the former, but think that they don’t have the latter. That’s unfortunate because these same people may not realize that their writing skills can be developed and will often change throughout their career.

My personal background in writing can be traced to the late 1980s when I began to write newsletters for a non-profit. After I left that job, I spent the next decade working as a technical writer for a business aviation company. I wrote or updated “boring” aircraft manuals and checklists, and sprinkled in a few newsletters along the way. Honestly, my creative side was held down by having to write according to Federal Aviation Regulations, so when my job came to an end in 2002, I took my severance package and launched a business. As a then 44-year-old male, I realized that my chances for finding work probably rested more on what I could find for myself instead of working for “the man.”

The first few years I spent my time developing websites and running online communities. I wrote web copy for myself and for my customers, but it wasn’t until early 2005 that I finally found my freelance niche. Instead of writing primarily for myself or for web copy, I soon found that there were people who needed writers to produce articles — some for print, but most for online consumption. I took my interest in cars and began to write automotive articles.

Yes, that’s how I got started, but it may not be the way that you’ll break into freelance writing.

What are my suggestions for the aspiring writer who wants to get noticed? Doing several things including the following:

1. Launch a blog — Your first step should be to start your own weblog, preferably one on your own domain and not hosted by WordPress, Blogger or LiveJournal. Sure, you can go that route, but you could lose control of your content. Visit GoDaddy.com, sign up for Linux web hosting, register a domain name and launch your blog. Update your site regularly, at least three times per week and use your site as our launching pad for your writing career.

2. Submit articles to directories — You’re still writing for free at this point and will continue to do so until you find an assignment. Chances are you’ll always supply free work whether as a guest poster on someone else’s blog or by providing an article occasionally to an article directory. My favorite article site is EzineArticles.com, a website that has helped raise my visibility. I strongly recommend that you visit this site, read the sign up details and submit your first article. Point the backlinks to your current site for search engine optimization purposes.

3. Seek out other writers — By now, you’ve likely crossed paths with other writers. If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, you may have seen other writes online. Go ahead and “friend” these people and make a point to visit their blogs and leave a comment as appropriate. This is one of the first and most important steps in networking — some of the writers you meet early on you’ll know for the rest of your life and may meet up with at conferences down the line.

4. Bid on work and query businesses — After weeks or months of writing you probably have shaped your “voice” to where you feel confident that you can sell your talents and get PAID for writing. You’ll need some clips and EzineArticles.com can be one source as well as any articles you had published to other sites. If you lack those “other” sites, then submit some original articles to MyBlogGuest.com and let bloggers with quality sites claim your work. Provide those links to your potential clients.

5. Wash, rinse, repeat — If you’re fortunate, you’ll land a client who will be able to provide the bulk of your work at least for the short haul. Do not get complacent — seek out additional work by bidding on more projects. The steps you did earlier you’ll be repeating, but you may need to concentrate on some areas more than others. For example, if networking is your weakness, then up your social media game.

Freelance writing is like building a house. Once you have your plans in place, you’ll lay a foundation. Then you’ll frame the walls, lay the flooring, raise the roof, enclose the house and put your finishing touches on the construction. Unlike a house, your job is never done. Like a house it is vulnerable to destruction so take care of your business and it will provide a proper dwelling for many years to come.

See Also — 5 Reasons Why Every Freelance Writer Should Blog