Top 20 Things I Wish I'd Done Before Becoming a Full-Time Writer
There's so much I wish I'd known before quitting my job to write full-time. Of course, if someone had told me, I probably wouldn't have listened anyway. But life would have been much easier if I'd been armed with the real dirt about writing online. Content farms are the norm, and with good reason. They offer easy entry for newbie writers, sometimes with little or no editorial guidance. While this makes it easier to get started as a freelance writer, it doesn't exactly pave the way for a killer income. Before I quit my job, I wish I'd...
1. Doubled the amount in my savings account. At least.
2. Learned SEO.
3. Started a Twitter account.
4. Learned to write in AP style.
5. Spent a lot more time in writers' forums.
6. Checked out books on freelance writing
7. Learned about blogging.
8. Picked up some part-time non-writing work to supplement my writing income.
9. Written several articles in advance, then found suitable homes for them.
10. Been more open-minded about commercial copywriting.
11. Remembered my community college creative writing teacher's advice: Say it in as few words as possible.
12. Spent more time studying each writing site before diving in.
13. Bought a laptop or netbook.
14. Joined RedGage and other sites that pay you for already-published content and increase your page views.
15. Started a few websites to display my writing and traded backlinks with better-known sites.
16. Read articles by the top writers at various sites to see how and what they write.
17. Tried to get published in print.
18. Kept all my school writing assignments so I could re-read professors' comments.
19. Joined writers' groups.
20. Bought a crystal ball so I could see what Google had planned for content farms .
