How fast do you write? This is a question that is asked of me all the time. When I speak with others about the projects I complete each month they always assume that I am a super fast freelance writer. Generally speaking, I don’t consider myself a “fast†writer. That being said, what does it mean to be fast? Until you answer this question you will never know if you are truly a fast writer.
I don’t know what it means to be a fast freelance writer. Does this mean that you can write a 500 word article in 10 minutes? Am I slow it if takes me 20 minutes? To me, fast is a silly word to use when it comes to describing a freelance writer. Sure, it is better to write fast than slow. But this is only the case if you are putting together quality content.
Many aspiring freelance writers feel that the faster they write the more money they can earn. In other words, it is better to churn out 20 articles per day than 15. I guess this holds true to a certain extent, but remember that your clients do not care how fast you write. What they do care about is quality content that is delivered on time. Are you compromising quality because you are rushing? If so, you will find your clients moving on soon enough.
All in all, you can write as fast as you want as long as you are not trading quality for speed. I will never know what it means to write fast. I research each project, and then get started. If I get done in a hurry, great. If it takes me a bit longer, that is fine too. As long as I am producing high quality content I never think too much about speed.  Â
As a freelance writer the amount of effort that you put into your career is very important. This holds true when it comes to marketing your services, as well as the content that you write. If you are not going to put a lot of effort into bettering your career you might as well move on.
In my opinion, freelance writers who are willing to work hard will reach their goals in the end. Those who think freelance writing is easy money usually fall down and never get back up.
The time and effort that you put out directly corresponds with the clients you land and the amount of money you earn. I have found that my clients really like when I go the extra mile, and strive to make them happy. It takes a bit of extra effort to show that I care, but in the long run it is well worth it.
Don’t get me wrong. A good work ethic alone is not enough to earn a full-time income as a freelance writer. You must also be equipped with knowledge of the industry, as well as high quality writing skills. But along the same lines, you can be a freelance writing wiz with tons of experience, and if you don’t put the effort forth you will never make any progress.
Hard work is important if you are going to succeed as a freelance writer. Put out your best effort no matter what task you are facing. By doing this you will find that your freelance writing career is growing, and that your clients are happy with your performance.
As a freelance writer you can set the number of hours that you work each week. Yes, it is true that you have to work enough to earn an income, but even then it is up to you to decide how often you sit at your computer to work on writing related projects.
More and more aspiring writers have been asking me whether or not I work 40 hours per week. One thing that I like about a freelance writer is the freedom. If I want to work 40 hours this week I can. But if I want to work 35 or 45 next week, that is fine as well. In other words, I do not work an even 40 hours per week. There are times when I work much more than this, and times when I come up short.
Do you need to work at least 40 hours per week to build a successful freelance writing career? In my opinion, the answer is yes. When I started as a freelance writer I was working way more than 40 hours per week. In fact, I would venture to guess it was somewhere closer to 60 hours. On one side of things it was fun to work this much. Since I was new to freelance writing I was always learning something, and was excited at every little detail. On the other hand, 60 hours per week is a lot. Soon enough I was feeling burnt out which was taking its toll both mentally and physically.
Even though being a freelance writer is not your average 9-5 job, I still feel that 40 hours per week is the right amount in most cases. This is what I strive for, but as noted earlier, my actual hours usually fluctuate.
How about you? If you are a full-time freelance writer I would love to hear about your work schedule, and more particularly how many hours you work per week. This information can help all of us set and maintain a better, more efficient schedule.
