I’ve been earning a living as a full-time freelancer for almost a year now, and just today landed an assignment from a huge American publication. Here’s my 10 steps to making it as a freelancer - which could just as easily be your 10 steps!

An extra writing tip: I’m not disclosing the name of the magazine I’m writing for just in case the article gets killed - that exact thing happened to me a couple months ago and then I had to sadly delete that magazine from my posts and bios (but I did re-sell the article elsewhere). When this article comes out - or at least when it’s given the green light by the senior editor - I’ll be blabbing it all over. Until then I’m keeping it zipped. The writing tip? It’s a life tip, too: don’t count your articles or books until they’re published.

I want to share how I made it this far as a freelancer, while the writing journey is still fresh in my mind. Part of me never thought I could earn a living as a full-time writer, which is why I want to tell how it happened.

And - take heart in the fact that there are lots of freelance writing jobs to go around! (Click the book cover for more information about earning a living as a freelancer).

10 Steps to Earning a Living as a Full-Time Freelancer

1. I worked part-time, wrote-part-time. I worked 2-3 days a week in an office on our island for about 2½ years. For financial reasons, I couldn’t just jump into freelance writing full-time. Plus, getting out of the house also helped me stay sane. I was getting rejections left right and centre, and lots of no responses, so I needed to get into the normal world regularly. When it seemed like the right time to focus on writing full-time, I quit working part-time. Now, I’m getting paid to write as a freelancer…and I expect the upward trend to continue because I work hard.

2. I took everything I read about freelancing with a grain of salt. Before I started earning a living as a full-time freelance writer, I always had a writing book on the go. I thought that was the best way to learn - and it was a good way to learn how, for instance, to pitch queries to magazines. But, I’ve learned that every magazine and website has different preferences. One of my regulars likes long, detailed pitches - and the editor at my newest magazine said that I should shorten my pitches. They’re too long! So, take what you read and hear about freelance writing with a pinch of salt…

3. I took risks with the “rules.” The Renegade Writer by Formichelli and Burell is an awesome way to look at “the rules of freelance writing.” There really are no rules - each freelancer has to find her own way. If a writing book says “write a one-page query”, but your idea takes two pages to explain it properly, then use two. That said - if you know that the magazine prefers two-paragraph queries, then do that. I guess you have to find the balance between breaking the rules and not being hard to work with if you want to get paid to write.

4. I didn’t write until I had an assignment. I think it’s a huge waste of time to write an article before I have a contract. Of course, this is different for poetry, short stories, novels, etc. With non-fiction writing, I’d recommend waiting until I’m paid to write.

5. I blogged. Blogging as a writer has strengthened my skills, taught me writing discipline, and connected me to people. I could never blog about my life - I need the hook of the writing tips and writing quotations, or inspirational quotations for women (that’s my other blog: Quips & Tips for Adventurous Women).

6. I wrote for Suite101. Not only did writing for a website that pays a bit of money get me accustomed to writing for the public, it also boosted my confidence as a freelancer. And it gave me credibility. I started out in a volunteer position for BellaOnline, which lasted for a few months. It was nice, but I soon tired of writing for free. Getting paid to write really is a dream come true, and I’ve learned a ton from being the Feature Writer at Psychology Suite 101.

7. I submitted my articles early. I always tried to hand my article in before the deadline, though sometimes it didn’t matter. The editor sat on it for weeks. That doesn’t always happen, though. Sometimes they’re on them like stink, and they zip them right back to you for editing.

8. I did my edits quickly and happily. Most of my articles required tweaking; if I want to keep earning a living as a freelancer, I want to turn them around and get them back to the editor fast. And - I want to learn from my editors. I learn the least when the editor just publishes it as is. That’s a little flattering, but there’s no depth there, no writing training.

9. I kept submitting, no matter how many rejections I got. To get paid to write, I learned that I had to accept that most of the time my ideas just dodn’t fit the magazine’s requirements. It’s a simple as that.

10. I surrounded myself with people who believed. My husband Bruce told me almost every day for the past 3 years that soon he’s gonna retire and I’ll support us both with my earnings as a full-time freelance writer. Today, for the first time, I believe him!