VirtualVocations

Most freelance writers have plenty of money-making article ideas and story lines floating around in their heads.  Unfortunately, those ideas won’t earn them a dime until they end up on paper. 

Whether you want to earn a little spare cash from writing or you’re a full time freelancer, it’s essential that you make writing a priority if you are to achieve your goals.  Ideas will not become publishable material until you sit down and devote time to your writing projects. 

The first thing you need to do if you’re going to make your writing dreams a reality is put yourself on a writing schedule.  While that may sound stifling to your creative soul, it’s the only way to get the job done.  Take a good hard look at your schedule, and see what activities need to be moved around or removed altogether to put writing center stage in your life.   

Be prepared to fight for your writing time.  Other people will have their own sense of what should be a priority in your life, and your popularity rating may take dive when you start cloistering yourself off to pursue your writing endeavors. 

Once you’ve decided when you’re going to write, think about where you will write.  Do you have a home office where you can shut the door?  Perhaps you’ll go to a local coffee house or the city park?  Wherever you plan to work, you’ll need to be prepared and have the tools of your trade close at hand.   

When the “where” of writing has been determined, it’s time to move on to the “what.”  What do you plan to write during your sessions?  Perhaps you’ll start by journaling or blogging, or perhaps you plan to start working on a novel.  Whatever your plans, jot down your goals so you’ll have an idea of what you want to accomplish during your writing time.     

When you first show up at your appointed writing place at the scheduled time, the entire process may seem forced, unnatural, and a tad ridiculous.  You may wonder who you’re trying to fool by calling yourself a writer.  You’ll find yourself distracted by the slightest noise, and you’ll hate everything you write.  Don’t worry.  These things are all part of the process, and every writer has to deal with them over and over again as they learn to make writing a priority in their life.   

Stay in your chair and keep writing.  All that matters at this point is that you’re writing, and that, after all is the only way to be a writer.