by Jane Rutherford

Created on: June 03, 2010

To succeed as a freelance writer you need patience, writing skills and a computer with an access to the Internet. What you don't need is experience. And while it might sound to good to be true, it's actually how many freelancers started in the business.

Past Experience is Optional

For many freelance writing jobs you don't need prior experience in the field. What matters more in online writing is the knowledge you already possess and your research skills (so if you don't know much about a subject, you can learn quickly). You also need to be able to express yourself while following the submission guidelines set by your employer.

But to actually get the job, you don't need to link to all your previous work in the field. What you need is provide samples of your work, and those don't have to consist of actual paid work.

In fact, it's possible to get a writing gig by linking to past blog posts (if they are written well) or even write a sample article specifically for the bid.

It's What You Can Do Now That Matters

There's no point denying that being able to provide clips of your previous work is a plus, but it's the work you can do now that really matters. So when you're pitching an editor, you talk about the idea you have for the article, not what you've written in the past. It's about how skillful you are at using SEO and providing the website with good content.

If you don't have any past work to show your prospective client, don't dwell on it. Instead, concentrate on what you can provide them, and why you're worth the rate your quoting.

Every Freelancer Has to Start Somewhere

Consider this very carefully. Every freelancer had to start somewhere. Nobody ever decided on a writing career and already had numerous clips to offer prospective clients. And yet, a lot of them managed a successful career online as well as in print.

You simply need to be willing to learn, to start at entry level jobs, those that perhaps don't pay a lot. And with time, as you develop your skills and learn more and more about the freelance market, you can pitch more editors and bid for more jobs, write your assignments more efficiently. In other words, you can start considering yourself a successful freelance writer.

Build Your Portfolio

Even though right now you have no experience as a freelancer and what really pushes you forward is your passion for the job, the excuse of having no experience will not work forever. So think about building your portfolio from the very start. Write every article and blog post as if it was the sample that would get you the job. If you're particularly proud of a clip, save it as a .pdf file, to be able to send it to a prospective client. Set up a website to showcase your talent and have a platform where clients can find you.

As you can see, you don't need experience to be a freelance writer. It's not a crucial part of landing a job. Especially since there are plenty jobs available on the Internet, you just need to know where to look for them.

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