When I first started researching freelance writing, it seemed like such a perfect fit. Writing has always come easy for me, and it’s something that I love to do. And there aren’t many things better than getting paid for doing what you love.
Freelance writing meant writing. That’s it, right? Have the title and keywords handed to me, and I just have to put it all together in about 500 words. Sure. Sometimes that is the case. But I’m learning now that a freelance writer is way more than just a writer.
It started when I joined eHow. It wasn’t hard to write random articles explaining how to do easy things. But, surprise, no one was reading them. And then I learned that keywords aren’t just for those other sites I write for. I began researching keyword use- how to find them, how they work, and how to better use them. This began leading me down the path of Search Engine Optimization. Now, that’s a cool idea. Little tricks to make it easier for people (and Google) to find my writing. So, now I’ve added more skills I need to work on.
One of the companies I write for recently had us using basic link tags in our articles. WHOA! Hold on! I need to know this too? It was definitely a challenge at first, and I had a lot of questions, mostly about spaces. Once I got it figured out though, it was pretty easy. And that got me thinking. Maybe this was something else I needed to learn. Programing is a good thing to know, as I’m coming to understand. There is a lot more a writer can do when they have at least a basic working knowledge of xhtml and css.
And finally, we get to blogging. I had a personal blog before I started writing as a freelancer. It turns out, though, that there is a lot to learn there, too. All of the SEO and programing comes into play here, too. On top of that, I need to learn how to write great titles, bring people to my site, and keep them there long enough for them to read some stuff. So we’re now adding in a little bit of social marketing. Oh, and if I want to make money off my blog? That’s even more to learn.
As it turns out, there is a lot more to writing than just, you know, writing. A good freelance writer can do a lot of things. I am working on learning all of these skills. It’s going to be a long process, and probably not a particularly easy one. But I know that it will make me a better writer, and a better freelancer, in the long run.
What skills have you had to learn since starting your career? Which ones do you still want to learn?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great blog post – found myself nodding throughout most of it. I work as a software and web developer, so unfortunately find myself having to learn and re-learn pretty much all the time.
I’m adding your blog to my blogroll
Jon- Thank you. I’m glad you liked the post. I can only imagine the amount of learning, and relearning, you must do through your career. It must be frustrating sometimes.