A Typical Day in the Life as a Freelance Writer

I realized that I wanted to become a writer when I was just 12 years old. I wasn't sure then what type of writer I wanted to become, but I just knew I wanted to write. Writing is fun, and with the right assignments, it can be very lucrative. Here is a detailed overview of what a typical day is like as a writer.

Research, Research, and More Research

Regardless of what I'm writing on any given day, each day usually consists of a great deal of research. Whether I'm working on a fiction novel or short story, or a self-help article, research is always essential. Why? Adequate research is necessary to ensure that what I write is accurate. This is especially important when writing nonfiction material, but it's just as important when I'm writing fiction.

For instance, when I was working on my short story, Escape from Doom, which is about a woman who presses a button on an unknown object and ends up in an unknown, hell-on-earth type dimension, I needed to research sawed-off shotguns. One of the characters in the story used this weapon, and I needed to research this type of shotgun to make certain that it was capable of doing the things that I described in my story.

Despite the fact that fiction is made-up material, in order to increase the chances of your story being successful, you need to ensure that it's believable. If I had put in the story that one shot from the sawed-off shotgun had destroyed an entire home, that would have been so ridiculous and unbelievable that people would likely not want to read my stories in the future.

A writer wants their material to be credible, believable, and realistic, even if the story is a speculative science fiction novel. This is why I spend at least an hour or two conducting research on a daily basis.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming, which usually involves a group discussion, is part of my writing routine each day. Although I do what I call "solo brainstorming," this is a necessary part of my day. Brainstorming helps me to decide what type of writing I want to focus on for the day, as well as how I'm going to go about transforming what I have in mind into written form. I try not to spend too much time brainstorming, but sometimes it can take up to an hour, depending on how I'm feeling that day, whether I created a to-do list the night before, etc.

A Great Deal of Writing

To be a successful writer and productive writer, it's necessary to write as much as I possibly can. Since I quit my job as a mental health professional to pursue a fulltime freelance writing career, I must write at least four - six hours a day. I would really like to write more, but when you have a family, it's kind of difficult to dedicate so much to writing. I already spend at least two - three hours a day doing non-writing tasks related to writing, so that's a total of six - nine hours of work a day. Yes, it takes a lot of work to make a living as a writer, but in my opinion, it's very much worth it.

Marketing & Promotions

It's necessary for me to spend a few hours each week on marketing and promoting myself. If people aren't aware that I exist, then how can I expect them to visit my site and find out about my books and everything else I have to offer? I make sure that I find as many free ways of marketing myself as possible, but paid marketing is often necessary as well. My belief is that it takes money to make money, and by spending money on marketing, I'm merely investing in myself.

Seeking Additional Work

Unless you have a number of regular clients or a contract with a publisher, you will need to constantly look for new writing assignments. I spend at least an hour each day perusing freelance websites, prospective book publishers, and other sources of possible writing assignments. There is a great deal of competition out there, especially with the introduction of AI, but there are still many writing assignments out there, and I work hard to seek them out.

Interacting with Other Writing Professionals

Interacting with other writing professionals is a great way to network, increase your customer contacts, obtain and provide advice, and much more! While I don't do this on a daily basis, I try to reach out to other writers on Medium.com, and well as in other places, as it can be mutually beneficial. I am even thinking about starting a local writing or creative professionals' group.

Submitting Work and Sending Pitches

Another important part of my day as a writer is submitting my work to prospective publishers, as well sending pitches to editors. It's how most writers find new assignments to keep them busy and ensure that the money continues to roll in. There are job boards like Freelancer.com, Guru.com, and more, but these sites are very competitive, so I try to find clients in other ways.

As you can see, a typical day for me as a writer is incredibly busy! If you want to earn a living as a writer, you must work a lot, especially in the beginning. Once you've established yourself as a writer and published books and other material, you might be able to work a lot less and partially rely on passive income. Passive income is income that can be earned while you sleep and basically do nothing, but this is only possible once you've created subscriptions, books, short stories, and other material for fans to purchase. That's my ultimate goal.