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When will you hit the turning point in your freelance writing career?

Let's face it; all freelance writers want to achieve some sort of success in their lifetime through the written word, but how do you move your career forward from struggling to successful?

By becoming loyal to your writing and submission process. More often then not, writers get caught up in the intense competition that they forget to write. Quickly deciding that they'll never get published in that trade journal or national magazine, so why bothering trying because there are so many good writers doing the same.

If your career is lacking in motivation and you need more then a couple of articles published a year, then its time to get back to basics.

Start with your writing portfolio. Go through all the work in your portfolio and get rid of everything that is outdated, pieces that you know you won't ever send to a publication, and finally, what we all have, work that's just bad. If you have to, throw out everything and build a whole new portfolio. Then begin writing. Schedule in time to write if you have to. No matter how much you think you don't have the time to write, you do. You just need to decide how important your career as a writer is, and if it's something you absolutely have to do, then MAKE time to write. The reality is, you can't be a writer if you don't write.

The fastest way to fill your portfolio, and build your credibility as a writer is to submit your work to low or non-paying markets. But don't get stuck in a rut doing it! You are worth a lot more, and you'll eventually break into the big paying markets. But before submitting your work to any publication, do your research. Is it somewhere that you will be proud to have your work?

There are also many article directories on the Internet that you can submit your work to for free such as ezinearticles.com. This can gain exposure to you as a writer. Your article will end up being used in personal and business newsletters, posted on websites and blogs, all this can work to generate interest in your writing abilities. When writing an article for directory submission, be sure to include an author's resource box at the end of it. This may contain information about you, a website, or even an email address. You can put as little or as much as you want in the resource box, but always give readers a way to get in touch with you.

Once you have some published pieces in your portfolio, start submitting your work to the higher paying markets. Your clips will prove to be valuable here because many of the big publications want to see previously published work.

Waiting is the hardest part of being a freelance writer. It could be weeks before you hear anything back regarding your submission, if you hear anything at all. As hard as it can be, don't wait around to hear back from someone, just keep writing and submitting. Before you know it, the responses will start coming in and the cheques will follow.

Take advantage of 'simultaneous submissions'. Simultaneous submissions mean that you can send your work to more then one publication at a time. This will get your work out to various venues and increase your chances of having it published by someone. However, don't forget to check the guidelines to ensure that the publisher accepts work that has been sent somewhere else besides them.

Another 'back to basics' tool is to get away from the computer. The Internet can be a wonderful business device for writers, but it can also be their downfall. How many times have you found yourself lost in the Internet vortex, only to surface hours later with nothing accomplished?

Dig out your notebooks and get away from the desk. Sit outside and jot down ideas, fill out article or story outlines, or make a list of things you need to work on or research. Whatever you write, you are furthering your career because as the notebook shows, you are doing something. This notebook can be your inspiration when you do go back to the computer, it will give you something to work from making it that much easier to finish something.

The most important thing is this; don't give up no matter how much you want to at times. It's truly worth the sacrifices and stress, and nothing compares with seeing your work in print and a check in the mail for doing what you love.

About the Author

Melissa is a wife and work at home mom to 2 children ages 4 and 2. She is a Medical Office Assistant, but because she is thrilled to be at home with her children writing, she's not sure when she will return to work in the medical field. She is also the proud owner of Writing From Home, http://www.writingfromhome.com, a business offering clients writing, copywriting, ghostwriting, and proofreading services.