Online Freelance Writing – So Many Sites, How do I Choose?

There has never been a better time than now to become an online freelance writer. Online writing opportunities are everywhere. As a matter of fact, with so many opportunities it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and do nothing.

Fight Writing Analysis Paralysis

There are several reasons why people fall into analysis paralysis. Here are just a few:

1.Folks who are used to working at a 9-to-5 job have had an employer tell them what to do for so many years that they doubt their own ability to make rational, quality decisions. Decision making is just like a muscle. If you don’t use it you lose it. Therefore, if you’re coming from the traditional job market into the online freelance writing world, spend a little time exercising your decision-making muscles.

2. Fear of scams. A very real and healthy fear is the fear of being scammed. It’s especially tough for a newbie to know what to look for in a reputable writing site. For those who fall into the fear of being scammed category check out this link on what to look for in an online writing site.

3. Excessive reviews and opinions. This one can keep you permanently in the analysis paralysis mode. Everybody has an opinion (as my dad used to say, opinions are like rear ends, everybody has one— I cleaned that one up because this is a family website). The only important opinion is your own. What works for one may not work for another.

4. Wasting time and money. The first rule to writing online is never pay money for writing assignments. As far as wasting time, nothing wastes more time than analysis paralysis. It’s better to get started with a site and find shortly thereafter that it was a waste of your time than spend months analyzing and rehashing the same information over and over again.

Online Writing Confidence vs. Online Writing Fear

If you’re new to online freelance writing more than likely your confidence is low and the fear level is high. There’s no magic pill you can take to increase your confidence and reduce the fear. The closest thing to a magic pill is action.

In the book Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy, consider fear as a big ugly frog. If you know that you have to eat a huge ugly frog, don’t spend a lot of time looking at it because the frog is only going to get bigger and uglier.

The only way to gain confidence and overcome fear is to meet fear head on and do whatever you have to do while you’re still afraid. Let’s face it, many women go into the delivery room afraid of what is going to happen during the labor and delivery process but it doesn’t stop them from going through it. Your online writing career is your baby.

Take the First Step

Don’t expect to do it correctly and perfectly in the beginning. One of the best things you can do is fall flat on your face and make mistakes early on. There is no better teacher than a face full of mud. You’ll quickly learn how not to repeat the poor experience.

Online freelance writing is a journey. You’ll never know it all, but you can earn quite a bit of money and have a grand time while learning.

A Little More Writing Information

Before you start applying to writing sites all over the internet, take a moment and download the free ebook So You Want to be a Freelance Writer. The book is an informational and motivational guide for newbie online writers. It provides the basics on how writers earn money online, lists a few reputable online writing sites for beginners and provides the much needed motivation to get you through the hard times.

Okay, now that you have the basics, what are you waiting for…get writing! 

Filed in: Freelance Writing