Non Writing Qualities of Successful Online Writers

If you want to be successful as an online freelance writer, there are a few personality traits that you need to develop. The more that you develop these trades the better and easier it will be to earn money online as a freelance writer (by the way, these traits also work for off line publications too).

Develop a Thick Skin

All writers should develop a thick skin. Taking criticism is not naturally easy, but it is a part of the writing process. Whether the current the criticism is constructive or not, everyone has an opinion.

As a writer you have a host of people you have to please. You have to please editors, copy editors, associate editors, fellow writers and most of all your readers. Nothing stings worse than putting your heart and soul into an article only to have it met with ridicule, criticism and worst of all rejection. Many a writing career has been ended as a result of having thin skin.

Stick To It (Tenacity)

If you truly want to be successful as an online writer you have to keep writing through the highs and the lows. There will be times when it seems like everything is going your way and then there are the other times. It’s the other times when you must employ tenacity to continue writing.

Once you earn one cent on the Internet with your writing, you have confirmed proof that you have everything you need to earn several thousand dollars online. The only way that you won’t do it is if you give up. Tenacity is what it takes to keep going.

Practicing Patience as an Online Freelance Writers

The Internet is the ultimate irony. It is the information superhighway where people get their information at lightning fast speed, but making money as an online writer however requires patience because the earnings do not develop or increase nearly as fast as finding the information.

You have to be willing to write quality articles (and a lot of them) and have the patience to allow the articles to mature and circulate around the internet. Don’t expect the article that you posted online this morning to gain a ton of traffic and earn a lot of money by the evening. The way the Internet writing works is the older the article and the longer it has been online, the more it is circulated and the more it earns. Therefore, patience is key.

Learn the Art of Focus

It is easier than ever to waste time as an online freelance writer. You may be in the middle of researching an important article and come across an interesting website that leads you down a path whereby several hours later you remember that you were supposed to be doing article research.

While the information you found on your writing detour will prove useful in the future it’s not helping you to get your article done now. Learning how to focus on the task at hand will help you to complete your assignments in a timely manner.

Self Motivation

The most important of all skills for an online freelance writer is self motivation. You need to find that inner drive to keep you motivated and striving for your goals. Whether the motivation comes from wanting to provide a better life for your kids or from a self improvement book or tape, you must find that motivational source to make yourself do what needs to be done.

If you’re new to the online freelance writing field, download the free ebook So You want to be a Freelance Writer: A Motivational Newbie Guide to Earning Money Online. This ebook provides a lay of the land for newbies and gives the much needed motivation for newbies and experienced writers alike to keep on writing. 

Filed in: Freelance Writing