8 Traits of a Professional Freelance Writer

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What I’m reading: Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
What’s on the iPod: I’m a Mess by Ed Sheeran


Another week of short deadlines and plenty of work. The calendar looks like a treasure map with all the appointments and deadline notices lighting up the weeks. Usually I have a monthly assessment for you at the end/beginning of a month. I promise I’ve not forgotten — I’m just too busy to get to it. This will have to do.

I actually had time to read some blogs and forums over the weekend. I noticed plenty of writers — typically at the beginning or early stages of a career — who are taking baby steps or are waffling to the point of inaction. Negotiations? Some writers are taking whatever comes without question or push back. That’s not smart. But you don’t become a smart freelancer overnight.

Besides the usual list of smart habits — having self-discipline, meeting deadlines, treating clients with professionalism, managing time and managing the business — successful writers usually possess a few more qualities that make them the go-to writer for their clients.

Successful professional freelance writers are:

Focused on the client. Believe it or not, there are writers who miss this one. They’re so busy focusing on how much they’ll make, they forget to listen to the client. Make it about them, not their money.

Asking smart questions. Successful freelance writers go beyond “what’s your budget” and “what’s your timeline” – they ask specifics. Who’s your audience? What message do you want them to walk away with? How have you reached them in the past? What works/what doesn’t? Successful freelancers get to know their clients, maybe even crawling inside their heads a bit (figuratively, of course).

Hell-bent on delivering quality. Yes, money matters. But quality matters more. Clients who see the quality you deliver tend to hire you again. Give each job the best you have.

Communicating freely. The fastest way to lose a client’s confidence is by keeping them in the dark. The easiest way to keep that from happening is to talk to them. If you take five minutes a week to send a quick update on your progress, your client is going to remember you. You’re now the writer who’s reliable. You make sure your client is part of the process even when they’re not doing the work.

Always learning. Freelance writers who pretend to have all the answers are fooling one person — themselves. If you’re not investing in learning, or if you’re not willing to admit you don’t know something in order to learn, don’t expect your career to blossom.

Knowing their limitations. I don’t know the first thing about brain surgery, nor will I ever pretend I do just to get a job. If the experience isn’t on your resume, be honest. Also, don’t be averse to turning a job down if you’re not the right person — your lack of experience in that area will show.

Going beyond the job with clients. Networking, to me, means building relationships and keeping them going. Congratulate the PR contact whose wife just had a baby. Invite a magazine editor to lunch. Go to conferences, trade shows and local business events and mingle. Make friends without caring if that person can hire you. Be the person who helps without sending an invoice or the one who suggests that great restaurant.

Knowing their value. It’s about more than believing you can do it — it’s about knowing what you bring that makes you better than the four other writers begging the client for work. Successful freelancers know more than if they’re valuable — they know why they’re valuable.

Writers, what traits can you add to the list?
What one trait did you acquire that you had to learn over time?