A Hearty Hip-Hip Hooray to Freelance Writers!

Bet’cha didn’t know there’s such a thing as Freelance Writers Appreciation Week.

There is… it’s the second week of February. Since I’m never sure whether that means the second calendar week or the second full week of February, I figured there’s little harm in observing it a bit early. Better earlier than later, right? I mean, seriously, what’s the worst that can happen? I might get an official reprimand from the arbiters of premature national observances. Then again, that would be kind of awful, wouldn’t it? That’s exactly the kind of thing that goes down on your permanent record. And we don’t want that, do we?

Sure we do! We’re no meek little rule observers, you and I. We’re the worst kind of literary scofflaws, for crying out loud. So put on your hats, don your silly goggles and what have you, cast your cares to the wind and let’s get ready to celebrate.

If you’re a freelance writer, first of all, here’s to you! Kudos on putting yourself out there in the big world of writing. If you’re not a freelancer but would like to be, you’re in luck. There’s a website dedicated solely to you and your efforts at plying your craft for fun and profit. It’s called, oddly enough, Freelance Writing. Who would have known? Turns out, it’s been around for a goodly amount of time – twenty-five years.

What will you find at said site? you ask. Information, dear reader! And opportunities aplenty! The site not only connects freelance writing professionals like you with folks who are looking to have content written, but it features a job board (through which you can search available writing opportunities); it also offers a wealth of articles and other resources for writing pros, as well as a section on writing contests to enter.

Just be aware: When I checked out their contests in researching this post, I noticed their deadlines for every single contest were all in the past – as in more than a year ago in some instances; so maybe don’t rely on them so much for contests. But the other info seems fairly reliable and up-to-date.

You could also check out Freelancer.com for freelance opportunities. This website caters to more than just writers. It purports to have “expert freelancers” who work in “every technical, professional, and creative field imaginable.” That’s considerably more broad based than freelance writing, but I guess these days you can hire someone to do just about anything.

And who says there’s no such thing as cross-promotion? An article on the Freelance Writing site touts ten top tips to “land your first writing gig at Freelancer.com.” I would caution you, however, that some of the info you find may be outdated. Links in that article to two other freelance sites (Elance.com and Odesk.com) now both redirect to UpWork.com, another site that connects freelance writers and other creative professionals with those seeking to have various projects completed. Other such sites include Guru.com and Fiverr.com.

Whatever your particular writing proclivity, you’re likely to find someone looking for it on one of the freelance writer websites. So go forth and celebrate your writerly self… and then get back to work. After all, that article isn’t going to write itself.

About the Author:
Rita M. Reali is an international award-winning author and longtime editor who most enjoys editing memoir, general fiction and romance, along with inspirational writing. She’s self-published four novels: Glimpse of Emerald, Diagnosis: Love, The Unintended Hero and Second Chances – the first four in the seven-volume Sheldon Family Saga. Her fifth novel, Tender Mercies, comes out in June. As a former disc jockey in her native Connecticut, Rita used to spend her days “talking to people who weren’t there” – a skill which transferred perfectly to her being an author. Now she talks to characters who aren’t there on “a little chunk of heaven in rural Tennessee.” Contact Rita.