Okay, so you can write and you are ready to become a hired gun. You have polished your shooting irons and the town hall clock is slowly ticking towards high noon. Standing in the dusty street, duster tails blowing around your legs, palms sweating and itchy.
Suddenly, the target appears down the street from you, or you assume it is the target. The overhead sun is bright and blazing, causing sweat to blur your vision.
Then, just as your nerve pushes you to draw, a gunshot rings out and dust is violently thrown up at your feet. You look around and realize the target is not alone as there are nearly 15 guns scattered on rooftops and front porches out in front of you…
Being a freelancer is so much more than just writing. Being a freelance writer is an occupation and as like any other form of self employment, a freelance writer has to wear many hats. Freelancers have to know how to write various types of content, know how to market their skills, know about customer relationships, know about bookkeeping, know about SEO, know about, know about, know about…
Most of this stuff is typically learned through experience and common sense, but because you wear a bright and shiny tin star, there is help on your side of the dusty street…
The Freelance Writing Jobs Network
If there is a more complete and in depth support resource for freelance writers available, I’ll eat my sweat laden stetson.
Deb Ng started The Freelance Writing Jobs Network as a classifieds (if you will) listing for freelance writing jobs available, but today the site is so much more.
So much more.
Today, FJWN is a complete community where a freelancer can amass all manners of knowledge relating to the business of being a writer for hire. Take this FWJN post for instance, Do You Have the Confidence to Apply For the Big Jobs?; the idea of gaining confidenece is explored and handy tips are doled out so that we writers may help ourselves land the bigger jobs we wouldn’t have gunned for because we didn’t think we were good enough.
Looking across the top of the site you can see that the community offers guidance on business, article writing, blogging for living, grammar, and job hunting tips.
Oh yeah…there are still writing jobs listed too. I have snagged all of my freelance gigs from the lists at the site.
When you are staring down all the barrels pointed straight at you has a hired pen, there is not a better posse to have your side than FWJN.
Such good advice here for all freelancers
I have to stress also that who you know is very important, too, as this could be where you’re next well paid writing gig comes from 
It’s always been true for me, anyway.
Hmmmm… You know I don’t think I have ever applied the words “freelance writer” to myself. Gonna have to go stand in front of a mirror and say those words out loud a few times. Might have an interesting result.