Finding a Freelance Writing Mentor

I’ve been making a living as a freelance writer for four years now. It’s taken a lot of tenacity

If you’re just getting started as a freelance writer and your goal is to earn enough to cover your living expenses, consider finding an experienced writer to serve as your mentor. Finding someone who is already successfully doing what you aspire to do provides guidance, inspires you and pushes you to persevere - even during the inevitable tough times.

Here’s the thing though – most writers making a living doing what they do work hard at it. Time is a valuable commodity when working for yourself, and they don’t have time to waste. They are often approached by people asking advice about how to get started freelancing. The problem is the majority of inquiries are from people unwilling to consider all of the work freelance writing involves. Unfortunately many inquiring minds aren’t willing to expend enough energy to conduct to research to get an idea of how to get started. It can make these writers much less receptive to helping someone just getting started which is unfortunate because a mentor can cut the learning curve significantly.

You’re sure to come across helpful, experienced writers via freelance writer blogs, social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and writer forums. These are great places to get to not only get valuable information that can help you kick off your business; it’s also an opportunity to get to know these writers on a more personal level while exchanging ideas and engaging in conversation. Another bonus: they get to see that you are serious about the business of freelancing so if you approach them for help they are more likely to oblige.

When you find someone willing to serve as your freelancing mentor, don’t blow the opportunity. Take advantage of their willingness to show you the ropes and show your appreciation of the time they are investing by doing the following:

• Participate in the process - put forth some effort
• Be willing to take action
• Provide updates on your progress
• Be committed

Online Networking for Freelance Writers

I've been enjoying Words on the Page blogger Lori's recent discussions about Twitter, Face book and other social networking sites. Her posts have inspired split comments where some readers consider these sites time wasters refusing to get sucked in, and others swearing they're worth it. Time is a big issue for freelancers because the reality is that time is money. You definitely have to manage the time you spend n these sites, but I must admit that I'm starting to see and reap the benefits of being a virtual social butterfly.

I'm a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to social networking online. I've only been a full-time freelance writer for 17 months now. I started blogging for the first time last summer, and just joined Twitter, Face Book and Linked In around three months ago. For me it's been sort of like a science experiment to see for myself if they are all everyone says they're cracked up to be. Here are my findings so far:

Twitter

I follow a lot of interesting people on Twitter. If you are using it primarily as a business networking tool (which is my mission), you need to make sure to get the basics down pat. I highly recommend reading Darren Rowse's (Problogger) blog Twitip.com.

I'd say the majority of people I follow are other writers/bloggers, Internet marketers and small business experts. In the beginning I spent way too much time on there, and lately I've barely been able to post a tweet because of my overwhelming work volume. I hope to soon find some middle ground so that I'm not completely forgotten.

I have managed to get a couple of regular clients from Twitter without even trying. I also have constant access to tons of useful information for my business, so for me Twitter is a keeper.

Face Book

I'm not ashamed to say it – I still don't get how Face Book helps you in business. I hear about people getting kicked off for too much self-promotion so I think I may be missing something here. In the meantime, I've enjoyed reconnecting with friends and my old newspaper colleagues, so it's all good.

Linked In

It took me the longest time to post my profile, and I'm still not 100 percent happy with it so I'll probably be changing it soon. When I first set up my account I didn't know what to do with it, so I just let it be. Every now and then someone finds me and connects with me. I recently started using some of the cool new applications, and I also plan to request recommendations from a couple of past and present clients to give it more juice.

Tuesday a local company found me on Linked in and sent me an email asking if I would be interested in working on a few copywriting projects. Unfortunately it didn't pan out because they wanted me to meet with them in person to discuss the opportunity, but my current schedule was making that impossible. At least now I know having a Linked In account is not for nothing.

These are only my personal experiences so far. I plan to spend more time learning to use each of these networking tools more effectively. Stay tuned.

Twitter and Other Social Networking Distractions

I have managed to resist Twitter for over a year. If you knew how easy it is for me to get distracted from a project at hand and start goofing off you would know how much I really should have just stayed away.

Freelance writers have been singing it's heavenly praises for a long time. I'll admit, my interest was peaked when I found out a couple of writers I admire announced they had joined. But when I saw writers on forums and blogs discussing actual projects they had gotten as a result of tweeting, I found it too hard to resist any longer.

I also just recently signed up for FaceBook and Linked In accounts. Potentially more distraction. I'm not the most social creature, so social networking could be a necessary evil in order for me to begin making some valuable contacts. Since I'm still new on Twitter, I'm still a bit shy right now, but I don't expect that to last very long. Follow me if you tweet too.

Some say it's important for freelance writers – especially bloggers and web writers – to join these networking sites. Of course I've also heard others say they are a complete waste of time. It's still too soon for me to know which way to lean. So how do you guys feel about all of these social networking tools? Have you made any contacts that have led to more work?