Note from Jodee: Freelance writer Spencer Spellman shares his thoughts about freelance writing and the importance of perseverance and marketing your services. Enjoy!

by Spencer Spellman

It was about 18 months ago when I decided I would dabble into writing. I had recently been laid off from a job and had moved in hopes of finding better work, but instead found myself finding something worse. After months of putting writing off, I was going to write one article, just to get some feedback on it. That one article began a snowball effect that is still building.

I never did get feedback on my article. However, I did get an email from the magazine’s editor, a week after I submitted it, telling me they needed a short biography to include with the article in their next publication. Now just a year and a half later, I’m an editor for an online travel publication, as well as a part-time freelance writer. I don’t tell you this to flaunt my achievements, but to inspire you.

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“Cos we all just wanna be big rock stars….” (Rock Star, Nickelback)

The term “rock star” is thrown around a lot more lately than it ever used to be. I’ve even seen ads in my online travels for job leads where a client actually mentions in the ad that they want to hire a rock star when they are looking for a writer.

Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to hire (or be) a person who rocks whatever it is they are working on. Taking pride in your work and doing your best never go out of style. They may be considered old fashioned values, but they are an important part of your success as a freelance writer.

By all means, get out there and rock it, but don’t confuse style with substance. You can create a brand for yourself and have all kinds of online buzz happening, but if you don’t have a solid foundation to back it up, you aren’t going to last very long. Real rock stars may live life on the edge (at least they did back in the day), but there was a foundation of talent and hard work there, too.

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