5 Items Every Freelance Writer Needs

There are certain items that every freelance writer needs to be successful, and while I could go on and on about the necessary items, here are five that I think are important and/or little mentioned.

Item 1: Computer
How can you write online without a computer? This one is pretty commonsense, but your computer will be your biggest tool as a freelance writer. A desktop and a laptop both work equally well. It is just a matter of preference.

Item 2: Document Composer With Spell-check
Microsoft Word isn't your only option. I use Open Office, my preferred document composer. The biggest thing is that you need a spell-checker. Wordpad and Notepad both fail in this department. Spell-checking is sometimes more crucial than the actual writing.

Item 3: Notebook and Binder

This sort of go together, because you can kind of use one or the other. A binder, I think, works perfectly fine with some loose leaf paper. You can use it to jot down article ideas, keep a freelance writing journal (see here please and here), print out copies of your articles and research, and more. Having this will keep you much more organized, and that seems to be a crucial aspect that gets overlooked. The more organized you are, the easier the writing will be.

Item 4: Work Space
This is one of the most important things a freelance writer needs. You need somewhere to work. Even if you just clear off a table in one corner of the room and set up your computer there. It should be your work space. Don't use that space for surfing the web, talking on the phone, paying bills, or whatever. Use it only to freelance, and keep the space clean.

Item 5: Office Supplies
Highlighters, pens, pencils, Post-Its, erasers, etc., all make it easy to edit, write down ideas, and more. Keep a handy supply of them nearby and ready for use.

For the extended list, click on the title or click right here.

5 Ways To Sneak In Five Minutes of Writing

"With all the errands you have to run, the house you have to run and keep clean, the kids and spouse (and probably the dogs) that you have to feed and organize, the day-job you might have, it might feel like there is never any time to get a single word written. Trust me, we all have those days (or weeks) when we feel like we just don't have time to do anything at all. But the plain truth is, you can find time. You just have to take the opportunity when it arises. No, you might not find two solid hours to sit down and write, but if you can sneak in 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there, the time starts to add up..."

That's the intro to an article I wrote listing 18 ways to sneak in some writing time. (Go ahead and click the title of this post for the full list.)

Life always seems to get in the way of writing, but if you are serious about writing, you need to make time for it. Like I said, 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there makes 10, and that starts to add up pretty quickly.

Try these 5 times to sneak in five minutes of writing:

1. The waiting room at the doctor's office
2. Waiting in line at the grocery store check-out
3.Waiting for your food to arrive at a restaurant
4. During your break at work
5. Waiting for your child's practice or rehearsal to end