How to Become a Prolific Writer

Three years ago, I was working full-time at a bank. I had no idea that I would soon be leaving that job to go to grad school and freelance on the side.

Over the past few years, I've been able to go from side hustler to part-time freelance writer, to full-time content creator. It hasn't been an easy journey, but I'm finally making about double what I did at the bank.

And I only work on paying projects for about 25 hours a week.

It took me almost three years to get to this point, not overnight. So if you want make decent income from freelance writing or blogging, here's how you can start to write more.

Take It Slowly

When I did my first test piece for my first client, I think it took me a few hours to write 2,000 words. At the time, that felt like a lot of work, and it is.

But now, I can write 2,000 words in less than 2 hours. If I have to write about something I know a lot about, it goes much faster.

Still, it took many months of consistent freelancing to get here. When you first start writing, you may need to go slowly so that you can practice grammar, spelling, and other aspects of writing.

Over time, you'll be able to get faster. If you're lucky, you can get really fast without sacrificing on the quality of your writing.

Write Every Day

For the first year or so of freelancing during graduate school, I worked seven days a week. Granted, I would only work a couple of hours some days. However, that helped me get into a writing routine.

I was able to practice the type of writing I was doing for my clients. With each new assignment, I was able to get a little faster and a little better.

Now, I write for clients five days per week. On the weekends, I focus on my own projects. That way, I can take more time off on those days if I don't have to release anything the next week.

You don't have to write thousands of words per day. But you should write at least a little bit. That way, you can practice and improve.

Choose Your Niches

I say niches because you can have more than one. Think about topics you're already an expert in, such as your college major. You may also have an interest in something that you didn't study in school.

Either way, choosing a couple of niches keeps you from having to research topics from scratch. You may still need to do some research. But you won't have to do as much, which means you'll have more time for writing.

After a few months, you may become an expert in some topics within your niches. That way, you have to do very minimal reading and research.

It can also help to write about topics that don't require interviews or other deep research. Then, you can open your laptop and get to work.

Eliminate Distractions

Even when you have some experience, distractions can make it hard to write as much as you want to. Consider putting your phone in another room or turning it off.

Close Facebook, email, and other distracting tabs. Find a quiet place without any pets or other people around. That way, you can focus on writing.

Now, you can't always avoid distractions. But try to minimize them. If I feel the need to check my phone, I will give myself a minute to do so.

Then, it's back to writing I go. But if you can't handle even a small distraction, you don't have you. You should create a space that allows you to get more writing done.

Becoming Prolific

If you want to be a professional writer, you may need to write a lot. That way, you can make enough to pay your bills with "low-paying" gigs.

Fortunately, most gigs don't pay per hour. So if you can write more in the same time, you can make more without working more.

Be sure to take it slow and steady so that you can write as much as you want in a day. Soon enough, you can make freelance writing your full-time gig.