Freelancing writing is a liberating career with unique opportunities to make money, meet new people, and learn interesting facts. Getting started can be your first step to a freer lifestyle, but you’ll probably run into a few challenges along the way. Utilizing the right tools can make all the difference. Here are a few you should try:
1. Freshbooks
Invoicing is one of the more challenging aspects of your freelance writing business, especially if you’re not a numbers person. Getting paid quickly is always a hurdle, as is creating invoices that look good and make sense.
FreshBooks invoicing software is the perfect solution. It helps you create organized, attractive, and logical invoices to send to your clients. The interface is a simple dashboard with everything in clicking range. FreshBooks claims that when you use this awesome software, you’ll get paid two times faster.
2. Evernote
Can’t afford a personal assistant? Evernote will do much of the job for you. It’s an extremely useful app that can be used to take notes (verbal or written), brainstorm ideas, collaborate with others, and even write blog posts.
It organizes all of your notes into easy-to-access files, so you can always find the information when you need it. It’s perfect for when you’re away from your computer and the perfect idea strikes.
3. Google Docs
You might prefer Microsoft Word for the bulk of your writing, but you need a good document sharing program like Google Docs in your back pocket. Many of your clients or the companies you contract with will prefer that you use Google Docs to write your articles because it’s easy to share and edit this way.
Getting Google Docs is easy. All you need is a free Gmail account, and you automatically have 15 GB of free storage space at your disposal. It can also be used to store files, images, videos, and more.
4. Trello
When working with a collaborative team, Trello can keep everyone on the same page. It’s a task management system that alerts you of deadlines and progress for everyone on your team. You can also communicate through the system to stay on track.
Trello is also useful if you’re a solo writer. You can use it to create tasks and deadlines to complete in a timely manner. It’s a great way to stay organized and avoid late work.
5. SelfControl
One of the most difficult things about freelance writing is maintaining the discipline to write all day when you have an incredible thing called the internet at your fingertips. It’s terribly tempting to go on Facebook or Netflix when you’re supposed to be writing. Five minutes turns into 30, and before you know it, it’s crunch time as you race to meet a deadline.
SelfControl is a web app designed to help remote workers stay on task. It blocks certain websites, so you’re not tempted to get on them while you’re supposed to be working. You can set a timer so that these websites are unblocked after working hours, or you can keep the restrictions on all the time.
6. Headline Analyzer
When it comes to the actual writing, it’s always nice to have a few tools to help you deliver top-quality work. Headline Analyzer is a great place to start. A good headline can mean the difference between viral content and an ignored article, and this tool helps you write good ones.
The tool scores your headlines on a scale from 0 to 100 with 100 being the best. Play around with it, typing in various headlines for a topic until you get one that’s just right. You want a score of at least 70 for it to be considered a great headline.
7. Grammarly
When you’re staring at a screen for hours, it’s easy to make mistakes. Even if you hold an advanced degree in English, you’re bound to miss a few things once in a while.
Grammarly is an online application that checks your work for you. It’s like Spell Check on steroids. Not only does it point out grammar and formatting errors, but it also makes suggestions for removing wordy sentences or switching passive voice to active voice.
You can get the paid version with a monthly or yearly subscription, which you use in an online app. There’s also a free version that can be plugged into your browser so that it corrects your online writing, or it can be added to Microsoft Word.
Sometimes, success in a career like freelance writing is about more than great talent. It’s about using the resources at your disposal to put out a great product, stay organized, and be at the top of your game. These online tools will make your life much easier and help you be a better writer.
