They work as stringers or correspondents for newsletters, newspapers and magazines. They write promotional pieces for their communities and local businesses. They may even expand their services to include desktop publishing, research, or teaching. Freelance writers are highly creative and curious, as all writers must be. And they are perennial students of the world in which they live.
Successful freelancers are equally pragmatic.
To be a successful freelancer requires a keen eye for holes in the marketplace. It demands constant contact with the market. It requires sensitivity to the psychological and emotional needs of potential clients. From the day when the first writer discovered how to preserve ideas and communications on rocks and papyrus for future generations to enjoy, a mystique has haunted those who aspire to being writers. The mystique is almost oppressive at times for freelancers.