There are a lot of writers in the world. There are even a lot of freelance writers in the world. But when it comes to being a successful freelance writer, the list starts to dwindle. Freelance writing can be a fantastic and extremely rewarding career but it’s not for the fainthearted. It involves nerves of steel, self-discipline and the ability to believe in yourself when all evidence points to the contrary.

The most successful freelance writers have several things in common with each other. These specific habits are what form the largest part of their success. Writing, in and of itself, is often the least difficult part of the process. I should know, I’ve written articles that were given glowing reviews from the client and literally had no idea what they said. They were on topics I’m unfamiliar with and were, in a nutshell, articles that couldn’t be written. I wrote them anyway. In the process I learned new subject matter and made money.

So what are the top 5 secrets? This list may surprise you. It did me and after all of the wonderful and bizarre articles I’ve written over the years it’s rather hard to shock me.

Make Writing a Priority

This is the area that probably most reflects the difference between successful and unsuccessful freelance writers. There are two types of freelance writers: those with jobs who are freelance writing on the side in the hopes that one day they can quit their “real” job and those who approach freelance writing as their primary career.

Without exception, successful freelance writers are those who make their freelance writing careers a priority.

Time has a nasty habit of getting away from most people much faster than they imagine. Suddenly the day is gone and they plan on starting their freelance writing tomorrow. The fact is that tomorrow there will be other matters to again push aside the writing. If you don’t make your freelance writing career a top priority then why should anyone else? Why should a client hire you when there are other freelance writers out there that make a priority out of their writing?

There is always going to be something that seems more important that writing articles. But you simply must approach your freelance writing career the same way you would a job that you had to clock in at everyday. Self-discipline is the absolute most basic building block on which a successful freelance writing career is built.

Look, I know what you are thinking and how the very idea of self-discipline puts you off. I’m an Aquarius for heavens sake! I loathe discipline in any form; I’m the poster child for Slackers! But mastering the amount needed to keep my freelance writing career going successfully is far easier than showing up for work everyday and playing office politics.

Freelance writing careers are about the freedom to live and work on your own terms (and you get to take naps during the day and have your dog with you while you work) but if you don’t master enough self-discipline to make your writing a priority then the real world will force you to abandon it just to survive. Trust me on this, if I can do it so can the rest of you.

Organize Your Work

One of the most asked questions people send me is about my home office setup. I’m not sure why but I’m also equally fascinated by how people set up their personal workspace (send me photos if you have them!) and what they do there. But the funny thing about freelance writers is that while they do billing and other necessary work of that nature in their offices, they rarely write there.

I have a great setup that I rarely use, preferring to work from a laptop and wander around my house, hotels, gardens, parks or even McDonalds. I’m a gypsy by nature and it shows in my lack of time sitting and working in my actual office.

This is why it is so incredibly important that you organize your work. If you are the type that has a great home office that is perfectly organized you can skip this tip because you already have it mastered (send photos!) and are ready for the next part of your professional development. For the rest of us, it’s a work in progress.

Every successful freelance writer either is extremely organized with client files and billing or they hire an assistant to be organized for them. Without this organization you are going to miss out on tax deductions, billing clients in a timely fashion or even, worst of all, not be able to find the information you need for an article on deadline in time to meet that deadline. You don’t have to be Martha Stewart but you do need to keep your important papers organized and keep track of what you have do and when.

Take advantage of software and smartphone apps so you never miss a client deadline. This is imperative. Your work may be outstanding but if it isn’t on time it will probably be the last time a particular client hires you. Plus, word gets around and you could lose other potential clients as well.

Find Your Niche

This is especially important to new Freelance writers. Not only does it help you to hone your skills but also finding your own personal niche makes it easier to get clients and establish your brand.

You probably already have a niche but simply don’t realize it. What magazines do you read? How about books? Where do you go first when you hit a huge bookstore and are just browsing? Chances are good that the same answer keeps cropping up. That is your first niche. It’s always infinitely easier to write what you know and what you love than on any other subject.

Think back to when you were in High School. Remember being assigned to write a paper and thinking that if only you could have written about (fill in subject of your choice) then it would have been easy? That hasn’t changed. So look in that area first for writing jobs and clients.

Are you an avid gardener? Look at local gardening groups, blogs and even your local newspaper as potential clients. Then there are national print magazines and huge websites. Don’t overlook the blogging potential of gardening supply and nursery websites. Many of them have blogs and would love to pay someone else to write articles that their customers can use.

Successful freelance writers find their niche and work it mercilessly. On of the best parts about having a niche (or two or five) is that you can practically write those articles in your sleep and turn out fantastic work. This means you can use your actual energy to focus on other aspects of your career while still making money from your niche markets.

Don’t be afraid of New Topics

After you have gained some writing experience, look for work outside your comfort zone. The truth is that a good freelance writer can write on pretty much any topic thrown at them. They just have to want to and be willing to put in the necessary research to make it happen.

Back in the early days of my freelance career, I was the go-to person locally for in-depth research. If anyone wanted to know something, I was the person to call. This was so true that when my brother was about to propose to his girlfriend he called and asked me about diamonds. I knew nothing but when I returned the call 3 hours later I could (and still can) tell you everything you could ever need to know about choosing a diamond. I expanded my range of topics that day and later on was able to use that information in creating the ad copy for a local jeweler.

Don’t be afraid to expand into new areas and take on new topics. Successful freelance writers simply add in the estimated research time to their proposal and learn something new.

Create Your Brand

I have stressed over and over how important it is to create your brand. As a freelance writer it’s your bread and butter. You want to be the name that clients think of when they need a document written. You want to be the go-to person for interesting web content, a new ad campaign and so on. You do this by promoting yourself and your work through social networking sites, blogs and positive word-of-mouth.

Successful freelance writers have created a brand of themselves. There is no exception to this and the reason is simply client trust. You work hard, build up and outstanding list of satisfied clients and understand that with every new and satisfied client your network is expanding. With social media playing such a huge role in the life of the modern freelance writer, this expands faster than ever before in history. In the old days you had to depend largely on press releases and word-of-mouth. While great they were incredibly limited in scope. With social media, millions can hear about your writing in seconds and those millions of people can be anywhere in the world. Instead of local or even national clients, you now have access to international clients.

Successful freelance writers understand that the brand they create is an extremely valuable business asset and they promote it constantly.

Those are the top tips from successful freelance writers. Put them into play and watch your own freelance writing career bloom.

Happy Writing!