Ronald Wan, a full-time student at National University of Singapore, sees his freelance writing as a full-time job as well. “Always be receptive and open to ideas and suggestions. Keep a lookout for internships at publishing houses too. Meanwhile, always read and be in the know,” Ronald advises. Prioritizing is the key when handling school work and freelancing. Having freelanced for five years, he mentions that although freelancing is not a full time job, it does not mean it’s to be taken lightly. “Deliver the goods on time and with substance at the end of the day,” Ronald emphasizes. Always think thrice before dumping that old, dog-eared name card from someone whom you have not met for years. If you find yourself with a mounting pile of name cards, sort them out using Excel, or make the effort to SMS friends and family whom you’ve not been in contact with for some time.

“On my way home these days, I take effort to randomly scroll the list on my mobile phone and then message a few people with a simple “Hey, how are you doing? Just messaging to catch up.“… and the response has been awesome,” suggests Mr Tan Kian Ann. Mr Tan is a Singaporean blog marketing trainer, who provides great insights into blog marketing on his blog, Blogopreneur.

Word of mouth
Lastly, don’t forget about those closest to you. Treat them like royalty, and they would eventually recommend your services if they come across anyone in need of a freelance writer.