6. Know your endurance: Like I said, I've done something like 1,200 articles over the course of four years. Know how many I did the first two? Less than 50. Sure, now I can rattle off three full articles a day, seven days a week, but I had to work up to that. Counting research, proofing, finding photos, fact-checking, etc., you're talking something like a minute per written word to complete a piece. That's a lot, so make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew. Consistent output is the goal, so let your strength grow slowly and surely.
7. Be willing to learn: Criticism is hard to take, no matter how valid it is. That's because we're hardwired to defend ourselves as being right, which is why you should never, ever listen to political radio shows. I've gotten at least two e-mails from editors that sent me into the bathroom to cry, and I'm thankful for each one. They taught me objectivity in journalism, to not just repeat a press release, to dig deeper, to have a clearer voice and to try to fit my work better into the greater narrative of the publication. Most editors are lovely people who are frantically overworked. Try and make their jobs easier by being better at yours and they will make sure you're rewarded, because a consistent producer is their favorite thing in the world.
8: Grow a backbone and a thick skin: You are going to be hated by someone no matter what you write about. Bands will cry libel for you hating their albums, pie-enthusiasts will arm themselves for your sneer at blueberry pie, foreskin restorationists will seek out your comments on contraptions used for that purpose, and don't even get me started on the real-life vampyres that show up in the True Blood report. It happens, and though you should always be on the lookout for a consistent complaint by multiple unrelated commenters, it's usually best to just ignore them and get on with your life.
9. No one will stand up for you if you don't: This applies to many fields, but in freelance writing it's essential that you learn when it's time to stand your ground. An editor may want to kill an aspect of your story, or the story itself, and if you don't believe in it enough to defend it, then it deserves to go down. Most times a compromise can be worked out. Just think of yourself as a lawyer and your story as a client.
Also in this category is the thorny problem of getting paid. This is something you are going to have to stay on top of every time you turn in work on a per-submission basis. You are at the mercy of busy editors, bizarre pay schedules and easily tripped up systems. Be prepared to create your own method of keeping track of what you're owed because you are going to need it, and no one will do it for you. Likewise, never be afraid to ask for more money on a piece if you can prove that extra work has gone into it. Be polite, but firm, when it comes to your livelihood.
One final note, kids: I get free video games in the mail, I never pay for a concert, I meet heroes of art and I collect a check for it. Go into writing. No other career even comes close. I hope this has helped you get started.
