What Are the Skills and Character Traits Needed to Survive in the World of Freelance Journalism?
As a freelance journalist working from home you will need the ability to work alone without the buzz of an office environment and work colleagues that you can chat to about work. Apart from that you will need all the ordinary skills of a journalist: to be able to write news and feature articles; to be able to sub-edit your own copy; to be able to write for the web. However, as you will probably be self-employed you will need to be able to market yourself and source your own work. There is no set, monthly pay cheque or wire transfer. Every piece of work you obtain is a result of your own efforts. No mean feat. Therefore freelance journalists need to keep their skills up to date and think about going on short courses to keep abreast of what is happening in the world of publishing. Network like mad to keep your name in the frame. A lot of time will be spent on marketing and things like chasing payments – things that employed staff do not have to worry about. You will have to develop a thi
