Hot Freelance Tip of the Day: Narrow your Focus

Hard to believe, but I've been writing this blog for two years as of this month. Today's Hot Freelance Tip of the Day calls back to one of my first posts, and one of my philosophies as a freelancer. It's simple. Narrow your focus. 

I get a lot of pushback when I suggest that writers specialize, so let me explain that specializing doesn't mean that you must always write in your specialty. It means, though, that you take a smarter approach to your freelance career, and focus your energies on several subject areas/types of writing as opposed to trying to write about anything and everything. 

Specializing in several subject areas (health, fitness, nutrition, and writing) means I have a background in most of the topics I cover. That means it's faster for me to research and pitch ideas than if I'm covering a subject I know nothing about (and trust me, there are many!). 

But I don't just specialize in subject areas. I specialize in types of writing as well. I consider myself a service writer. That's what I do the most of, and I'm good at it. Whether I'm writing an article, a blog post, or a book (whether my own or ghostwriting for a client), I'm likely explaining something to readers and then showing them how to do something. It might be how to become more active, or take more risks as a parent, or how to make more money as a freelancer (gee, that makes me think of Writer for Hire). 

I know not every writer is driven by money, or wants to freelance full-time. But if you do, you want to work as efficiently as possible and narrowing your focus will help you do that. (Here's a much longer post on reasons to specialize.) 

**OK, now for announcements and freebies. My second giveaway continues; the winner will be announced by month's end. Enter here--and get your queries/LOIs ready as I'm gearing up for a query critique in June. 

And if you're struggling with your writing, or looking for a way to breathe new life into your writing, check out Kelly Stone's writing class, Empower your Muse, Empower your Writing Self, which starts in June. She's an excellent teacher and the subject matter is a great one. 

Finally, remember my free ebook offer? Well, I'm keeping it going another week or so. If you're clueless about getting published, or know something who is, have them get a free copy of Dollars and Deadlines' 10 Truths Every Writer Who Wants to Get Published Should Know.