For 10 years now I’ve been entertaining the idea of embarking into freelance writing but many things have stopped me from pursuing the idea.
Bad English
English, beautiful though that language is, is my biggest stumbling block.
I know I can’t be pursuing a freelance writing career, even on moonlighting basis, when my command of English could not even measure up to the task. There are times when I wished I was born in a country where English is the native language.
A marketplace for freelance writing
Then there’s the problem of not knowing how to go about it — who to approach, what topics to write, where can I get the opportunities to do so, what about the payment, is there a marketplace for freelance writing and so on.
Ten long years. Mind you if I had taken steps to improve my English during the period, I would have already become comfortable with the language.
As it is, every sentence, every paragraph is still a struggle for me. Even now, I’m struggling to string this very sentence. They don’t come naturally as they would have when I am writing in Malay language, a language I can be supremely confident of using.
A shot at freelance writing
Notwithstanding that, I’m now looking seriously at launching a freelance writing career and thanks to the Internet, I think there is now a real possibility that I might be able to break into it if I persevere long enough.
If I learn hard enough to improve my English, that is. And that is exactly what I’ve set myself to doing since a month ago.
English courses are expensive so I’d be relying on books, magazines, newspapers, English handbooks and the Internet to get myself acquainted with the language. Even writing this entry is in itself, a learning process.
Inspiration
I’m a regular reader of Chris Bibey’s blog, Chrisblogging, and I must say part of my resolve to pursue freelance writing is drawn from his blog.
Perhaps I can now hope to say sometime in the future that, “In 2008 I launched my freelance writing career…”
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