Like when playing games such as Minecraft, progress in your freelance writing career will require you to seek out opportunities. There are many out there, but you need to know where to look and how to claim them.
#1 – Gathering Resources Is Like Gathering Information
The first thing that needs to be done when you start a new world in Minecraft is to gather resources and set up a simple base. This is to ensure that you’ll be safer when night falls and can craft your first set of tools. Since daylight only lasts 10 minutes, there often isn’t time to waste when getting started. To get resources, you’ll need to look around and start collecting goods. Punching trees for wood and then making that wood into a pickaxe, shovel, and more is the best place to start.
When you begin freelance writing, you’re going to need some starter tools as well, which, in this case, means information. Data about the average pay for the kinds of articles in the industry you’re writing for will be useful. As will be the knowledge about potential clients and familiarizing yourself with what they’re looking for. Try to look up any question you have about the kinds of articles that you want to write and the subject you’re writing about; more information means more tools for your freelance writing career.
#2 – Setting a Respawn Point Is Like Not Giving Up
After you get your first Minecraft base setup, you’re going to want to make a bed. This piece of furniture will let you set your respawn point if you sleep in it. This means that, in the chance that you die somehow, you will reappear next to your bed instead of the place where you first spawned into your current world. If you’ve set up a nice home somewhere far from your world spawn point, it’s far more convenient to respawn at home after death.
Thankfully, your freelance writing career can’t truly die as your character can in Minecraft. As long as you don’t give up on writing, you will always find a way to get back into creating the content that you want. However, you will likely face setbacks and obstacles, which can make it useful for you to set an emotional respawn point. You can do this by reminding yourself that there will always be other opportunities. Some things may not work out, but that does not mean future occurrences will be the same. Every new opportunity can breathe life into your freelance writing career.
#3 – Making a Farm Is Like Finding Consistent Clients
Since hunger is an important mechanic in Minecraft, you will need a renewable source of food. There are many kinds of farms that you can set up, such as wheat, potatoes, and even sugar cane. Each of these crops can help you make different kinds of nourishing items to consume and stay alive. The setup takes a bit of work, but the results are worth it for a stable supply of food.
Finding consistent clients who want your writing may likely result in you having to broaden your horizons a bit. Being more open to different kinds of writing contracts will allow you to not only make more money from your writing but also gain valuable experience. You may want to write about video games for a living, however, there may not be any good contracts available right now. As such, picking up a contract for business-related writing can help you get some income while you keep your eyes peeled for more interesting opportunities.
#4 – Mining for Minerals Is Like Finding Rarer Clients
As the name of the game implies, you’ll have to do a lot of digging for minerals in Minecraft. However, precious metals and gems are not easy to come by. You’ll likely go through many pickaxes and shovels searching for gold and diamonds underground. Though, you always need to keep searching, as that’s the only way to find these rare goods. Just make sure you have the right tools for the job. For example, if you try to mine diamonds with a wood pickaxe, you will break the goods instead of mining them. This would be a waste, so be sure to make an iron pickaxe before mining rare ore.
The best clients are hard to find because they often have very high standards. They will often want applicants with a lot of experience, which will mean newer writers will get ignored. Sometimes, such clients will even recruit writers instead of posting job ads, making certain contracts very rare. In order to find the best clients, you will have to not only stay vigilant in the industry but also build a reputation. Keep cruising those online job boards and other resources for your chance at a prime contract. Though, remember, you should never apply for jobs that you are not qualified for, as that would be a waste of your time and the time of your potential client.
#5 – Decorating Your Base Is Like Updating Your Resume
After a while of playing Minecraft, you’ll probably get tired of living in a hut made from dirt. Thankfully, there are tons of different decorative blocks that you can use to visually improve your home. Instead of having small holes in the wall for windows, you can make glass to craft windows. The kinds of glass you can make range from cubes, to panes, to vibrantly colored stained glass and more. There is also a generous variety of wood to make your walls and roof from. For your floor, you can use a stonecutter to make any number of appealing stone blocks as well.
Without getting to meet your client until a potential interview, your resume is how they see you. To them, your life is a couple of pages of text. Therefore, you’re going to need to make these pages interesting enough to stand out from other resumes. Depending on the industry you’re writing for, what you can do will vary, however, formatting is always important. For example, it’s sometimes alright to add a bit of color to your resume. Keep the text black, but maybe add a colorful little logo or your initials onto a corner of a page.
#6 – Exploring the World Is Like Navigating the Writing Industry
Every world in Minecraft is randomly generated around you as you explore new areas. As such, each playthrough will be unique, however, so will be the challenges. To make sure you don’t get lost, it can be helpful to make a compass and then a map. These tools will help you find your way around and will let you explore further safely.
There are various industries where writing is needed, though don’t forget that freelance writing has its own industry that intersects with others. Your freelance writing career will take you to many different subjects and clients. Some will be awesome while others will try to overwork and underpay you. You’ll need to navigate around the less-profitable clients by being able to identify them. Though, to do so, you’ll need information about the contract and the client, so don’t hesitate to do some research.
#7 – Playing the Game Is Like Enjoying Writing
At the end of the day, people play Minecraft for fun. It’s a way for you to explore and build in a comfortable and interesting environment. You don’t have to slay the Ender Dragon or the Wither. You don’t have to traverse the dangerous Nether or explore the enigmatic End. You can build a cozy ranch and relax with your cats, dogs, and horses–and that’s perfectly fine.
Never forget why you decided to get into writing. You write because you love it, so do your best not to let anything change that. While there will be ups and downs for your freelance writing career, the only true thing that determines your success is your passion. If you have the drive to make the best content that you can, you’ll always succeed in the end. When you write, write about your favorite subjects in your unique style. That way, no matter what, you’ll keep your passion alive.
By: Reyadh Rahaman