The first step is one you've already taken. Discover what you are passionate about. If you are reading this article you are probably most interested in the written word.
It is important to note that a successful writing career is a process of baby steps and is rarely attained in a 'overnight success' kind of way.
One of the things publishers are looking for in a writer is a proven track record. These publishers want to be certain that you can perform the tasks they require and that you will have them on or before an imposed deadline.
Therein lies the Catch 22. In order to prove to a publisher that you are capable of handling the assignment you actually need to have something published - in order to have something published you need to prove you can write.
One of the first steps to a successful freelance writing career is to provide your work to strategic publications at no cost.
You may think this is antithetical to your ultimate goal, but when you provide your work with nothing more than a byline to local publications or smaller publications that deal with your specialty these publications become references for you and they add substantially to your portfolio. This is often the trade off when providing your work for free.
When this step is fully implemented you can begin to produce speculative writing for various publications in the paying market. You can then provide tear sheets of articles that have already been published and it is at that point they have a means of assessing your ability and have some assurance that you can deliver what you are promising.
You should also keep your eyes open for writing classes or online writing challenges that provide a means of fine tuning your craft.
Two simple ways to improve your craft is to read a variety of article styles and work at improving your vocabulary.
By reading a variety of writing that is well done you have a better sense for what works in an article, and by improving your vocabulary you have the ability to write thoughts in a wider variety of ways.
