Writing has changed so much over the past few years. There are more writing and publishing options for writers of all genres than ever before. However, one aspect of writing is still holding as true as it did years ago.

Whether you are starting out in a new writing career, or you are a published author, or fine-tuning your prose, you will want to make your writing accessible to as large of an audience as possible. To do this, you can use one tried and true practice of publishing articles for free online.

While I believe getting paid for our work is important for any type of writing career, I am focusing on utilizing some free article writing to boost your productivity, ignite your imagination, and begin to help you prosper from your love of writing in this article.

Below I have listed what I feel are the top seven reasons any writer, in any genre, should write some free articles and have them published online today.

1. First and foremost for all writers, is to get into a writing pattern or habit that you won’t stray from. Writing free articles for online publications can help you to carve out a writing schedule you will not deviate from. It will help you to keep writing each day, or at the frequency that works best for you. In addition, it will allow you to add paid writing whenever you want to. This way, you don’t stop and start your writing as paid assignments or book projects come and go.
   
   
2. My next reason would be to get your name out there. Writing is more competitive than ever before. In order to achieve the writing goals you have in your heart, you need to get your name out onto the Internet so publishers, agents, or other companies looking for your particular skills can find you online. You can be found in a simple Google search if you publish free articles online either for your own blog or free article directories. I have seen many successful writers add years to their eventual success by simply omitting this helpful tactic.
   
   
3. Honing your skills as a writer comes next for me. The only way to become a better writer, and achieve your ultimate writing goals is to write. Journal writing is helpful, however it does not polish your professional writing skills, nor does it stretch you as a writer and person. The best way to increase your writing skills is to write consistently. When you write to publish, even for free, it keeps you motivated and helps you to increase your skill set with each article you write.
   
   
4. Building confidence as a writer is also important. By publishing free articles online, you are engaging in the process of professional writing. You are taking action steps toward your ultimate goals, and giving yourself experience in many different areas. When we write for ourselves and wait to be paid and published, we allow fear to breed inside of us. By taking steps to publish in different online venues for free, you are experiencing the full realm of writing today. Everything from generating ideas, organizing your piece, to all the little details of publishing online. Each time you do it successfully, you increase your knowledge base, your skills get stronger, and your confidence begins to grow.
   
   
5. Building a portfolio. Today it is important to have a lot of writing samples that have been published. Many writers, new and seasoned professionals get caught in the catch 22 situation: In order to get their work published and paid for, they need writing samples. Many times you can use your free articles as writing samples to break into the area you want to make your living in. One example would be magazines. In order to get hired to write magazine articles, many times you need to have published clips, or other published articles the editor can look at. I have used some of my free published articles as examples of my writing to land jobs writing magazine articles as well as ghostwriting books.
   
   
6. Growth as a person. When you continue to write for free online, you have a wealth of opportunities to learn about and then write about lot of different things. I have learned more from writing free articles on topics I am interested in, that I can’t necessarily find a paid gig for, than I have with all my paid writing throughout the years. The reason is I love to learn. If you love to learn about different things, it is in your best interest to go ahead and learn about what you want and then write about it. It is a great way to learn, plus you will have a ton of fun while doing it.
   
   
7. Last, and definitely not least, is writing articles to help others. I love to help other people, nonprofits, and many times profit driven companies. So many people, organizations, and companies today are in need of good solid content for their online endeavors. By offering some of my writing for free, I am building great relationships, learning about new people and things, as well as creating an atmosphere of good will. By writing for people who need you and who may not be able to hire you right now, you plant seeds that mature and blossom into many opportunities for you later on.
   
   

   What kind of experiences have you had when writing for free? Has it helped you along the way? Do you have questions about this process and opportunity? Take a minute and let me hear from you! Simply "Join the Discussion" below.
   

   Thanks for reading and Happy Writing!
   
   
   
   
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