I am a full-time freelance writer, and I take my work very seriously. However, it took a while before I learned how important it is to remain professional, even though my "job" is quite informal.

Like many people dream of doing, I work from home. When I first started as a freelance writer, I was not very disciplined in my work. I was not used to being at home, and so I was a bit lazy. I would spend the day doing things around the house, or just relaxing, and writing sporadically.

After a few weeks, it became evident that I was not making as much money as I thought I would, and certainly not as much as I thought I should be making. Of course, I did not hold myself responsible at first. Rather, I complained about clients not paying me enough or about not finding enough assignments available.

Eventually, I came to my senses. I realized that I was not being professional. I was working from home, but not really working. I had to find a way to become more productive, even though I was working from home.

It would have helped immensely if I could have rented an office space, and worked from there. I could then go to "work" every morning, like most people, and I almost surely would have been much more productive. However, I did not have the money to rent an office space, so that was out of the question.

Over time, I forced myself to be a disciplined writer. I put myself on a set schedule. I started doing all of my writing in the upstairs portion of my house, which turned into my office. I would not allow myself to come down until my "workday" was over. Although that was extremely hard at times, it ended up helping me make this career work.

Becoming a true "professional" is what made my freelance writing career a success. Nevertheless, I have encountered many other situations where it became important to maintain a professional approach.

Several times, I have been faced with a client who either did not pay me for my work, or did not pay as much as they originally promised. Early in my career, I was timid, and let clients like this walk all over me. However, I quickly learned that my time was worth a lot of money, and I could not afford to spend time writing for a client who was not going to pay me.

I learned how to deal with that type of client by being polite and professional, but firm. I would tell them that I could not continue to work without pay, but I would always remember that I was a professional, and would never lose my temper.

In the same way, I always present myself to potential clients in a professional manner. I advertise myself through flyers and business cards, and I always have color printing done. To me, a black and white ad is not professional, and does not give customers confidence in the company on the ad. Therefore, I invest a bit more in attractive, color literature to promote my writing services.

Even if you work from home, you will not succeed unless you remain professional. Approach every situation in a professional manner, and you will quickly exceed your own expectations.