I've been doing freelance writing work on and off for a while now in my spare time but have been thinking about it doing it full-time.

Does anyone here write for a living, and if so what are your thoughts and experiences on starting out as a full-timer?

Are you thinking about article writing?

Yes that's right, sorry I should have been a bit more specific in my original post.

There are lots of ways you can start as a beginner. Sign up for freelance websites and create WSO on forums, that will keep you going until you are able to create a site and run SEO on your site and advertise in relevant places. Endeavor to have great reviews on your WSO and freelance sites, this will serve as evidence when trying to build momentum for your new site. Ofcourse, you can make full time income from article writing, most people who do this own an article writing company and great team of english speaking writers and charge up to $100 per 1000 words.

Thanks John for your advice!

I write for a living, but not articles, which I usually purchase. If you want to be successful at article writing you must be able to write well, perfect English and grammar and have decent style.

The world is full of awful article writers who churn out garbage for less than 1 cent a word. You cannot compete with these people and make money if you aren't providing quality content. Good writers who command 2 to 4c a word produce great content, often about complex topics that require research. If you aspire to this kind of writing, yes, you can make a living, a reasonable one, from writing.

I agree with MTUser2010. I would just like to mention a point here. If you're a Native English Speaker and don't have sound writing skills, then you better start working hard because the market is highly competitive. With each passing day there's huge influx of writers. A large chunk of them are lost in oblivion because they fail to understand the industry while there are others who out of sheer desperation cut down their rates. In order to stand out from the rest, you have to become proficient in your field and offer exceptionally high quality content.

Keep in mind that a big reason why there is so much competition from writers who don't charge much (besides the issue of people not commanding a better price because of their poor writing skills), is the fact that many people in IM don't look to freelancing as a main source of earnings, but as one money center to get them by while they are building longer term profits through affiliate/CPA sites and other ventures. Many article writers charge less because the market is demanding lower prices, which they accomodate because they are only freelancing in order to get quick start up or side money while doing IM, not as a full time gig.

It's kind of like grouping apples with oranges to compare doing 'master chef' like high-quality writing, with the 'fast food' level writing expected in SEO article and blog post jobs. While there is crossover, with some newbie buyers insisting on "1000% quality, 1000% unique writing, delivered ASAP for $1 per article, and some writers asking for $7 for machine spun mush, the two zones are clearly different and can command different price points. If the OP is going full time, it needs to be understood that means saying no to a lot of low-ball buyers, and perhaps bypassing many web writing assignments, in order to focus on the higher-paying services.

I only know that when you are good at something and you love what you do, You always get success ! Good Luck with your service !

You need to be good and bear in mind that it takes forever to establish yourself. It's doable if you're flexible, offer competitive rates and work on building a very good reputation. Also, get professional references.

Yes I do think that if you are good enough, it can be doable. You just have to know how to manage your time, develop good relationships with those that you will be working for, and make sure that you do enough work so your clients want to hire you again.

Golden rules:
No one knows you - build a reputation
Be different - Focus on quality

Seems to me the rates are simply too low in article writing tto make a living unless you live in a VERY cheap place to live.