I hate to admit it…but my first steps toward a full-time freelance career were taken out of fear.

Several years ago, I split with my husband of seventeen years. I had been out of the job market for a decade while I homeschooled my two kids. It was a big, new, terrifying world, and I wanted nothing to do with it. But, I had no choice.

I had already published several books but the royalties weren’t enough to pay the bills. I picked up the phone, and called one of my publishers who’d mentioned needing an editor. An hour later, I had the job.

I spent those first years editing as well as continuing to write fiction. I also had a part-time job. I focused on what was wrong. Why weren’t things working the way I wanted to? But I kept moving. I was laid off, I built a bigger client list. I got a new job. I kept building my list, becoming more objective and less emotional and reactive as clients came and went.

Eventually, I built up enough part-time work that on October 1, 2009, I arranged to move from full-time to part-time at my day job. Exactly one year later, I was laid off again. It was time to tackle full-time freelancing. In 2011, one of my books became a best seller. It was a clear sign in a series of clear signs.

Today, I don’t accept work out of fear or uncertainty. I trust my instincts, and believe that, if I lose clients, I’ll find the right contacts to fill out my list again. It’s a combination of perseverance and experience, and the longer I do it, the more surefooted I feel. It just takes time, focus, and the ability to trust your own decisions.

Katriena Knights is a full-time freelance writer and editor. She has tackled all kinds of freelance projects from website content to press releases, blog posts and articles. She is also the author of over thirty published fiction pieces including short stories, novellas and full-length novels. Her book, Where There’s a Will, a contemporary romance from Samhain Publishing, reached number 22 on the overall Kindle bestseller list in February of 2011. Her latest novel, As If You Never Left Me, is now available from Crimson Romance.

Katriena can also be found at her website at katrienaknights.com, her blog at katrienaknights.blogspot.com, or on Twitter at twitter.com/crazywritinfool.