Yep, get a good portfolio, and start taking small jobs, particularly in illustration if you are looking keep a steady stream of income through freelance work. Illustration is something that always generates money, if you know where to start off. Writers are almost always looking for art to visually bring their story to life, and the changeable nature of fiction often means that there's plenty of variety to challenge your skills.

What I did initially was do some pro bono work for writers of fanfiction that I really liked, by directly contacting them and offering to illustrate scenes and/or characters for free. This gives you access to their reader base, widening the audience that sees your work. Writers tend to have fellow writer friends; some of these friends may decide to approach you and officially commission you to create art for them Keep a professional, top-quality attitude, and word-of-mouth will do the work for you

Had finished my first commission in September 2010, so that would be a little over two and a half years now since I started accepting commissions.

(Geeze, my art then and my art now is so very different, and I used to colour with a mouse back then XD Time flies...)