Techniques Of Attaining Freelance Writing Jobs
Susan Gerlitz sits in her windowless cubicle, dreaming of a career in freelance writing. She once wrote for her college newspaper before leaving school and landing a job at an oil and gas company. She knew she had the talent and the ability, but couldn’t afford to leave her full time job to chase her dreams of writing
You may be like Susan and be frustrated with your current career. You can start taking steps towards a freelance career, but don’t quit your day job. First, you should brush up on your writing skills before taking those first, tenuous steps into the market. Night courses or distance learning is a great idea. It will help cement your plans to start writing freelance before you leave a boring but secure job.
When you’re ready to write, it’s time to start applying for jobs. In freelancing, one “applies” by pitching story ideas. You can be instantly successful by writing for free, or on a volunteer basis. Approach non-profits or publishers of community newsletters. Maybe you have a favorite charity that could use free editorial promoting their work. Do anything to get published and build a portfolio, even if you don’t get paid. Once you have samples of your writing you can approach serious editors. They’ll want to see examples of your work.
Familiarize yourself with the editors of newspapers in your town or city. Get to know the editors of each section of these papers, then send an email introducing yourself and include a couple of story ideas. They might just take you up on one.
Network with other writers. Read bylines and take note of who else writes the type of story that you’d like to write. Send them an email or call them, introducing yourself. Ask to meet them for coffee and give them a business card. When established writers are busy with other assignments, they may forward your name to an interested editor.
If you’re longing to write fiction, joining a writer’s group is one of the best ways to increase your circle of influence. That’s where you’ll find out who publishes fiction, either in short story or book form. There are hundreds of magazines world-wide that publish fiction pieces, which may pay more than non-fiction writing. However, it’s much harder to get published as a fiction writer.
No matter which route you take, the important part is to get to know as many people as possible and build a reputation. While you’re waiting for opportunity to knock, write every day. Keep yourself busy with the process of writing and you’ll start making those key connections.
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