FREELANCE WRITING
Freelance writing jobs and freelance writing opportunities.
Getting a Foot into Freelance Writing
By Ann Reckner, © 2006-2010, All rights reserved.
If you're a good writer, chances are you'll get published.
You know how to write. After all, the average college senior has authored as
many as a hundred papers during his or her college career. But who would pay you
to write? Don't you have to get a reporting job with slave wages, or become a
technical writer for a big corporation where you'll spend your days documenting
the configuration of the "SuperPower 3000" server? It's too hard to get started
in freelance writing. Or is it?
Don't write off freelancing just because it's not a nine-to-five desk job. Or
because it lacks the "security" of being fully employed by a company. Or because
your parents are telling you that "You need a job that offers medical benefits!"
For many recent graduates interested in the literary life, freelancing is one
option that deserves serious consideration.
Being your own agent means you'll get experience writing for different
publications and a variety of audiences. Here are some tips on how to get
started:
Write for student publications. These clips (stories with your byline) can help
you land professional work.
Think locally. Pick up and read the freebie publications found in any college
student center chances are they accept freelance work. Investigate the smaller
papers and magazines published in your school's area and don't forget your
hometown paper, which might run a story by a native son or daughter. Keep in
mind that new publications are more likely to publish new writers.
Start small. Don't try to write a six-page feature right away. Many magazines
need brief, 50- to 100-word pieces to appear at the beginning of the publication
and as filler throughout. Editors are more likely to consider a newcomer for
these tasks than for a cover story.
Get online. The Web is "content hungry." Many online publications (and companies
that have an online presence) are realizing that slick graphics will only take
them so far. And freelancers tell us that the Internet pays as well or even
better than print.
Read any publication before you make a submission to it. Editors' most common
complaint about freelancers is that they "just don't understand our markets."
Don't waste anyone's time (including your own) on inappropriate submissions.
Work for a byline if no one will pay you. Don't get us wrong, writing is a skill
for which you should be paid. As one freelancer we spoke to says, "No one would
ever say to a young doctor, 'Well, you're just out of medical school, so we'd
rather you did the first operation for free.'" However, until you have a solid
portfolio, it may be necessary to accept unpaid assignments.
Write smarter, not harder! It is common and acceptable to reuse research and
turn one story into, say, three. If you write an article about a local band for
the student newspaper, you may be able to change the tone and perspective and
create two more stories that you can submit to a music magazine and the lead
singer's hometown paper, for example. Also look over writing you've done for
classes to see if there is any material or research you can turn into stories.
Network. Making contacts is probably even more important in freelancing than it
is in other jobs. Experienced writers say that networking and referrals are the
best way to land freelance assignments; query letters (pitches sent to editors,
describing stories you want to write) work less often. Get to know editors and
other writers.
When you hit a wall, don't stop. Freelancing requires discipline and
persistence, but as one twentysomething freelancer told us, "If you're a good
writer, chances are you'll get published."
A recent grad cannot live by freelance writing alone. Not at first. It's often
"feast or famine," and you'll probably have to pursue freelancing in parallel
with other employment. Once you get some experience and a circle of contacts it
becomes easier to maintain a steady stream of gigs. But even experienced
freelancers have periods of more work than they can handle followed by dry
spells. Freelancing demands dedication and ingenuity, but in return you get the
satisfaction of a varied, flexible, and creative career.
See also:
Freelance
Writing Job Resources Page
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