Yesterday I taught a class at our local college on article-writing. I had nine students, who were all eager to start writing about things they know and are passionate about and various causes and issues that are meaningful to them. Some of these writers will go on to establish careers as a freelance article writer (in fact one was already doing a lot of article work) and others will never quite get a foothold in this profession.
What is the difference between those who will establish an article-writing business and those who will move on to something else? Those who have the best chance of developing a full or part-time career in this business will do the following:
1: They’ll play by the rules. In other words, they will study each magazine’s editorial guidelines and follow professional protocol when submitting their query letters and/or manuscripts.
2: Once they have gotten their feet wet by writing about what they know and what they’re passionate about, they’ll start pursuing other article ideas and seeking other venues.
3: They’ll keep up with what’s going on in the world of freelance writing. They will subscribe to a few appropriate magazines/newsletters and study them. They’ll read books on the topic of submitting articles.
4: They’ll mingle with other writers. I recommend that some of them join writers’ groups. A few of them might get a lot out of participating in critique groups. If they join SPAWN, they’ll have access to a great newsletter that is generally brimming with information and leads for article-writers. It’s $65/year to belong to SPAWN. http://www.spawn.org
5: They’ll spend nearly as much time learning how to come up with article ideas and new twists on old ideas as they do honing their writing skills.
6: They’ll keep their audience in mind while formulating and writing each article.
7: They’ll pay attention to the message and purpose of each magazine and conform.
If you have an interest in writing articles for the many paying magazines and ezines, sign up for my on-demand, online article-writing course today. http://www.matilijapress.com/course_magarticles.htm
Learn more about me and me work here:
http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com