Yesterday I blogged about how to work as a freelance writer. Today, I will continue with additional ideas.
If You Want a Writing Job in the Corporate World
• Study the materials from companies for which you’d like to work and see if you can improve upon them. Show your ideas to the appropriate department head.
• Join business organizations and service clubs where you can network with businessmen and women who might hire someone with your skills.
• Sign with a temp agency as a writer. This may be your foot-in-the-door.
If You’re Hoping for a Job With a Major Newspaper
• Hire on at a small newspaper while waiting for your big break. There’s an ongoing turnover at newspapers, so they’re always hiring. This is not a glamorous job, but it’s a step in the right direction.
• Cover a story on speculation for the newspaper of your choice. Watch for the opportunity to write about a local high profile issue and offer it to the newspaper for a fee. Attend meetings and events that aren’t being covered by staff and offer to report on them. Your effort is bound to get the editor’s attention.
Create Your Own Work
• Write articles for magazines. For this profession, you’ll need writing, organizational and research skills as well as patience and a great deal of self-discipline. You’ll also need the following tools: a computer, Writer’s Market and A Writer’s Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit (Matilija Press, http://www.matilijapress.com
• Become an editor. Start by approaching busy freelance editors and see if they need help accommodating their clients. The editors I know often turn clients away because they’re too busy.
• Find a mentor and be willing to do the work necessary to reach your goals. Many people who ask me for guidance in the writing field are not willing to take the necessary steps.
• Don’t give up your day job. If you need the money and can’t keep waiting for THE job to come along, go to work and write in your spare time. “What spare time?” you might ask. This may be one of those situations where you have to make some sacrifices. I once wrote an entire book in 8 months while working full-time. How? I got up at 4 every morning and wrote for two hours before going to work. I also devoted my weekends to writing.
Use this checklist to generate other ideas. The point is to keep on keeping on. One writer friend earns a living for herself and two sons writing technical manuals. After struggling long and hard to find this job, she advises other writers, “You cannot win if you do not play.”