Lana Turner was an exception – most
people do not get discovered by sitting in a soda fountain. Artists, writers
included, have to seek out the opportunities for work, fame and money. Unless
you are a well-known newsworthy public figure, it is doubtful that a potential
publisher is going to see you out and promise to produce your (yet unwritten)
novel. Although many of us write out of personal need (just like breathing), it
still helps when we can earn a living with our craft.
How can we find writing jobs?
Creative writers, novelists, poets,
and short story writers, rarely make their living by writing alone – unless they
diversify their type of writing. Get into a business mindset, if you want to
earn a living and hopefully make enough to be “comfortable”, then build a writing
BUSINESS, work at the craft you love and still be able to pay your bills.
Get a web-site, maintain a blog,
get involved with a writing forum, and join semi and professional social
networks to attract clients who will pay you to make money using words. Do you
have an expertise or a passion that you know well? Join networks such as
LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter – search your interests for other like-minded
people – narrow that search by sources that can and will pay for articles on
that topic. Look for business professionals, companies, publications, publishers
and even non-profits; these are all people that need words for advertising,
customer service, professional portfolios, and even in-house newsletters, but
might not have the time or resources to do it themselves. Congratulations, you
have your primary list of potential clients.
Use these networking sites to
connect with people who can hire you for short or long-term writing assignments.
Be polite but be forward and propose ideas. A potential client will ask to see
samples of your work, your blog will be a great example of your ability to
write – write regularly, keep it themed, and edit it well. Another place to
show off your writing ability is on your web-site media room – provide links to
online samples and store .pdf copies of tear sheets. If you are proposing to
write on a specific topic, prepare a few sample articles to submit if
requested. Your most profitable jobs will likely come from lucrative businesses
and will often involve copy-writing, advertorials, and email/snail mail
marketing. Writing for non-profits, even volunteering as a writer, won’t pay
the bills, but will help you build a portfolio and reputation.
Never give up your dream of
creative writing if that is what you want, you can also find contacts that can
help further your creative writing career. In the meanwhile, keep writing and
building a name for yourself while you pay your bills, publishers often want to
see a strong platform before they commit to publishing your work.
Writing
exercise: Make a realistic list of topics that you feel you can write strong
subject matter about – it’s all right if you need to do research so long as you
can do it efficiently. Search for companies or publications/blogs that
specialize or include one or more of your topics – write a short article (350
to 700 words) on that topic and edit it to the point where you feel it shows
your best work. Keep doing this until you feel comfortable “writing on demand”.
(Hint: many publications will offer submission guidelines or have articles
available for viewing so that you can customize your writing)
Writing
prompt: Choose the first two letters from your first AND last name (total of
four). Name a common object for each letter (for example, I might choose Car,
Hat, Cat, Ottoman). Now write a paragraph describing the person who considers
these four objects as his/her most prized possessions; include some of the
person’s history, career, etc.
