Inspired? Would you like to see your name on this website and your book up on those bookshop shelves? This is where we bring you a round up of writing tips, ideas and hints.
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One of the greatest things about writing is that you can do it anywhere, at any time, wearing anything. I spend a lot of my time perched on my bed, scribbling ideas and sentences into a notebook, whilst snugly wrapped up in my PJs. Indeed, I remember writing for a powerhouse business woman's magazine (you know the shoulder padded brigade) in my dressing gown, and chuckling to myself as the baby snoozed away in the cot next to me. In fact the young baby meant that writing for magazines was the perfect career for me at the time. And today, many of the people that take my writing for magazines ecourse are mothers with children. It just makes sense. It makes equal sense for women who have to move regularly too. So, what would my advice be to anyone starting out and aiming for a career writing for magazines? Writers aren't made but they can be nurtured. You need some degree of talent in the first place, after all, if writing doesn't come easily then it's not a good idea to start thinking of it in career terms. But if you're the type of person who can whip up a three page thank you note without thinking about it, you might well be on the right track. But nurturing takes work. You may like to enroll in a course, like my own, or a local educational authority. You also need to start reading - a lot. Keep it broad - a different newspaper every day, blogs, magazines you wouldn't normally pick up. This is as much for new ideas and angles as it is for a crash course in language and how journalists use it. Find A Niche If you've got a background or an interest in something - whether it's breeding British Blue Pedigree cats or skateboarding - then it makes sense that you should approach that niche first. And, although the women's magazines are glamorous and attractive, there are equally worthy and possibly even more lucrative careers out there writing for less glamorous but more worldly niches. Once you've decided on your niche, you need to learn all you can about it - immerse yourself in it, join the association, network, read all the latest books. Become it! Begin at The Beginning Many of my ecourse clients want to write for Cosmo or Red magazine straight away. There's nothing wrong with having big ambitions, but you do need to understand that you have to work up to them. Many of the freelancers writing for these publications used to be staff that have gone freelance so you need to have something pretty special to compete. And what could that be? Well, your niche of course! But first you need to build a portfolio. You can do this by writing for free for local publications, websites, and even by blogging regularly. Do this until you: 1. have enough experience 2. have a portfolio 3. have some editors who can write a testimonial for you. Then stop and turn your attention to paid work. I can't say how long this stage should be as it really depends on how much effort you are putting in. Some of my clients write a few things a week, other one every six months. You can guess which ones are going to make it. You'll Spend More time Pitching Ideas Than Writing Get used to it. writing from home is a business, just like any other. You'll need to invest in a website (but you can do that at low cost here), business cards and then put together a business plan. Calculate how much time you're going to spending on this and allocate accordingly - time for writing, thinking, reading and contacting editors. Get Used To Rejection It happens to us all. Even respected and professional freelances often have to come up with as many as five or six ideas to get one taken up. Think Laterally The beauty of writing is that it can take so many forms - you can move sideways into writing press releases and copy for local business, write little ditties for birthday cards (yes, people do earn money doing that) or blog every day on a niche subject, put Adsense on the site, and earn money when visitors click on the ads - a bit like this site! Good luck! |
| Posted: 02/12/2008 10:02:03 Last Updated: 10/06/2009 21:12:01 |
Chick Lit > Writing Tips :: Earn Money Writing From Home