In the first part of this blog series on finding freelance work, we talked about things you should do before you begin your marketing and sales pitches. Now we’ll look at concrete actions you can take to find work.
Writers find work in a variety of ways, dictated mostly by experience level and type of writing. In the nonfiction world, this may mean publications, blogs, websites, corporations, nonprofits, agencies, production houses, and more. This makes it more difficult to answer the question: how do I find work, especially during a pandemic when so many are out of work or are operating at lower capacity? Even given these challenges, there are ways to boost your chances, no matter your skill set or level.
A continuation of the first part. Five more bits of advice for aspiring writers.
1. Write, It’s As Easy As That
This will end your “aspirations” and make you an actual writer. The fact is you are either writing or you are not writing. There is no in-between.
Being a freelance writer is a tough gig. Not because of the writing, though that has its own difficulties, but because of the business side of things. Through the many years I’ve been doing this, I have learned some tough lessons. Here are my top 12:
Never before has the Internet been so important. Heaven help us if wifi goes down. We might not make it.
Sequestered in our homes, it’s books, movies, and streaming content that keeps us going. That is, when we’re not working out, cooking or obsessing about flour, yeast or paper products. But even YouTube can let us down now and then. Our feeds get gunked up with cat videos and before we know it, we’re down the rabbit hole never to be seen again.
Well, here are some links to help you stay on track, even if you are still sitting on the couch:
Across the country, we are hunkering in our houses, apartments, condos, and yurts hiding from an invisible pathogen intent on causing harm. We’re closed off from others, forced into an isolated existence. The kids are home. Shops closed. Parks cordoned off. It feels like a different world than it did a month ago and it looks like it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
As writers, it is up to us to capture this time in words. It’s time to keep a journal. Take a moment each day to write down what is happening and how it makes you feel. Take the shock, worry, anxiety, anger, fear, compassion, sadness and grief we all feel and commit them to the page. Describe what is happening—all of it. The boredom, the loneliness, and the obsession for toilet paper. These are the parts of the pandemic that are human. They are the emotions that define this time. It is also where you will find story and character.
’Tis the season for resolutions. In Part I of this two-part series, we talked about ways to learn, stretch your skills, connect, be kind to yourself and commit to reading and writing in the new year. Below are more resolutions to take up in your pursuit of writing.
Every year, millions set resolutions for the coming year. Months, weeks, days, and sometimes even hours, later those resolutions fail. There is something in our minds that rebel against change, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try forming new habits. In fact, it is that resistance that demands we keep trying.
The holiday season is a great time to give writing- and reading-related gifts. Here is a quick list of ideas.
Part one of this two-part series focused on tips you can use before NaNoWriMo begins. This part looks at what to do during NaNoWriMo to increase your odds of succeeding, though the tips work equally well for writing a first draft any time.
It’s almost November when hundreds of thousands of writers will take on the challenge of writing 50k words in a single month. It’s not a small undertaking, but one that is easier if you have a plan.