Work - But How?
Ann Harth
You are writing full time. You crank out books and articles in your favourite genre and are published consistently. Royalty checks are rushing in so quickly that your next investment will be a larger letterbox. The phone never stops ringing and they're hounding you for more…
Or not.
Will you ever reach this stage? It's possible.
Will it just happen if you wait long enough? Doubt it.
Can you make it happen? Definitely.
At this stage you probably have some idea of your writing
preferences. Your strengths may lie in writing fiction:
historical fiction, romance, sci-fi, adventure or fantasy.
You've decided whether you're more comfortable writing for
children or adults. Maybe you have a passion for history,
science or nature and prefer to write non-fiction. When
looking for work, keep your favourite genres in mind, but
limiting yourself to these areas will severely limit your
choices.
Presumably, you want two things from a writing business: The
freedom to write what you want, and an income. If you are
passionate about writing sci-fi screenplays and can pay your
bills with them, go for it! If, however, you publish the
occasional short story in your chosen genre or sell a random
article on sea-grasses of the deep, after a week of research
diving, you may have to widen your scope.
Like time management, work-search is another area where
planning comes into play. Ask yourself these questions:
"How much money do I need to make?"
Your financial situation is a huge modifier. If you have
an overflowing bank account, a wealthy aunt or a recent
Lotto-win, write what you like. If you have a supportive
family or a part time job, you also have some freedom to
make writing choices. If, however, you have taken the plunge
and must supply groceries, power and fuel each week, you may
need to compromise.
"How far am I willing to move away from my preferred
writing?"
This brings us to your personal expectations. If you
started writing from home because you were determined to
only write in one genre or about one subject, you may find
that your income is wanting. On the other hand, if you
decided to work from home to gain the freedom to make
choices and support your specific writing passion, you will
be prepared to write what is necessary to continue.
Individual situations will vary. Define your position and
drag out my favourite word: balance.
Balance can be can be crucial to running a writing business
that makes money but allows you the freedom to follow your
passion. Divide your time between preferred writing and
paying writing. Ideally, these will merge into one, but for
now, they may just overlap.
Don't allow your passion to wallow at the back of the
line. This is your motivation for working from home. Don't
lose sight of it in the scramble for money. Carve out a
specific time each day or each week for 'pleasure writing'
(keep in mind that this will possibly become paying work one
day). Stick to it. Empty your desk or computer screen of all
else. Don't check your emails and don't answer the phone.
Put your head down, bum up and write, plot, characterise,
research, interview…have fun.
Use the rest of your time to support your habit.
Join professional writing groups.
One of the first steps toward finding work is to become
informed. Join the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and
the Writer's Centre in your state. Not only are they a
wealth of information, but mentioning a membership on a
resume or CV shows your professionalism to prospective
employers.
Compile a profile.
When you start looking for work, you will immediately
realise that an author profile, biography or CV is needed.
Write an outline, stating your relevant experience,
education and publishing credits (if any). If your
experience or published credits look a touch undernourished,
make sure you've included everything. Don't ignore an
editorial in a local paper or a short story that was
published in a school magazine. As your experience grows,
you can drop these, but for now, show them what you've got.
Don't forget to add your memberships.
Spend some time on this. It's a valuable tool that will
ultimately sell your services. Different jobs will call for
different types of experience and different formats when
presenting your skills and experience. Some applications say
'Tell us a little about yourself' while others expect a full
CV. Your outline can be modified each time you apply for a
job.
Study the Australian Writer's Marketplace - or the
Equivalent Publication in Your Country.
A huge section of this annual publication is dedicated to
magazines and journals. It gives the contact details,
readership and submission guidelines for each. Sit down with
a highlighter and mark the ones that interest you. Who
knows? You may just find a magazine devoted entirely to sea
grasses.
Surf the Internet
The Internet is invaluable for a freelance writer,
especially if you don't happen to live in a booming
metropolis. With your list of skills and experience on hand,
log onto your favourite search engine and type in keywords
like 'freelance writing', 'writing work' and 'writing jobs'.
You can also click into 'advanced search' and use complete
phrases: 'write from home', 'finding writing work',
'freelance writing', etc.
Chances are, you will find a number of sites with
articles, tips and chat groups all revolving around working
as a writer from home. You will also find dozens of
freelance writing or work-from-home websites that require
you to sign up and send in your profile so that prospective
employers can find you. We will talk more about these next
month, but for now, we'll concentrate on actively finding
work.
Websites that post 'writers wanted' information are often
based internationally, but don't let that stop you. A
writer's opportunities are countless in the age of the
Internet. You may like to check out the following:
http://freelancewrite.about.com/ This site
features FAQs, article and links about freelance writing, as
well as regularly updated market listings.
www.writersmarket.com Click on 'Search Markets' in
the left-hand column.
http://www.freelancewriting.com/ 'Morning Coffee'
has a list of freelance writing jobs and is updated every
Tuesday AM.
http://www.absolutewrite.com This website offers a free
bi-weekly email newsletter with market guidelines
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/ Another website
with a free marketing newsletter
http://www.ecola.com/ and
http://newslink.org/ These websites are homes to
the contact information of hundreds of magazines all over
the world. Find a few that interest you. Read the guidelines
and preferences for stories and then send off a query
letter.
These are just a few of the dozens of international
freelance writing sites on the web. Take some time to
familiarise yourself with a few of them. It's easy to make
the mistake of subscribing to everything in site. This often
serves to plop dozens of newsletters into your box each day
that often sit, unread for weeks. By then the market is cold
and useless. Choose one or two that look appropriate for
your needs and concentrate on these.
Volunteer your services.
Some of the offers of employment you come across from
these sources will ask you for your work experience and/or
samples of published writing. A good way to ensure that you
can provide these is to volunteer your services. Many small
journals and magazines offer little or no pay. This doesn't
mean that your work can be inferior, but it can mean that it
will be more readily accepted without a long list of
publishing credits to your name. Pad your experience with
articles for web sites or small publications. Prospective
editors aren't going to ask you how much you were paid for
each published piece, but they will feel confident that you
can deliver if you have a list of published credits in your
past.
Keep an open mind.
Above all, keep your eyes and mind wide open. Pay
attention to interesting occurrences each day. Take notes.
Encourage the innate and natural curiosity that many of us
have lost since childhood. Read the news, watch current
affair programs. Stay informed, not only about political
happenings, but also fashion, food and travel. Enjoy the
process of learning and become an expert in anything and
everything. Look things up, use search engines and
libraries. Become a research whiz.
Then, when you find a journal or magazine looking for
articles on fashion trends in the world of country music,
you will know how to find information on ankle tattoo fads
among C&W drummers. You will be able to put your finger on
the interview with Betsy Lee Ross that outlines her
preferences for glitter over sequins.
Don't give up
There may be days or even weeks when you feel that you
will never again land a paying job. Don't be discouraged.
Writing can be a fickle business, one day, one hour can turn
your career around. Keep your name out there and keep
submitting proposals and queries. Above all - don't forget
to send out your favourite manuscripts during your scramble
for paying jobs.
With perseverance and dedication, that larger letterbox
could be just around the corner.
Next month: Query letters: make the editors want you.
© copyright Ann
Harth .
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