FreelanceWriter
Detroit, MI
Female, 30
After working in strategic communications and marketing for five years after college, I decided to make the move to full-time freelancing--mostly, to give me the freedom to travel. I've been freelancing for three years. At any given time, I'm writing for 5-10 print and digital publications, covering everything from engineering to travel. Common projects include copy writing, research reporting and academic writing.
I've always been a fairly competent writer, mostly because I've always been a voracious reader. Reading is a big part of writing well--it introduces you to sentence structure, helps you recognize misspellings and grammatical errors. It also teaches you how to break the rules, which is more important than you might think. In answer to your question, yes, I was told that I was a good writer in elementary school, high school and college. Of course, the definition of "good" writing changes rapidly as you move beyond essays and term papers. In college, I learned that I am a terrible creative writer. I like to infuse creativity into non-fiction and technical writing, but when it comes to poetry or short stories, I'm hopeless. The moral of the story is that if you fail at one type of writing--or if you've never been told that you're a good writer--don't give up!
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Yes--freelancing is my sole source of income. Usually, I put in 4-5 solid hours of work each day. (Though depending on how distracted I am by Facebook/Google Reader/news/email/Pinterest, I might be at the computer for 8 hours.) By working 4-5 hours per day, 5 days per week, I'm able to live comfortably. Plus, since I can work anywhere with Internet access, I often travel internationally for 2-4 months at a time. The number of pieces I write depends entirely on the project. Feature articles might stretch out over a period of weeks while I research, schedule interviews, draft and edit. With smaller marketing pieces, I might get out 10 or more in a day. On most days, I work on multiple projects.
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My first freelance clients came to me when I was working a full-time job, so I was able to learn the ropes without risking my income. One editor came across my personal travel blog and contacted me about writing a destination-specific article. My first corporate client came to me through a referral. After I quit my job, I didn't take on a full client load right away. The last year of my job was unbelievably stressful, so I took some time off to travel and shake the stress. By the time I connected back into the professional world, word had gotten out that I was no longer with my former agency. One of my old clients reached out to ask if I would take over his company's marketing writing. I turned him down out of respect for my former employer. He was really understanding--in fact, I'm pretty sure he passed my name on to other businesses, because I started getting project offers. A month later, another past client--who had moved on to a high-level position in a different corporation--called and asked if I was interested in writing for his new company. Years later, they are still one of my biggest accounts. It's hard to be specific without knowing your situation, but I'd suggest that you start by looking for writing opportunities in your current industry. If possible, tell your boss you'd like to take on some writing responsibilities, either internally or for clients. Frame it as cross-training. It's a fantastic way to learn. If you build a reputation as a skilled writer in your professional network, people may start sending referrals your way. If you're not comfortable going that route, look for writing opportunities outside of your personal network but inside your industry. Trade publications and topical magazines are a good place to start. For story ideas, use what you have--insider knowledge, unique access to sources, or information about upcoming challenges/trends/catastrophes/developments. If your company's R&D department is pioneering a new manufacturing technique, for example, you'll have an interesting topic and firsthand access to the researchers. As an industry insider, you will automatically be a step ahead of other writers. You'll have an in-depth, working knowledge of the target audience, the jargon, the major players, the ins and outs of business operations, and the challenges facing businesses. In my opinion, corporate clients are the way to go. They always have writing work and they understand the value of industry experience. (I can't tell you how many engineers have audibly sighed with relief when they realized that I was able to speak their language.) Plus, the pay is often higher than print/digital journalism and you don't have to jump through the querying hoops. If a business likes you and your work, they'll keep coming back. The project range is endless: annual reports, project proposals, feature articles, corporate magazines, print marketing copy, website copy, white papers, newsletter articles, client work, employee profiles, research reports... As for the grad students...yes, I imagine they are out there, though I haven't run into them. :) The thing is, there is absolutely no substitute for practical industry experience. A strong writer with five years of industry experience will almost always win out over a recent grad with five degrees and no experience.
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I once read a Danielle Steele novel--it was the only English-language book in a tiny town in Mexico and I was desperate--and I had the same question. Appalling! Honestly, I don't know. My guess is that editors are overworked and underpaid. Maybe the audiences for certain books care more about the story than the writing? Actually, I just did a quick search and came across this quote, which seems to support that theory: "Writers make up a specialized but very small part of the reading public. As specialists of the craft, we’re naturally hyper-aware of technical gaffes and structural problems. The average reader isn’t going to be anywhere near as likely to notice or care about all the little things that drive us (rightfully, if perhaps over-zealously) mad. They just care that they’re given a good story." (From http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2012/07/why-do-bad-books-get-published.html)
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Antiques Dealer
Do you think today's "stuff" will one day be collected as valuable antiques?
Chick-fil-A General Manager
What's the back-story behind the cow mascot and eat-mor-chikin campaign?
Waitress
What types of customers are the worst tippers?
I once worked on a big writing project for a huge company. From the first meeting, it was obvious that the corporate project liaison did not support the company's choice to hire an outside contractor (a common problem when working with businesses that have in-house marketing/communication departments). To make matters worse, this woman had self-published a romance novel, so she fancied herself a writing expert. That may have been true in the bodice-ripping genre, but when it came to high-level science writing for an expert audience...not so much. This woman went out of her way to make my life miserable. She sent passive-aggressive group emails (the ultimate weapon for a petty professional), nitpicked about every tiny thing and demanded I use a different style. Every time I wrote "he said" at the end of a quote, she replaced it with things like "he elaborated," "he uttered, "he pronounced" and "he articulated." It took me weeks to convince her that those phrases have no place in super-technical writing. Luckily, I understood the target audience--who were emphatically NOT romance novel readers--so my choices prevailed. The worst moment came when I requested that the company change their corporate motto. That's a big deal--not to mention a big investment--but it contained a blatant grammatical error and reflected poorly upon the business. This woman just about had a fit. We went back and forth for ages until she finally called a meeting with the CEO, confident that she would come out on top. I'm not naturally combative, but her smug expression at the start of that meeting nearly sent me over the edge. After I calmly explained the issue to the CEO, he paused for a moment and said, "Well, you're the expert. If it's incorrect, we'll change it." The look on the liaison's face at that moment was worth all of the irritation and wasted time. :) It can be difficult to stay professional in that type of situation.
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Start with some of your favorite websites about travel and food--check to see if they accept submissions from freelance writers. Websites often have lower barriers to entry than print publications, so experience is less important. I can't suggest any specific sites for food, but to get you started, there are some links below to the submission guidelines for websites that pay for travel content from freelancers. It's not much, but it's something. Lost Girls--Writing for NY Times http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/2011/03/pitching-101-how-to-write-for-the-new-york-times-intransit-blog/ Bootsn'All http://writers.bootsnall.com/ Wolrd Hum http://www.worldhum.com/info/submissions/ Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/content/contributors/ Transitions Abroad http://www.transitionsabroad.com/information/writers/writers.shtml Journeywoman http://www.journeywoman.com/writers_guidelines.html
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Why not do both? Diving in will give you practical experience, so you'll have more specific questions to ask in class. If you do take a class, choose one that meets or exceeds your level of experience so you don't waste your money. It's much better to be the least experienced writer in the class--you'll learn more and get more feedback.
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