Beginners Guide to Freelance Writing: How to Break In, What to Do)

When you make the decision to begin freelance writing there are a lot of things to consider.  The first one being, how to break in; how do I get those paid writing jobs, what do I need to do?  Although writing is a very competitive field it is a job like any other, so just like other jobs, you will need to create a resume.  Once you have the resume taken care of, you will need to find the right people to get it to.





There is one word that encompasses much of what you will need to do to break in to the freelance writing market, and that word is networking.  You can spend all the time in the world creating a library of work to show people, and come up with the most amazing and creative resume out there, but without the right people to send them to, they will mean nothing.  Networking is the key to finding these people, and there are many different ways of going about it





Networking is all about meeting the right people who can lead you to other people who ultimately are the ones that give you work.  The best way to find these, “right people,” is by doing what you love to do best, writing.  Take a writing class at the local community college or join a writers group.  By surrounding yourself with other people who love to write you are increasing your chances of meeting somebody who can offer you a job or who can introduce you to somebody else that can.  Speaking of community college, another great way to break into the writing world is by writing for your school paper.





You may be amazed to realize that a lot of publications keep up with their local community college newspapers.  You never know who may notice your work when you write for the college paper.  Not only that, but potential employers place writing for college papers pretty high in their ranking of experience and knowledge.  A college newspaper is a great way to showcase your ability in a real world type of setting.  It’s a kin to doing an internship, which is another great opportunity that you can utilize when you are trying to break into writing.