Professional Writing

Lesson 2: Hone Those Skills!

Imitate the Best & Get Involved

A perfect example of this is your analysis of Catherine Wald. When you studied her writing, you were incorporating its qualities into your being. Unbeknownst to you, you have added her concise lingo to your own, and are a more capable writer. You can do this with anyone you admire.

You might ask yourself, "How did my writing role models begin their careers?" Use the answers to provide yourself with some new career possibilities.

Once you've decided, study your role models' styles. Some styles might be harder than others to incorporate. Technical jargon used by the computer wiz is one example, depending on whether you are interested in computer details or not. Nevertheless, if you make even the slightest effort, you will still be a better writer for it, and your reward will be a sophisticated appreciation of professional language. In fact, the more diverse your interests, the more likely you will study a plethora of styles, the greater your chances at being hired regularly by professional companies.

A less complex form of writing that is easier to understand than any form of technical writing is that which you find in your local newspaper. Local journalism offers a number of rewards for beginning (or advanced) professionals:

1) It uses everyday language so the general public can grasp newsy concepts. This means it is easy to incorporate into your own lingo.

2) Local newspapers are always looking for journalists ready and willing to research local people and events for articles. It is therefore an easy way to break into the business.

3) There are many local papers in your area looking for people like you to write for them. Therefore, you can establish a prolific reputation as a top writer in your geographical area, gaining you more contacts and clients.

4) Because local publications are close to where you live, you can arrange to interview with editors, thus establishing relationships with people you'd like to work closely with. Additionally, during interviews, you can add personal input you think might help the publication attract a wider audience. For instance, you might suggest a column idea, such as, "Charmingly Haunted Places to Stay on Cape Cod" (I actually used this idea already). Columns are beneficial for writers since they mean regular paychecks!

5) Speaking of pay, local newspapers pay relatively well, and more often than not, once you've proven your talent in one article, they will allow you to become a regular contributor! As long as you do the field research and interviews that create exciting content, your chances are good the article will be accepted AND edited.

7) Most papers allow you to resubmit articles elsewhere, so not only do you get paid for professional pieces, but you can be paid repeatedly.

Local journalism is just one avenue for your career, but it is an important one that I personally feel is necessary.

Other examples of professional work you might study are in publications like Writer's Digest, Woman's Day, or Good Housekeeping. Once you've established a foundation and reputation in your local area, it is likely you will be accepted by national publications like these. Such publications pay rather well. Often, these magazines pay one dollar per word. It is likely they will pay for your interesting local stories or informative writing, and then you can move onto publications that pay handsomely.

"Writing for Dollars," found at http://www.writingfordollars.com/Guideli... is where I suggest you go to compare medium and high paying market guidelines. You are about to discover there are many opportunities (keep in mind once a publication accepts your work, 10 times out of 10 it will accept it again and again).

Fabjob.com is located online at http://www.fabjob.com/writers.html and was named the number one place to get published in 2002 by Writer's Digest. The site offers step-by-step instructions on writing a guidebook to be offered at the site (20,000-30,000 words) that the company publishes, sells, and pays handsomely for ($100 up front then expect to make approximately $5,000).

You can even view their "wish" list of career guidebooks or propose one that isn't being offered. All you have to do is write to the editorial address given and propose the idea. Many who have written for the site have gone on to acquire book contracts with big publishers like Random House.

All the ideas mentioned are ways to jumpstart a career. Use them, and you've made it almost halfway down the path to becoming a "professional!"

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