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How to Become a Freelance Writer for a Magazine

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You love to put words on paper and the idea of writing as a career really appeals to you, so what's next? Well, for many people it seems that they believe getting a job as a freelance magazine writer should be next on the agenda.

Professional writing is a serious career step and unless you are really ready you are just going to fall flat on your face. Writing involves skills, talents and creativity. Those bylines are not just being given away to any fish in the pond. If you don't have the right mix of the necessary ingredients then getting any freelance gig as a paid, professional writer is going to prove to be a Herculean task.

Check your own Qualifications



The first thing you should do is to take stock of what you are bringing to the table. A desire to write is one thing, but actually accomplishing the feat is another. In other words, almost anyone can string some sentences together, but only a real writer can organize them into something that others want to read.

Get some feedback about your writing and listen to what people are telling you about its quality, content and style. There is always room for improvement for all writers, and the sooner you address these shortcomings the better.

Practice, Practice, Practice

If you do not have prior freelance writing experience, you may want to sign up for some writing courses online or at a community college. These courses can provide you with additional skills in grammar, composition, and spelling. There are also a number of seminars involving freelance writing that any aspiring writer can attend.

Practice makes perfect, and you should practice your writing as often as possible. Volunteer to be a freelance writer for your community paper, your church, or local schools. These assignments will generally not put any money in your pocket, but they will give you a chance to get some experience. You can also use this time to hone your writing skills.

Finding the Jobs

You can check job boards, chat rooms and other online venues for freelance magazine writing assignments. There is no limit on the amount of these jobs that writers can apply for, but do not restrict yourself to applying only for the top writing assignments especially when you are new to the game. There will be fierce competition among a number of writers for these higher paying jobs, and the most important thing is to land some gigs for the experience.

Portfolios, Resumes, Websites and Samples to Display Your Writing Talent

You need to have some (real life) writing experiences to prove your abilities as a freelance writer to potential employers and clients. Keep a list of any writing assignments that you have completed both paid and gratis. If it is agreeable with your former client, you can use these for your personal writing samples.

Portfolios are a writer's identity and you should begin to compose your own portfolio now. Include a variety of writing styles to display your versatility and talent. Portfolios for any writers will have extra impact if different types of writing are contained. Your own portfolio should also include copies of writings that you have completed for clients or employers in the past.

Most clients request a resume and some type of writing samples. Portfolios are often preferred by most prospective clients. These also look more professional than just a quick inclusion of a few random paragraphs from some of your older freelance work.

You may even want to create an online presence for a more polished presentation as a professional writer. It is relatively inexpensive to set up a website that contains some of your writing as well as personal and professional information a client will be interested in perusing.

A formal resume should be kept at the ready so that it can be sent quickly whenever you are applying to an ad involving freelance magazine work. As with any job, the early bird usually has the best chance of being considered for any freelance writer position.

If you do not want to send out a typical resume you can always try using a letter that is designed to accomplish the same thing. With a resume letter there is less formality involved. You simply introduce yourself and provide contact information. Then you use a numbered or bulleted list to identify what you have written in the past, and tell the prospective client why they should hire you as their writer for this freelance assignment.

Prove Why You Are the Best Writer

When you set out to land a freelance magazine writing job you are going to have to prove to the client why you are the best person. This means that you have to impress them from the very first moment and prove that you are indeed the best writer on the market. Learn to play to your strengths when you are communicating with any prospective clients.
  • Be professional in all of your correspondence.
  • List the reasons why you are best suited for the job.
  • Use proper English, correct spelling and good grammar.
  • If, as a writer, you think that Microsoft Word is always correct there is a good chance that much of your writing will always have a large number of errors. Nothing can replace personal proof reading. Microsoft Word still confuses "your" and "you're". Magazine editors do not appreciate such egregious errors, which is why you have to know the difference yourself if you are applying for a freelance writer position.
Honesty Counts

Make sure that your background and skills are well suited to the job they are listing. If the ad for a writer requires a specific college degree and a certain amount of experience do not embellish your own resume to fit the job. Honesty is an absolute must for all writers. There are already more than enough people out there who are doing their best creative writing when it comes to describing their own abilities and background.

Be a Free Thinker

When you are asked to submit a topic idea or a suggestion be bold and think out of the box. Come up with a new twist on a common subject. Impress the client with your insightfulness and radically different slant. They are searching for writers who can engage an audience with the right choice of words.

Network your way to the Top

Networking is always helpful to any writer who is trying to land a freelance magazine writing job. Never be reluctant to accept smaller jobs because this gets your fingers and keyboard past the virtual front door. Volunteer your writing talents whenever possible. Cultivate professional relationships no matter how fragile the connection lines are in reality. This will pay off huge dividends further down the road. Even a non-paying assignment will help you get your name out into the public arena, and this can lead to those better paying writing gigs that you really want.
If this article has helped you in some way, will you say thanks by sharing it through a share, like, a link, or an email to someone you think would appreciate the reference.

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