5 Easy Steps To Follow To Start Earning Immediately As A Writer.
Starting a writing career is pretty easy, or so we’re told, but starting doesn’t seem quite as straightforward sometimes.
This post will give you the easiest and most low-budget ways to start your writing career. Implement them, and you’ll immediately begin earning as a writer.
Assess your skills
Let’s debunk a well-rumored myth about writing, shall we?
Myth: You must be a native speaker to be a great writer.
That’s complete load of utter crap! Forgive my language :-|
You do not have to be a native speaker of the language to be a great writer. Writing great content is much more than expert knowledge of the language.
Yes, it helps to have a great command of whatever language you’re writing, but it ultimately boils down to several other abstract concepts like tone, subject expertise etc.
Starting out, you want to ensure you’re marginally good at putting your thoughts into words. Being articulate enough that people understand what you’re trying to express. “Articulate” means clear and effective communication. The yardstick I use for this is writing academic tests and exams; if your teacher or lecturer can understand your answers enough to score you, you’re fine.
You may wonder about people with terrible writing grammar or poor syntax. That’s the easy part if you ask me; AI tech is well advanced enough to help you with that. Softwares like Grammarly, GrammarLookup.com, ProWritingAid, SentenceCheckup.com etc., can help straighten out the kinks in your grammar.
Identify your preferred writing niche.
There are millions of written content scattered across the imagined face of the internet, and a large number of all that content is just junk. Creating great content requires several things, and an interesting and knowledgeable writer is high on the list. Writing within your sphere of interest is important, as this will make your writing more nuanced and relatable. A clinical psychologist will do better writing an article on Self-esteem than expounding on the theory of relativity. Except he is Jordan Peterson, of course, the man’s a genius ;-)
Find an area of interest to you; it could be tech, relationship, movie/novel reviews, or anything you enjoy or find interesting. This will help your words flow better in the reader’s mind, and your content will come across as interesting.
Build a portfolio
A portfolio is a careful selection of previously completed written content. It usually includes some of a writer’s best works, and its sole purpose other than storage is to reference your skill.
There’s no sweet way to sugarcoat this, but most clients will only trust their articles to someone they believe writes well enough to meet their unusually high standards. The best way for them to check is by requesting a portfolio to get a feel of your style.
How then do you build a portfolio?
It’s way easier to create a portfolio than you think
Since this is a low-budget, one-step guide to starting as a writer, I won’t bore you with different websites; many of them are paid and require some form of expertise to use. The best method is usually the simplest.
If you already have written content you think is good enough to show, all you need to do is link them. The most common writing tools are Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Each file can be forwarded independently as a link to whoever is asking.
If you must send more than one file at a time, you can use Onedrive or Dropbox. These are easy to use and require little to no special knowledge. Create a folder and move the files you want to add, copy the link to the folder and share with your potential client. Onedrive even allows you to rename the link as you like.
Click on this link to learn more about creating a portfolio.
One thing that might be a problem, especially for new writers, is not having enough written content to show. Clients will rather pay expensive money for experienced writers than take their chance on a newbie. The best remedy is to be your own client for a few articles. Write on topics you find interesting and have a fair bit of knowledge on. It doesn’t have to be a medical report on how to cure AIDS; a 500-word article on your favorite sport is also a great idea.
Get your first writing gig
The biggest issue most people have is getting actual gigs. New writers want to earn in foreign currency and make thousands of dollars right off the bat. That takes more luck than actual work, but putting in the work required is the surest way possible.
The best way to start is to register on freelancing websites like Upwork and Fiverr. I’ve heard many people complain about not getting a grip enough on these platforms to begin. The good news is that you’re reading this, and there are easier alternatives. Platforms like Upwork and Fiverr have been around for a while and have huge followings, translating to a lot of competition.
Upwork is saturated with a sh*t ton of writers, and Fiverr isn’t the easiest-to-use platform for beginners.
In my experience, the easiest way to get paid to write, especially for beginners, is finding already established writers willing to outsource some of their current gigs/tasks. The pay is usually lesser than you’d normally earn, but you can make that sacrifice to build the experience and content for your portfolio. Reaching out to writers in your community and asking them to outsource tasks to you is a great way to start.
If you’re unwilling to take the “pay cut” and want to be in direct contact with content managers, blog owners, etc., it’ll be easier to get started by registering with less popular freelancing platforms. Below is a list of relatively less competitive websites to begin your freelancing career.
Staying Consistent
How does that aphorism about consistency go?
Something like “Consistency is Key”?
Well, it doesn’t matter, as long as you understand that you don’t write one article and expect to become good enough at writing to have a successful career. It takes time; you’ll learn and earn along the way. There’s no surefire way to hasten the process; put in the work it requires and marvel at the result.