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Topic: Where Do I start?
| Author | Message |
| katherinek18 | Posted – 8/9/2007 11:48:04 AM | show profile | email poster Hello All. I am 18, I have a passion and talent for writing. I have just begun to write more often, but I am also currently working 2 jobs (65+ hours a week) so its hard to find the time. I don't really have any specific or particular questions, but I am looking for any advice on where to start my Freelance writing career. I am open to and appreciate and advice and suggestions. |
| missprint | Posted – 8/9/2007 5:34:36 PM | show profile Katherine, Are you still in high school or already graduated? Going to college (and if so, for journalism?) or not? Ever worked/written for a publication? It's hard to answer your question without some of these basics. |
| katherinek18 | Posted – 8/22/2007 10:49:56 AM | show profile grammargirl, I am currently 18 and posess a GED. I am working a full time Admin job during the day and waiting tables at night to save money for where I want to go next in my life. I have thought about college alot, but I'm just not sure if I want to go or if I even need to. I think a good writer is a good writer. But I'm sure that college can make a good writer and better one. I have seen alot advice to others, to contact an editor of a paper, a small local one in particular, and request to submit an article, so that way I would have a wirting clip/clips to show to future editors in bigger gigs. Where do recomend i go from here? |
| globetrotter78 | Posted – 8/22/2007 11:31:14 AM | show profile Katherinek18, I'm on the brink of 30 so feel that I can offer some life experience :) My advice, first of all, is to go to college. You may be a great writer, and yes, you can freelance without a college degree. BUT, making a decent living as a freelancer is hard and I doubt you want to work two jobs for years to come. Not to discourage you from starting. Freelancing is an excellent way to build clips. And since you're only 18, you have tons of exploring to do. College is the perfect playground for that. You may decide that you like writing, but not "reporting." So maybe you end up thinking you want to work in PR because you're a people person and love to write. You'll need a college degree for that. Heck, you need a college degree for just about any decent job these days. And if you do make a go of freelancing, wouldn't it be nice to have a degree/skills to fall back on in case you hit hard times or want to make a change? Plus, good writers need good material. College gives you lots to draw on. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Start out by finding publications you're interested in and writing queries to the editors. That's the only way to start freelancing, no matter how old you are. Good luck! |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/22/2007 3:15:12 PM | show profile | email poster Katherine, you sound very sharp. I'd definitely advise you to start writing -- as the ME of local weekly and daily papers, I have called on good talent your age. It won't pay much, but you'll get clips. More importantly, you should get edited well and hopefully by someone who will mentor you a bit. Learn, learn, learn. Don't set your standards by the kid in the next cubicle. Read a great newspaper and learn from great writers. For your own development's sake, please go to college. I know so many people who've been hampered or downright economically crippled without that piece of paper. The experience is good for you, but the paper is especially important. You don't have to major in journalism, but I'd suggest at least a minor in that or English. if you were my daughter, I'd be adamant and strongly encouraging. In my case, nobody gave me this talk. So I'm giving it to you. If you can work 65 hours a week, a smart young woman like you can work your way through or work+loan. Promise me you will do this. Yes there are people who do with just a partial college education. Yes, talent is the main thing, and I know that a very keen and talented writer can master writing by observation and reading and whatnot. To a great extent, I did. All that said, get a degree. Please. |
| katherinek18 | Posted – 8/22/2007 9:47:37 PM | show profile | email poster Thank You Thank you for the great advice you guys, I really do appreciate it. I agree about the bit on going to college to have something to fall back on in the future if necessary and I also think it would be a good idea to go to gain knowledge about something in particular that I am passionate about and would be interested in to write about. I am currently reading 'Get a Freelance Life' right now, which is how i found out about this website, and I have found it all to be a great guidance along with the advice I've received from others. Should I start to contact an editor now and request to submit an artice? What if the first editor I come in contact with requests previous clips? (None of which I have). |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/22/2007 10:25:33 PM | show profile I would contact an editor and ask for an informational interview with a view to doing some freelancing. At the interview, I would demonstrate that I'd read the paper, have some way of indicating I'm EAGER TO LEARN, willing to be edited, willing to write anything, and that I know how to write (that I know how to gather accurate quotes and facts and how to put them together in AP style. If you don't know that yet, find out first.) and ask for an assignment. Most of all, at the interview you need to for sure demonstrate the demeanor you would show when interviewing someone for an article. Polite, courteous, curious, professional, interested. Listen well. And have a resume. No clips? Write a couple up, maybe feature articles on real people you know, pieces that would hold up. You need to demonstrate basic AP style skills. Listen to what the editor tells you and don't reject them out of hand. They may suggest an internship. They will probably ask you when you plan on going to college -- and if the answer is you might not plan on it at all they will probably assume you're not serious about journalism. Have an actual plan for college in place, even if it's getting the basics out of the way at the local community college or online at XYZ College. As an editor, I wouldn't take someone in for an internship or freelance if they didn't have some college or a plan for college. You're probably a gifted individual, a universal learner and a real quick study. No matter. Get the paper. The difference may be, with drive and talent, you can write WHILE you get it. |
| FeaturesGal | Posted – 8/23/2007 8:51:32 AM | show profile Go to college. Go to college. Go to college. College opens doors. That degree is important. Student loans. Grants. Work your way through. Don't let not having $$$ stop you. While you're there, get as much experience as possible. School paper. Newspaper or magazine internships. Congrats on having a dream early-- some of us were at your age and only wondering what was on sale at the GAP. But again....I repeat....COLLEGE. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 8/23/2007 10:23:36 AM | show profile katherine: I got a GED too. I hated high school so dropped out. I worked odd jobs till I was 21 then took a couple classes at a community college and transfered to a 4 year college and then ended up going to grad school for creative writing. I don't think it's necessary to go to college if you want to be a writer, but you're gonna need a degree to have doors opening up for you that wouldn't otherwise...and besides, it's more interesting going to school than working cause you're learning something new everyday. In fact, I wish I was back in school right now. |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 8/26/2007 10:19:58 PM | show profile Go to college. College does indeed make a good writer a better writer. And if you expect to make a living as a PROFESSIONAL writer, you'll be swimming in a pond full of SUPERIOR writers. Why keep yourself at a disadvantage? Also, eventually you might want to get a staff writing or editing job somewhere. I guarantee that no matter how many clips you have, without a college degree, the furthest you'll get at any media organization will be the custodial department or switchboard operator. Yes. It's THAT competitive out there. Go to college. |
| jcpatterson | Posted – 8/27/2007 10:51:21 AM | show profile Definitely go to college, as everyone else has pointed out. If nothing else, it will get you through the screening for desired positions that will require a degree for consideration. However, you are bright and motivated, so I 99% guarantee that you will learn things that will make you a better writer. While there, take a wide variety of classes, not just writing-oriented ones. Take history, art, economics, biology, chemistry, architecture. Follow up on intellectual interests. You will be surprised how often some of these courses come in handy when you are trying to understand subject matter about which you write. If you are feeling strapped for money or in need of faster gratification, look at some of the community colleges with good transfer programs or open-access universities. They often have programs designed so that the certificate you earn in 9 months applies entirely to the associate's degree you earn in two years which transfers directly to the bachelor's you earn in four. Well-designed programs like this will give you some credentials to put on your resume while you continue to study. |
| katherinek18 | Posted – 8/28/2007 11:29:49 AM | show profile I'M GOING TO COLLEGE!!! Thanks again for all of the great advice everyone. I think I am going to start out at a community college up in Wyoming, for my associates in English and then probably go on to get my Bachelors at a 4 year school. Jcpatterson, I definitely agree with you in regards to trying out classes with different subjects. It could really come in handy someday. That, and I am really into learning about just about anything right now! I have just recently contacted the Dean at the school yesterday and I am hoping for a response today. In the meantime, thank you all for the guidance, and I will keep in touch in the Forums for any advice or concerns that I may have, and also to see if I can answer any! |
| valentine | Posted – 8/28/2007 9:20:23 PM | show profile | email poster Katherine--You go girl! Get into your community college, apply for financial aid right away (they have a ton of grants and work studyjobs usually). Make sure to stay on this board if you really want to write. You will find a wealth of information and get tons of encouragement. I actually met my mentor on this board, which has directly panned out into me earning money from writing! You will be sooo ahead of the curve if you keep seeking out advice like you're doing and staying motivated. Please email me if you need any words of encouragement or have any questions! |
