“Is there really work out there for a writer like me?”
I was recently asked this question by a writer with diverse interests. He was willing to write about a ton of different topics, from sport to politics. He was a good writer too. But no matter where he looked, he just couldn’t find writing work.
He was waiting for an opportunity to come along, and he just couldn’t see one.
Are you in a similar situation?
You’ve got a topic you’d love to write about, but you don’t know where to start.
Let’s take a look, realistically, at how writing opportunities work.
When you know what lies behind writing opportunities, you’ll be better at discovering them. With your eyes open, you’ll see writing jobs where you never noticed them before.
But before we get into that, let’s take a look at the magical writing fairy.
The writing fairy lives in a magical land where there are limitless writing opportunities. In this magical land there is also a money printing machine. Every once in a while, the magical writing fairy turns up on the desk of an aspiring writer with a big wad of cash from the money machine. “If you’ll write me an article on your favorite topic, I’ll give you this money,” the fairy says. And she means it. Because there is plenty more money where that came from.
There’s only one problem with sitting and waiting for the writing fairy.
There’s no such thing as the magical writing fairy.
She’s a mythical figment of the imagination. Unfortunately, she has wheedled her way into the minds of many aspiring writers.
I know all about the magical writing fairy, because I’ve sat waiting for her before.
It’s so tempting to think “There’s the perfect job out there for me, if only someone would give me the opportunity.”
It’s tempting because it’s easy. When you think along those lines, it absolves you of taking responsibility for your writing career. Instead of stepping up to the plate, you can just sit around, doing nothing, waiting for a big break to come your way.
But alas, there is no writing fairy, so the big break never comes. So you continue to sit around, waiting for the big break.
It’s time for you to break the cycle. It’s time to take responsibility. Instead of waiting for “someone” to give you an opportunity, give yourself an opportunity.
Give yourself the break you’ve been waiting for.
You create your own writing opportunities. Isn’t that an empowering thing to discover?
What do these opportunities look like?
There are jobs out there for writers like you, but you must be realistic about what’s possible, and you must take action. Sitting on the couch waiting for the writing fairy is not an option.
How, then, do writing opportunities work?
To be paid for writing, you need to look for a person with two characteristics:
- They’ve got money to spare.
- They’re looking for writers.
This could be:
- A magazine editor who is looking for feature articles.
- An aristocrat or multi-billionaire who wants to support the career of an aspiring artist.
- A blogger who makes money from advertisements, or from selling information products, but is too busy to do all their blogging themselves.
- A book publisher who is looking for the next Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter.
- A business owner who needs help from a writer to promote their business.
Do you see where this is going? There are writing opportunities out there, if you know where to look, and if you know the right people.
Now you know the types of people to look for to find writing gigs (I’m sure you can think of others), it’s worth bearing in mind a few caveats about these people.
First, the more money a potential client has, the more they’ll be willing to pay you. Bloggers and content creators don’t typically earn much money from advertising. That’s why revenue sharing sites, which share advertising revenue with writers in exchange for content, often pay a relatively low rate. Magazine editors and book publishers are somewhere in the middle. They pay reasonably well, but they’re looking for extremely high quality, so you’ve got to be real good to get their attention. Business owners who have a steady income usually pay the most generous fees to writers. Businesses have a budget for marketing, so they’ve got cash to splash.
Second, the more there are of that client type in the world, the more writing opportunities there are for working with that type of client. There aren’t all that many billionaires in the world looking to support struggling writers, so opportunities there are hard to come by. There are a few more magazine editors, but they’re inundated with queries from writers. Unless you’ve got an established track record, you’ll struggle to get their attention. Business owners, on the other hand, are in plentiful supply. Many of them have yet to find a reliable, good quality writer. If you’re a wordsmith who knows how to turn a phrase, and kindle emotion with your writing, then there are business owners out there looking for writers just like you.
Finally, and most importantly, anyone who hires you will want to see what you’re capable of. They may set you an assignment so they can see a sample of your writing. But it’s far better to have samples prepared in advance. You can do this by starting your own blog, by writing samples that show what you’re capable of, or by volunteering your skills to a nonprofit.
Now we’ve taken a look at who writing opportunities work, let’s go back to the original question.
Are there writing opportunities out there for a writer like me?
The answer is, it depends what you mean by “a writer like me”. If you want to write poetry, and be paid good money for doing so, then you’ll find opportunities extremely hard to come by.
But for most writers, the opportunities are there.
The writer who asked the question was interested in sports. So the answer is yes, there are a ton of opportunities out there.
Of course, there are only a few opportunities to be a sports journalist. Most newspapers and magazines have their favorite sports writers already. But if you want to break in, then you must start writing about sports. Start your own blog reporting on sports games in your area. Get in touch with the local newspaper and offer to report on sports games for free. Build up your samples, show what you’re capable of, network with newspaper and magazine editors, and you’ll uncover writing opportunities as a sports journalist.
The road won’t be easy – remember there is no writing fairy – but if you take your destiny into your own hands, you’ve got a chance of making it.
What if earning money soon is important?
If you think about sports in terms of business, then the opportunities are abundant. Sport is big business. Think of sportswear, fitness equipment, sports drinks, sports recovery, and gyms. All industries you could specialize in as a business writer, and earn good money.
Again, the best way to start is to start. Create your own blog and start writing about sports. Reach out to the owners of sports-based businesses. When business owners see your passion and writing skills, they’ll want to work with you.
Why do we writers so often assume that opportunities are about to fall out of the sky? When we assume this, we live in a fantasy world.
If writing opportunities are up there in the sky, then you must climb the mountain to reach them.
Clients aren’t going to hire you on a whim. They need to see what you’re capable of.
If you want to climb the mountain, you’ve got to take the first step.
Believe in yourself. You can do it.
There is writing work out there for writers like you.
- Answer: Yes, if you know where to look
- You’ve got to start by writing – clients aren’t going to hire you on a whim, they need to see what you’re capable of
- Remember – Conversations Lead to Clients
If you’re ready to take action, we’ve created an eBook that shows you exactly how to find opportunities and get writing jobs, using LinkedIn. Get it now: The LinkedIn Goldmine.
