Where would I start to look if I wanted to do some freelance writing? Where are the best places to begin?

Question

I have been a writer for about 15 years now, and I am 29 now. I really want to make writing (screenplays, novels, short stories, and sitcoms) my lifes work. How would I get on at like a newspaper as a freelance writer? Or how would I get my stuff looked at? I would really hate to think that it all about luck and the whole "being in the right place, at the right time...".

HELP!!!

Answer 1

Ya know - a lot of it is about being in the right place at the right time. I cannot begin to tell you how that worked out for me. Anyway - try resumes. Send them to local newspapers. You can also get a copy of Writers Market which has a lot of magazines that pay freelancers in the back. Writers Weekly is an online newsletter you can get that has lists ever week of live leads. There are also live leads at Absolute Write Water Cooler. Since you write stories, you might also Google anthologies accepting submissions and do some surfing. Getting in anthologies and writing freelance won't make you rich, but it does get your name out there.

By the way- have you seen this free online writing course for screenwriters? Give it a look. Pax - C


http://distancelearn.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=distancelearn&cdn=education&tm=6&f=11&su=p554.2.150.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.lifewrite.com/html/class.htm

Answer 2

Hi -

Wow, that's wonderful! You might want to look at attending a school like Full Sail in Orlando to learn all the ins and outs of doing screenplays (apparently there are a ton of rules!).

In the meantime, you might want to consider freelance commercial writing. It's not sexy, but it's a great way to pay the bills until you get your big break. You have a lot of freedom, and it's never dull.

Check out the free report on starting a freelance writing business offered on the site below.

Answer 3

Read as much as possible. Do not depend on The Writers Market for sales leads, because I have found many top sites always looking for freelancers not listed there. Since you like screenplays, I would suggest "Power Screenwriting" by Michael Chase Walker and "Story" by Robert Mckee. Actually, I have found both those books apply to regular fiction writing, novels and short stories, too. I am going to spell his name wrong, but J. Michael Stracznski has a good guidebook on screenwriting too, but that is looking at it like a business, not deconstructing the story. For novels, consider reading David Morrell's Lessons from a Lifetime of Writing. That is another favorite. Lastly, check out content sites if you want to earn some money with non-fiction, which is far easier, writing non-fiction I mean, in making a living at. I currently work for a newspaper and write for multiple sites, and though Im not rich it is fun. Consider checking out associatedcontent.com to earn a few books; you get 3-5 bucks per article, which isnt a lot, but a good way to begin. However, many say content sites are a waste of time.
That is really long, but that is the best advice I can give you. Consider that fiction writing is a much tougher road than non-fiction.

Answer 4

'Emily and the Beast' or 'Beauty and Duhram' or (You say she's a healer, so maybe something like:) 'Love Doctor' (little cheesy lol) btw, i love the story! Well done on the 20000 words. You must not have a day job ;)

Answer 5

This link is a calls for submission forum for newbie writers. You may also want to take a look at Writer's Digest and AbsoluteWrite web pages for more advice. Best wishes!

http://www.newbie-writers.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=10

Answer 6

Try these by typing a key word or two, you might be surprised.

The Best Free Article Links.

http://www.articlesbase.com/

http://www.articlecodex.com/

http://www.articles.kreationstudio.com/

http://www.articlediscovery.com/

http://www.infoplease.com/

http://www.secondaryenglish.com/

Answer 7

Trust me...you have no idea how "complex" a question you just asked...
It ain't gonna be easy, my friend...
Nepotism is the most sure-fired way...the 2nd best way, is...
Networking with people in the biz...the competition is fierce...in advertising, script writing, novels, blah blah blah blah blah...it's a lot tougher than you might imagine...speaking from experience, here...don't quit your day job...

Luck, and being born into it, is how "most" of them started...

I've written songs (in my opinion) that would blow the competition out of the water, and set a new standard bar for excellence...

But that, and a cup o' joe...

Will get you a...cup o' joe...

There are a billion people out there competing for a millions jobs...the stats are downright horrendous...

Good luck, my friend...you're gonna need a lot of it...