What's up guys? Greetings from Ohio. Cleveland, specifically. I've written fiction for as long as I can remember; spy novels when I was younger, inspired by the Alex Rider series from Anthony Horowitz. It was a lot of emulation and imitation but it was fun. Now, I love writing realistic fiction. I love to write stories inspired by true events; things that I've actually lived through. It makes for interesting writing, or so I tell myself. I'm trying to make a career as a freelance writer, but have no idea how to pick a niche. And even if I did have niche I wouldn't know how to land that first gig. That's part of why I'm joining. I'm hoping to get some kind of advice from successful freelancers or copywriters and hopefully I can help some newer writers as well. If anyone has any tips about freelance writing, please message me! I'd really appreciate it. The hum-drum of the 9 to 5 life is starting kill me and I don't know what other way I have out besides my writing. Plus, Major Depressive Disorder makes it really hard to hold down a job, even when it's a really good job, unfortunately. Anyway, end of rant. I've already interacted with a few people on the forum and this seems like a great place. Hope to meet some awesome people here and get some good writing done.
Hey there! Love your username. I don’t know much about freelance writing, so I can’t really help there, but I’m sure tons of others here can! To find a niche, the way I did it was I tried new things. Sounds corny, I know, but it works. A sci-fi book I originally had no interest in reading (but ended up reading after lots of encouragement) is what made me decide to be a sci-fi writer. I already love science, so it worked perfectly. What I’m trying to say is, experiment a little! You never know what you’ll discover. Good luck and happy writing!
Thanks, Zombie! I have a couple ideas for niches I could go into, but I suppose I have some anxiety about choosing a niche and then regretting it later. Thanks for the advice.
Hello there, aModernHeathen! I'm one of the forum moderators, and I want to welcome you to the forum. Experienced writers are a particular asset to the forum, so I'm delighted you have joined. When you say you want to build a career as a freelance writer, do you mean as a fiction writer, like short stories? Or some kind of non-fiction? Columns in newspapers, etc? Or are you open to anything? What do you think you are best suited for? Something that includes regular deadlines, or something more ...malleable? You say you like to write fiction based on your own experiences. That's an interesting idea. (Me? I want to get as far away from my own experiences as possible, and love to play 'what if,' rather than sticking to 'what did.' Although, of course, our own experiences do add flavour to our writing, no matter what genre we choose, I reckon.) Anyway, while you're finding your feet here, I would urge you to check out these two links in particular. They'll help keep you 'right' as to what does and doesn't happen here on the forum. New Member Quick Start Forum Rules Feel free to browse the forum, and search out topics that you feel are relevant to your situation. Dive into any threads that capture your interest. Also feel free to visit our Workshop section and do a few critiques. If you plan to post any of your own work here for feedback, critiques are a requirement, so you might as well get a head start. And members who are looking for feedback really do appreciate it. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to contact me via my owl avatar. Just click on it and 'start a conversation' with me, and I'll do my best to help. Have fun. Get to know us, and let us get to know you. I'll see you around the threads. Cheers, Jan
I think it is more realistic to try and have a career in non-fiction, though I'm not sure. Regardless, I think I'm more suited for non-fiction as well, I enjoy researching topics and reporting on them, but trying to figure out what type of publications I want to write for is the issue, right now. Ideally? I'd like to write that NY Times bestselling novel and never have to work again. One can dream, right? Thank you Jan!
