How do I establish myself as a writer?
By: Sonali Pandey
Tags: Writers On Writing, Content Writing, Writing Strategies, Writers On Medium, Writing

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A writer, similar to a coder, painter, or any other professional, just loves his job. Isn’t it? I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being a writer. If you love the job and it makes you happy, why not? But, not everyone accepts this profession whole-heartedly. Sadly, the “everyone” I’m talking about here includes our friends and even our family. Well, it’s okay up to one point as everyone has their perspective on things but the same perspective starts getting annoying when people say nasty things about your profession or make satirical comments at it.

I am an engineer by my academic qualification but a writer by profession. I don’t know how writing became a part of my life but trust me, I don’t regret even one moment of it. When I started writing, it was just a side gig for me and nothing else. I had never thought I would become a writer. It was not even my childhood dream! But the more I worked as a writer, the more I fell in love with the profession and ultimately I became a full-time writer.

Now, the reason why I am telling you about all this is that writing as a profession is risky. It might happen that you’ll be bankrupt at the beginning with no clients (if you want to delve into freelancing) or no job offers(if you look forward to working in an organization). But, if you are passionate enough, none of these things will matter and you will emerge victoriously.

When I started as a writer, I had no idea about this field. As I said, it was just a side gig. But after some time, I started feeling the need for guidance that could let me know if I was doing the right thing or going the right way. I started asking some people who were already established in the field of writing. But, it was not of much use because they would offer advice that barely touched the surface of things. And that’s when I decided to start sharing tips on how one could establish themselves as a writer.

The last article I wrote talks about how you can create engaging content. In this article, I will let you know how you can establish yourself as a writer. Having said that, let’s get started !!

JUST START WRITING, NO MATTER BIG OR SMALL

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A lot of newbies refrain from starting small because they think it’s shameful that they won’t earn as much as their friends. But, trust me, it’s completely fine. As long as you think that you’ll learn enough, please don’t consider money as the deciding factor. The experience you’ll get is way more important than the remuneration. Also, refrain from people who invite you for non-paid work just because you’re a newbie. If you work for someone, never do it for free. Always quote a charge; be it small or large.

MAKE A PORTFOLIO AND SHARE IT WITH PROSPECTS

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If you’re an established writer, you’ll obviously have work samples that you can share with your prospects but if you’re a newbie, it might be a problem for you to share something meaningful. Well, don’t worry because I have got an amazing solution for it!

There are some platforms such as Medium and Contently which let you create a portfolio of your won. All you need to do is grab your laptop and start typing. Also, make sure you cover at least four to five niches such as health, fashion, lifestyle, tech, etc. while adding it to your portfolio. You can also choose to post regularly on platforms like LinkedIn or even make your WordPress blog. And voila, you will have a portfolio ready!

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

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From the day you start working, you start adding experience to your profession. And, it pays you a lot in the long run. Therefore, make sure you start looking for relevant experience right when you decide what you want to do as a professional.

LEARN TO SAY A NO!

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See, it might happen that when you’re establishing yourself in the industry slowly, you’ll get several offers at the same time. But, you need to be really balanced in your approach and consider choosing the ones that are more important to you. Also, please refrain from choosing more than 2 to 3 at a time because you need to take care of your health and give proper attention to the work you’re entitled to.

REJECTIONS ARE IMPORTANT!

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Now, when you read the title you might think I’m a maniac. Who likes rejections? But, trust me, there’s no better teacher than rejection. It’s only when you get rejected you get to know what your shortcomings are and how you can improve them. So, don’t get disheartened when you get rejected, instead, work on your weaknesses and get better.

DON’T UNDERSELL YOURSELF

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By not underselling, I mean that you should not accept bogus offers or work for a rate that’s way below the market standards. For example, when I started as a writer, I used to charge 60 to 70 paise per word. Soon, I joined a company that offered me the same rate at the start but reduced the rates to 40 paise soon by telling me that the client wasn’t paying them enough. The next step was obvious. I stopped working for them. So, stay away from such a bogus offer and don’t undersell yourself.

Well, that was all for this article. If you would like to add some points, please let me know your suggestions in the comments. And, until next time, keep reading!