by Megan As Well

Created on: June 09, 2008   Last Updated: February 10, 2009

Jumpstarting your career as a freelance writer can seem incredibly difficult and terrifying. But if you are willing to work hard at it, you can have an incredible resume in just a few years!

Here are a few tips to help start you out:

1. Write as often as possible. Usually, I advise writers to write every day. But does a waitress wait tables every single day? Does a singer sing every single day? Writing, no matter how much you love doing it, is hard work. And everyone needs a day off every now and then. Just be careful how much "vacation" time you allow yourself. Don't lose momentum!

2. Get your hands on the latest copy of Writer's Digest's Writer's Market. It contains hundreds of consumer magazines and trade journals that are looking for features, non-fiction, fiction, photography, poerty, and fillers. Read it thoroughly. Mark it up with highlighters and such. Find markets that are suitable for your type of writing. Aim for markets open to beginners and ones that have high acceptance:rejection ratio at first.

3. Sell yourself. Submit your work as professional manuscripts to as many markets as possible. Most markets require you to include a cover letter, brief bio, and/or list of previous publications. Be as professional as possible with this. Send as many as you possibly can! Some excellent writers have to send thousands of submissions before getting one acceptance.

4. Don't expect acceptance. Most of the time, you will recieve rejection letters, comments on your work, or no response at all. This is completely normal; you are not alone and this absolutely does not mean you are a terrible writer and should give up writing forever. And, if you aren't expecting it, then acceptances will be that much more exciting when they do come!

5. Don't take rejection personally. Magazines and literary journals recieve hundreds-sometimes thousands-of submissions each year/month. They can't possibly print everything they recieve, so they pick the best of the best, and the most suitable for their publication. Instead of letting it get to you, use rejection as a stepping stone toward becoming a better writer. Remember that old saying-what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. And whatever you do, don't send an editor back a nasty, critical reply to a rejection. This will only cut off your chances of every being published for that publication again. Plus, word travels by mouth. Getting upset will only hinder your chances of sucess.

6. Work your way up. This could take months, years, or even decades. Don't rush it. Just send out submissions on a regular basis and stick to these steps. Some publications take months to respond, so check your mailbox regularly but don't freak out if you don't hear back from a publication for a while.

Stick to these steps and you should do just fine. Keep focused and stay organized. Be professional. And most of all, write on!

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