by Rachelle de Bretagne

Created on: January 02, 2009

Inside of every writer is the will to succeed, although it is always sad to hear people when they say they wish they could write for a living but do nothing about it. Opportunity abounds for the freelance writer and this article sets out the steps needed to be taken to get yourself into the freelance writing world with the least possible bad experience.

*Searching the markets.

*Buying the right books.
*Getting to know editorial needs.
*Never being afraid of rejection.
*Learning to keep records.
*Opening up into different areas.
*Never thinking you are the best.
*Making a living from writer's markets.

Searching the markets.

Every magazine and every website which has articles is a potential area for a freelance writer to get paid for writing. It isn't enough to join and site and try pot luck. Research what the site or magazine wants. They will not change their style to suit you, and this is where many writers go wrong. They are filled to brimming with enthusiasm and instead of reading guidelines or looking at the written work accepted by that publisher, they just write.

No-one should ever be vain enough to think that a marketplace will accept their work without this research. Did you know for example that there are certain methods of layout, certain word counts and standards to adhere to? Did you know who the audience was that you were aiming for? All of these things matter, and if you write an article suited to one market, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will suit another.

Buying the right books.

One of the best tools for the freelance writer is a book called The Writer's and Artist's Yearbook. This wonderful publication comes out every year, and is filled with useful information giving you markets for every type of writing you can possibly imagine. Playwrights, poets, factual article writers and fiction writers can all find the publishers who are looking for work, and this book is a great addition to the freelance writers library since the information contained within it is up to date and extremely valuable.

Getting to know editorial needs.

This is vital. Write the wrong style and your work will fail. With written publications, the best way to get a feel for a magazine is to read it. You are digesting information about what the publisher has already accepted and this gives you great guidelines as to their style. Follow this up with a letter or email to the publisher or editor asking for editorial guidelines and you are halfway to understanding what that publisher wants

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