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5 Ways To Get New Writing Assignments

By on October 28, 2016
5 Ways To Get New Writing Assignments - Writer's Life.org

Being a freelance writer is a tough gig. If you are trying to make a living from your writing, ensuring that you have a constant supply of new writing assignments coming your way is imperative.

Freelance writing is a varied and exciting job; you can land some fantastic writing roles where you get to create articles on subjects you are completely fascinated by and passionate about. On the other hand, sometimes you end up writing content that is a little dull - however, it is important to keep paying those bills so taking on jobs that don’t fill you with joy is just part of the role.

If work dries up altogether, however, that’s when things can get pretty scary for the freelance writer. The good news is there is plenty of work out there; it’s all about knowing how to make sure that you get the ones that are worth your time and are going to earn you enough money so you’ll be able to live comfortably!

So how do you get new writing assignments? Here are some helpful tips.

Make sure you know what is going on in the world

Keep abreast of news and trends and always be thinking about how you could write about them from a fresh and interesting perspective. Use significant dates, anniversaries of major events, public holidays and so on to come up with ideas - you could even create a content calendar of useful dates, so you are always planning your ideas ahead of time.

Use your passions

There is nothing more satisfying than writing about something you love. What could you talk about for hours? Where do you have specialist knowledge? What gets you out of bed in the morning? You can use any of your passions and turn them into a great piece of writing. From weird and unusual hobbies to having a fierce opinion about a particular political topic. Writing about what you love and what inspires you will almost always produce your best work too.

Keep an open mind

Don’t stick to one niche or genre. Explore lots of different publications and lots of different avenues. You might find yourself writing about some strange topics, but at least it will keep it interesting. Also, make sure when you pitch that you give the editor several different ideas. They may not like them all, but this way you increase your chances of them liking at least one of them!

Know your limits

Don’t take jobs that you know you’ll hate, and don’t take ones that pay so little you’ll resent doing them. Similarly, don’t take on jobs that you know you can’t do well. If you promise an editor the world and can’t deliver, they won’t want to work with you again.

Pitch early

Most magazines and publications will have finalised what is going into their next edition months in advance. If you have an idea, particularly if it is time sensitive, make sure you pitch well ahead of time. Remember the whole pitching, negotiating, writing, publishing, invoicing process takes time so make sure you factor this in to ensure those pay checks keep on rolling in!

Staying organised and ahead of the game will help you make sure you constantly have new writing assignments to work on. These tips should help you continue to come up with new ideas and get them to editors well in advance of any deadlines to give you the best chance of success.

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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