Dear WordCount:

I have been praised for my writing ever since I was a kid. I’ve always been told I should become a writer. Years ago, I moved to the West Coast before I finished college because I was dying to escape to the big city. I needed to pay the bills, and I fell into word processing because it turned out I can type like the wind. As a result, for my entire work life, I have functioned as a de facto editor, writer, proofreader, and fact checker, but with nothing to show for it. I am always prettying up someone else’s work, or flat out rewriting it for them. “Uncredited ghostwriter” is my middle name. These days, technology and off-shoring have defoliated the job market of word processing work, permanently. It did not satisfy me anyway. I am trying to transition into freelance writing, but I do not have the writing samples to prove that I can do it. If you have any suggestions I would be very grateful. No one will help me and I am just about at the end of my rope.

Yours, Jane S.

Dear Jane:

There’s no easy way to do what you want to do, but it’s not impossible.

You don’t really say what type of writing you want to do. I’ll assume it’s journalism because that’s what I know best.

If you’re interested in working as a freelance journalist, you need training and practice.

For training, take classes through a local community college or university extension program. Not only will you learn basics like the inverted pyramid, nut graph, how to conduct an interview, etc., you’ll meet teachers who are likely to be in the business and who can give you good feedback and introduce you to publications that might need writers.

For writing practice, start a blog. Pick a topic and write about it – a lot. Since you don’t have other clips, blog posts can serve as clips.

Post your resume online. Put it on your blog, and emphasize your writing experience. Join LinkedIn and fill out a profile – that will help you show up in searches of people with your qualifications. Reach out to people you’ve worked for before and ask them to write LinkedIn recommendations for you, again emphasizing your writing and editing skills.

Join a local writers’ group, or start one; these days writers’ groups can be online too. Use the group to give you feedback on your work.

Collect ideas and craft them into queries that you pitch to the appropriate publications. If you’re nervous querying big publications start with little ones, but not so little that they don’t pay anything.

Treasure feedback you get from any editor who takes the time to explain why they didn’t accept your query. Use it to make the next one better.

When you get assignments, drink in everything the editor tells you to do – or not to do.

Meet your deadlines.

Send an idea for a second assignment when you turn in the first.

Rinse. Repeat.

How did you break into freelancing? Share your experience by leaving a comment.

Got a question for Dear WordCount? Email it to me at wordcountfreelance@gmail.com.

Photo: rachfog

It’s raining.  Again.

It’s July 19, and so far this summer, Portland has had 12 days of sunshine. I’ve been keeping track. The City of Roses doesn’t get a lot of sunny days in June, so no one’s disappointed when they don’t materialize. But when July rolls around, the sun comes out and stays out well into October.

Only this year, the record rains we had during spring have hung on a little longer. No, a lot longer.

Right now, sitting in my office, mid-afternoon is as dark and gloomy as December.

This is not how it was supposed to be.

My writing business isn’t going according to plan either.

A client decided not to renew their contract for the remainder of the year. It wasn’t anything I did. They opted to stop buying what I’m selling while they retool their website and promotional efforts. Goodbye editing work. Goodbye steady monthly income. Goodbye writers, photo editor and proofreader I’d worked with on the project for so long.

And yet, I expect to wake up tomorrow or the day after that or the day after that to clear skies and dry pavement.

And I expect that sometime soon the clouds obscuring the horizon of my freelance business will clear away too, revealing a sunny future.

Until then, what else can I do but enjoy the rain.

Long-time freelance writer Gwen Moran offers some great insights into this process in a Q&A that’s up on The Renegade Writer blog.

Moran is a columnist for Entrepreneur, and has written for publications such as Woman’s Day, On Wall Street and Newsweek.com. She’s the co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Business Plans.

According to Moran, the first step in career planning is picturing your ideal end result. In the Q&A she says:

Do you want to work for a certain type of publication? Earn a certain amount of money? Break into a specific niche? Once you’ve defined where you want your business to go, then you can back out the steps you need to get you there. You can begin honing topics and pitches for a specific publication or start targeting clients who understand the value that you provide in exchange for a healthy rate.

If you’re interested in learning more, Moran will be teaching an online course called Build the Freelance Writing Business You Want, at The Renegade Writer. The six-week course begins Oct. 7 and costs $250 for the premium version with six weeks of e-mail support or $150 for the basic version with no e-mail support. Find out more details on the Website.

Today: Career development for freelancers

Freelancers’ strategies for prospering in bad times – Suggestions from established freelancers with a variety of backgrounds and business plans, including tips for maintaining old clients while cultivating new ones.

Guest post: Going freelance in a down economy – Susan Johnston, a.k.a. The Urban Muse, shares how she ditched her full-time job for freelancing in this guest post.

Freelancers need to pursue grants, scholarships, fellowships – It’s hard for self-employed writers to make time to take classes, but the payoff in more interesting, better paying assignments can make it worthwhile.

Grants for women in digital media – Information on institutions that run grant programs to support women in media, who are at greater risk of dropping out of the profession than men.

News U. offers online courses and Webinars – Take classes without leaving home.