I find that many bloggers are capable of being articulate freelance writers who can really earn a great reputation like Mike Royko (who was actually a columnist). I have known for some time that being a freelance writer is not easy and requires a passion and dedication. From the looks of it, successful bloggers probably earn more money than a freelance writer could ever dream of – just take a look at John Chow’s Blog that earns over $2500 a month due to advertising. In addition, I feel that blogging is much more convenient for many people and they have an instant voice for all of their writings. However, blogging is an occupation that I feel will not expose writers to the mass audience. Having a literary work published by a major news outlet or magazine is definitely bound to bring you more recognition and set you up for journalistic awards. In many ways, blogging is great for those who are unable to cope with a difficult lifestyle and is much easier to work with.

For many years, I have sought ways to discover a “tip sheet” that describes how to engage in freelance writing work. I have no intention of writing as a freelance journalist, however, I do have a desire to have some of my writings published in a magazine, newspaper, or journal. I came across a personal blog called Bad Language that seems to be run by a former freelance journalist. He recently wrote a post about how to become a freelance journalist. Not surprisingly, it requires dedication and a sincere effort. He colorfully writes about nine different steps one should follow in the hopes of becoming a successful freelance journalist. He covers how you should pick your subject matter and even how much to charge for your work. I find his last suggestion to be the most important which is, “develop a sense of humor.” I think this is something that can be correlated to the saying that you should have your own unique voice while writing. By identifying a unique voice while writing, you will separate yourself from the pack and have your own niche and identity.

The most important aspect of the post made by Matthew Stibbe (the writer behind Bad Language) is the assumptions and “honing your skills.”:

Assumptions

• You’re not already a professional writer but a regular person looking to become a writer.
• Writing won’t (initially) be your only source of income.
• You want to be a freelance journalist not a poet, novelist or playwright
• The basics like being able to read, write, punctuate, spell, use a computer, use the Internet for research etc. are not difficult for you.

Honing your skills

• Read lots. I mean LOTS. I subscribe to about thirty magazines in my field and every time I fly I buy five magazines that I would never normally read. I also get a dozen emails from mailing lists every day and look at a lot of websites each morning.
• Write lots. If you want to be a writer, write. Aim for 1000-2000 words a day. (As an aside this document took me 35m to write from start to finish. It’s about 2200 words.)
• Learn to tell a story. I can’t tell you how to be a good writer but this seems to be central.
• Read the books in the bibliography, especially Writing to Deadline, for more info.
• Study different magazines’ styles and content. Collect nice phrases and see how they handle the technical stuff like attributing quotes.
• Write 50 ledes. To see what I mean watch the (otherwise ghastly) Shipping News.
• Watch films about journalism. All the President’s Men is one good one.
• Read books on writing (see bibliography)
• Go to classes, but don’t spend a bunch of money unless you can spare it.

I never knew that you essentially had to aim for approximately 1000 words a day. I usually set a target of at least 200 words and sometimes even I find that to be a daunting task. However, no one ever said that being a freelance journalist is easy. I guess it goes to say, “Don’t quit your day job.”

Source: Bad Language