New Member Seeking Guidance in Freelancing

Hello All,


I'm new to AW and wanted to go ahead and introduce myself to the community. I've been “lurking” here for a few days reading furiously in hopes of developing a solid strategy for breaking into freelance writing and just from reading the various threads here I think I might have found myself a cozy little community of support to help me do just that. There seem to be a lot of really great individuals here and I feel like I already know some of you just from the frequency in which I have seen many of the same people posting comments here. That said, I would like to ask for some advice from some of the experienced writers here.

First of all, I have read the forums extensively over the past couple of days and I have managed to develop some ideas as to how I'd like to approach getting started with a career in freelancing. Additionally, I have used the search function in an attempt to clarify some elements of said approach so my request for advice would not end up being something that is covered in the stickied threads. Now that I have prefaced the thing to death, I'll get to the point.

I have written extensively over the years but unfortunately only in the form of unsubmitted short fiction, unfinished novel manuscripts, and some free writing I did for a friend at a NFL handicapping site in 2003, which is now defunct. As a result, I have no clips. I'm not going to let that deter me from querying publications that are open to new talent but in addition to that I would like to start making a little money right off the bat if possible. I'm considering doing some writing at Demand Studios based on what I have read regarding the experiences of several members here at AW but I want to make sure I meet the criteria they have outlined for acceptance as a new writer. I was thinking of sending my resume, which has substantial and varied work experience (but of course, no writing experience), with a new cover letter pitching my life experience in the workforce as a partial pretext for acceptance. As for the writing samples I thought I could do several articles at Associated Content first and then use those to pitch Demand Studios along with my new and improved resume.

I'd like to try to get in with them first try if at all possible. Does my strategy sound solid? If not, I'd be eternally grateful for any advice any of you might be willing to offer. I look forward to your replies and also to becoming a regular and positive presence in the AW community. Thanks in advance.

Chris

P.S. What does ETA mean? LOL. I've been seeing that as a post script and it's driving me nuts that I can't figure out what the acronym stands for.

Thank You All

First of all, thanks for the enthusiastic and warm welcome from all of you who replied. It's always a little intimidating to be the new kid in an established community, particularly if it is one that you really want to participate in, so I appreciate all of you making me feel a bit more at ease here. I equally appreciate all of the excellent advice you have given here regarding the process. I'd like to clarify some points regarding my interest in writing for Demand Studios, but first I want to make it perfectly clear that I in no way want to come across as ungrateful or arrogant. As I've already stated, I truly appreciate the solid and useful advice that has been given to my original question and I assure you that I come here with the requisite level of humility that would be expected of someone with virtually no experience in the process of becoming a published writer. I expect that my experiences here with the group will ultimately be invaluable to my growth and development as a writer.

That being said, I will attempt to clarify my interest in obtaining info about the process of being accepted as a contributor at Demand Studios. I'm in a position right now that will, at least temporarily, give me a nearly unlimited amount of time to devote to writing. In practical terms this means that I won't have to choose between trying to market myself to professional venues and grinding content for Demand Studios. I can do both simultaneously. Additionally, I fully realize that DS is a useless venue for the purpose of establishing clips for my resume and I am not concerned about granting full rights to them for some simple 400 word “How To” articles. It's something I want to test out simply for the supplemental income and personal experience in the publishing process. I'm looking at it as a stepping stone both financially and professionally. The question is not so much whether I should work for them as much as how to go about it in a way that will give me a reasonable shot at being accepted on my first attempt.

For those of you who have worked for them, I'm wondering if you could provide some feedback regarding my proposed strategy in approaching them, keeping in mind that there are two main elements to the application, which are:

Resume: I'm planning to use my standard job resume with a reworked cover letter specifically designed to highlight my practical life experience as a basis of knowledge in order to contribute to assigned writing projects. (I think this part is basically a no brainer, because it is my only real choice)

Writing Sample: I could do one of two things here as far as I can tell. The first would be to pick an open “How To” assignment from their list and write it the way I would if I were submitting an assignment to them already, using eHow as a reference to make sure it is formatted in an acceptable manner. The second would be to actually publish a couple of eHow articles and maybe a short article at AC on The Best Golf Courses in Florida or something like that and then use them to fill out the entire application. This is really my main question (amazing that I used up 600 words to get here): If my writing sample is good enough, will it really matter that much to them that I don't have any links to provide for them or would I be better off publishing a few related articles at eHow and AC to link on the app?

Thanks Again,

Chris

That figures. LOL. While I'm typing a novelette to clarify my main question, Muse was basically answering it for me. Thanks Muse! At any rate, I would be very interested in some additional input from anyone who is writing or has written for DS as to whether I should take the time to contribute work to eHow and AC in order to have “related work” to link on the app or alternately if a strong writing sample would do the trick. The real issue is that I want to get hooked up with them asap, but if the extra time spent at eHow and AC will pay off by giving me a better shot at being accepted, I'm more interested in making sure my first app is going to be the only one I need to submit.


Thanks Yet Again,


Chris

Thanks Ink. If I can make that kind of money with DS it will be enough, with the income from my existing home biz, to keep me home and give me time and flexibility to write more substantial work, which is my ultimate goal.

I just have to say that I absolutely love this place. There are a lot of very cool and talented folks here and I'm really glad to be here. Thanks for all the help and pointers. Even the ones that weren't specific to my immediate goal of working with DS were very informative and helpful. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you all. Now I just have to make sure I don't spend all my writing time dawdling here in the forums. I already feel like I might be addicted.