Q & A Friday: How to Build a Platform as a Freelance Writer

Hi, everyone, and welcome back to Q&A Friday here on the blog!

So, what is Q&A Friday? Often I get emailed questions about writing, teaching, editing, book recommendations, and general questions about the literary life, and I was thinking that other people might be interested in these questions, too! Q&A Friday is where I will answer one of these questions every other week or so. I hope you find it to be helpful and inspiring!

If you have a question, please feel free to email it to me at dallaswoodburn <AT> gmail <DOT> com with "Q&A Friday" in the subject line. Also, if you have thoughts to add to my answers, I would LOVE if you would share your ideas in the comments section below! My aim for this blog is for it to be a positive resource and community-builder for readers, writers, teachers, and book-lovers of all ages!

Question: I'm just starting out as a freelance writer and want to expand my areas of expertise, and also build my platform... but I have no clue where or how to start! It's overwhelming. Do you have any suggestions?

My Answer: Yes, I have been there and I know it can feel totally overwhelming! My biggest advice is to try to pick one small thing to do a day relating to building your platform... maybe that means doing some online research of markets you can send your work to; or reading and taking notes on a writing newsletter; or writing an article or blog post; or even starting a page on Twitter or Facebook for your writing career.

Here are some places to start that have been helpful resources for me:

• One newsletter that I subscribe to that I love is Funds For Writers. It's free, comes out frequently, and lists a variety of publication opportunities and contests for that time frame. I like that it's manageable; if I happen to be really busy and "miss" looking at an issue, I can just move along the next one and boom! I'm up to date again. 

• Chicken Soup for the Soul is always looking for stories for their upcoming titles, with a variety of themes and topics. They list their upcoming topics and guidelines on their website. Note: there is definitely a specific Chicken Soup for the Soul "type" of story they are looking for... basically, it should be first-person, a true story, and about an event or a person that shaped your life in some way, made you think, made you better, gave you a new appreciation, etc. I would definitely recommend reading a few of the books before you submit. They pay $200 and 10 copies of the book. 

• Another strategy that has worked for me to build my platform is to reach out to bloggers I admire and offer to write a guest post for them for free. It's a great way to build connections and expand your exposure. 

• ThoughtCatalog accepts essays on all sorts of topics, and could be a great way to expand your exposure, especially if you publish multiple pieces with them. I've had one essay published on ThoughtCatalog and I was pleased with the exposure, even though they don't pay.  

• Here are some compiled lists of blogs that accept guest posts, organized into topics: 
• http://www.effectivebusinessideas.com/blogs-that-accept-guest-posts/ 
• http://www.shoutmeloud.com/list-of-50-best-blogs-that-accept-guest-posts.html  
• http://www.petersandeen.com/list-of-guest-blogging-sites/ 

I hope this is helpful. If anyone has some additional resources to add to the list, please add them to the comments below!

The most important thing I have found when it comes to freelance writing -- and writing in general-- is to keep your spirits up, stay motivated, and believe in yourself. Perseverance is the name of the game. Remember that every "no" is one step closer to a "yes." Little by little, big things happen!

Previous Q&A Friday posts:

- How do you manage class time when teaching creative writing?

Guest Post: Top 10 Editing Tools

Top 10 Editing Tools for Freelance Writers

A Guest Post 

by Robert Morris

Believe it or not, even professional editors rely on technology in order to come up with a polished piece of content. Since not all freelance writers can hire their own editors to clean after the mistakes they make, they can start using the same tools for ultimate effectiveness.

Although some of the tools in the following list take some time getting used to, they are still easy to incorporate into your daily working practice. The end result will be improved content, which is something everyone appreciates.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary and Thesaurus

This efficient website helps you check definitions, spelling, and word breaks. The online version works perfectly fine, but you can increase the effectiveness of the tool if you download the app available for iPad and Android. The difference is that the app has a voice look-up feature.

NinjaEssays

No matter how many automated editing tools you use, they cannot replace a real editor who checks every single aspect of the content while preserving your writer’s voice. Hiring a real editor can cost a lot of money, but not when you’re dealing with NinjaEssays – an essay writing service that enables you to rely on the assistance of professional editors for a really affordable price. Plus, you can hire writers to help you when you get stuck with an overwhelming piece.

Adobe Reader XI

Although some editors prefer using Adobe Acrobat Pro, the PDF XChangeViewer and Adobe Reader XI are effective as well. The PDF markup tool for proofreading the text before you print it will help you identify and fix the minor mistakes in your content.

Copyscape

Editing your own work is not only about fixing the flaws; the process also involves making sure that it’s free of plagiarism. Copyscape is one of the most efficient plagiarism checkers you could possibly use.

ReferenceChecker

Not many freelance writers bother with proper referencing. However, if you are writing serious content, you have to be aware of the citation standards before publishing it. With the help of this tool, you can check if the references in your writing are cited correctly.       

            

Bibme

If you have no idea how to format the references, then you should start using Bibme – an automated tool that helps you create citations in Turabian, APA, MLA, and Chicago style. This tool works best if you are working on lengthier content, such as an eBook for example.

PerfectIt

This accurate editing software will help you identify errors and typos in a Microsoft Word document. All mistakes that went unnoticed under the word processor’s radar will be identified with PerfectIt. These are the aspects you can improve with this tool: abbreviation definitions, consistent hyphenation and capitalization, international spelling variations, list/bullet capitalization and punctuation, and capitalization of headings.

FileCleaner

This tool will clean up every formatting mishap in your content. Freelance writers usually write a lot of content on a daily basis, so it’s easy to miss some extra spaces between words, sentences and paragraphs, and leave other minor mistakes that could spoil the experience of a reader. The tool will clean unnecessary tabs, multiple returns, and other mistakes that contribute towards a messy-looking document. 

Microsoft Word

With so many tools available today, it’s easy to underestimate the value of the good Word. Your usual word processor can be a reliable editing tool if you use its entire potential through the following built-in tools: dictionary and spell check, reference tool, find and replace, table to text tool, reorder list function, track changes and comments, and more.

Link Checker for Microsoft Word

This tool will help you make sure that all internal and external links and cross-references in your document are valid. Link Checker enables you to look only for suspicious links, see all links in a tree view, and edit/remove links in a couple of clicks.

  

Now that you have the list of top 10 editing tools for freelancers, aren’t you inspired to start delivering better content? Start using them today!

BIO: Robert Morris is a freelance writer from NYC. Homeschools his son, writes about science and love. Circle Robert on Google+.