Changing Communities One Blogger at a Time
August 7, 2008 by Deb
Filed under Freelance Writing
by Candidate #10
It’s hard to improve on something that’s already pretty great. Unfortunately, no one is perfect, and being better is a long-term goal. It’s a continual goal, one with no end.
I’d better stop now; I’m waxing poetic.
The point is that much as I enjoy FWJ, it’ll never be perfect. But together, we can make a difference. (Sorry, cliché, I know.)
The question this week is answering what I hope to offer the FWJ community, and that’s no mean feat – but it’s a challenge I’m more than willing to take head on.
I’m seizing an opportunity to create a community that is strong and solid, one that writers from everywhere and of all types recognize as being a great place to hang out and share thoughts. A place to learn, a place to share, a place to get advice or get support…
Does FWJ have that already? Sure, sure it does. Deb and Jodee work very hard to offer a welcoming hangout to freelance writers. They respond to all writers, from those in print publishing to journalism to web content. The site offers solid content, good advice, and a nice, clean, professional home on the web.
So what more can I offer?
Experience. I know the ins and outs of being a web writer, from the $2 insanity articles to the crazy blogging experience to the $1,000-a-page website content. I’ve written fiction. I’ve written a novel. I’ve been there. I’ve done that – and I have plenty of knowledge to share with all of you.
Know-how. Not only do I know the workings of writing online, but I know the workings of business, too. I can help you learn how to plan your business, start it up, build it well, manage it properly, brand yourself, market your services and achieve better success. That’s worth something right there.
Confidence. I’m not afraid to say I don’t know it all. I’ve never written for a newspaper (they said they’d get back to me) and I haven’t been featured in Forbes (yet. It’s coming, I’m sure.) But I am able to stand up and take pride in what I have done while being humble enough to defer to those who’ve walked where I have yet to go.
Conversation. One of the most important issues with the FWJ community right now is that people talk at each other. They don’t talk to each other. It doesn’t have to be that way – and I can help.
I bring my ability to socialize, engage a crowd and build relationships to the table. I’d like to get down in the community and not only talk with you but learn from you as well.
I want to answer your questions – the ones that still haven’t been answered yet – and I want to have you answer mine while I explore my thoughts at this blog.
Why not? We’re all in this together. And isn’t that what community is all about?
I like the confidence, and the experience and especially the shout out to the community. Not sure how I feel at the “talk at each other” bit though. We’ve come along way and I do believe the FWJ community for the most part are darn nice people.
So how do I get experience? I love to write, I’m good at it, but I am brand spanking new. I have a few grant proposals (successful at that!) but that is about it. People want to see more than that. And I want to do more than just write grants.
How do I get started???
Liked the post.
Ansa,
Are you in school? If so, college paper is great starting point. If not, try community newspapers or non-profits. Pay is nearly what you’d get from a Craigslist gig
(couldn’t resist, Deb and Jodee).
@Ansa — What area of writing do you want to get started in? If it’s the web, I’d say #1 start a blog on a topic that interests you, and commit to writing posts at least three times a week. You’ll not only become a better writer, you’ll also have online samples of your writing to which you can refer people. [Cautionary Note -- only write things you'd be comfortable with a future employer or editor seeing.]
If it’s for web copy, try getting in with an SEO company that subcontracts out article/web page work. You probably won’t make very much, but you’ll be able to get some solid samples during this time.
My last suggestion is — get familiar with a Desktop Publishing program (I use basic Microsoft Publisher) and create your own samples. Pick a subject that interests you (Exotic Cars, Real Estate, Home Improvement) and then write three or four articles and create your own samples.
Good luck to you, and hope to see you around the FWJ boards. This is definitely a friendly community that can help start you on the path to freelance success.
Best of Luck —
#6
Ansa, echoing what #6 said, decide what you want to write first. Then try to search for jobs in that subject area. A paradox about the writing industry is that it’s hard to get work without having experience, and of course if you don’t have experience, you can’t get work. Try putting together a professional-looking resume if you haven’t yet, and include a “Writing Credits” section on it that lists every single place you’ve ever published or written for a client, even if it was only for a community newspaper or something similarly small. Having a list of any good is better than nothing and will help you gain the experience you really want.
#10, this post is well-written (as all of yours are!). I really don’t see how you would add anything new, though. Deb, Jodee, and Ugur already have experience, know-how, confidence, and the ability to stir up conversation. Deb and Jodee picked finalists for FWJ Idol who (I think) they thought already embodied all of those qualities. I see this post to mean that you would keep the status quo, basically (which is fine–there’s no denying this is a great Web site and it would be even greater with the expertise of someone like you).
(Deb–I don’t think #10 meant that the FWJ community wasn’t made up of nice writers when s/he said that “people talk at each other.” I think the meaning was more that everyone tends to leave separate comments without necessarily engaging in a dialogue with one another.)
@#4 – Oh, I get it now. I thought #10 meant talk at each other like my grandparents talked at each other. Lots of sniping and yelling but now one ever really hearing what the other is saying. If that’s the case then nice job #10. I’m all for building community even though I think FWJ is the best community out there.
@ #4 – Status quo is a good thing, to a certain extent. Every change brought in has to be carefully considered and implemented slowly while testing the effects. Anyone coming in with sweeping changes is bound to cause waves, hurt Deb’s site and find themselves out of a gig right quick. I’d be foolish to suggest coming in with huge flashy changes – that would be a disaster to Deb’s business (and to any business, I feel).
Blogging is tricky. Community building is tricky too. I strongly feel that Deb wants and needs a community that isn’t like Problogger’s bland section, where 200 commentators all talk to an empty room and where no one interacts with each other.
That’s what’s lacking here – visibly. Deb, you’ve come a long way. I know. I’ve seen it. But my thought is that it’s a good thing to look ahead and see how much better you can make it.
There are too many varied experiences and people with valuable knowledge to share right here in the comment section to pass up the opportunity. Tap into that.
I’m rambling. Someone stop me.
@ Ansa – Depending on your area and niche, I’d suggest testing the freelancing sites like Elance. If nothing else, those sites will teach you how to navigate many areas of doing business, not just writing – and that’s valuable for you to learn the skills you need to negotiate, hustle, stay calm, stand up for yourself, analyze others and more. It’s all part of being successful. Plus, the experience you do build up there stays with you in a clearly visible way.
I don’t promote one type of gaining experience over another. Craigslist is good. Volunteer work is another. Apprenticeships could be a third. There are all sorts of ways. Try them all, if you want!
I like the post # 10. I think something I would like more of as a reader is a commons area. A place where we can go to ask questions, post topics for discussion, and bounce ideas off one another without having to have a blog post in place to do it.
I don’t know what the system capabilities of such a feat would be, but I think having that would definitely build a much stronger community. I’d love to get to know everyone here on a more personal level, learn what their niche is, how they got into writing, and share ideas. That, to me, is what community is all about.
@ Ansa – How do I learn grant writing? I’ve been wanting to get into that and I’d like to know how I go about looking up grants for various things. Can you give me some advice?
Nice post. There is a lot of talking at each other here, the way I see it, as opposed to some other writer blogs which interact more as a forum/message board. That’s how I took this post anyway. Good luck #10 — on this and the Forbes thing.
Ansa: The best way to get experience is to start getting published
. Seriously! Find some magazines that you feel are written in a voice that you can match and start sending in queries. Perfect your queries. Once you get that first clip, then next one with be easier – and so on.
Kristy: Grant writing is creative writing in a technical fashion. You have to write a great deal of narrative (where you take the facts and make them compelling to the person with the money) without stretching the truth. It’s a GREAT field – although the government funds are beginning to dry up a little. Check with your local community college, state government or even local chamber of commerce for classes or grant writing courses.
Deb: I can say one thing for sure about this post – it got us talking TO each other
.