I neither seek admiration nor feel I deserve it.

Basically what I mean is that while I would like to make money, I don't expect to at first, and just the challenge of getting published would be enjoyable. Obviously I wouldn't want to write pro bono forever, but I'd be willing to do it if I could get my name out there.

Go for it!

Something that tends to get missed during all this talk of how to break into the business is how to secure your place within it once you've been given your break. The world is full of would-be Tom Wolfes who wrote that one amazing review for a magazine and then simply disappear. The key to avoiding this is discipline. Editors get a major hard-on for writers who can deliver exactly what they want, when they want it. The best writer in the world won't last five minutes as a freelancer if they can't meet a deadline. And stick to the format. If the editor wants you to review the new Sonic Youth album in 100 words don't hand in a PhD thesis. And don't be too precious about your work. The sub-editor will change it (if only to justify his or her own job) and no editor will tolerate a prima donna. These are obvious points but I've seen lots of very good writers fall by the wayside either through a lack of discipline or being too attached to what they write.

Speaking for myself, I'm too attached to money to be precious about my work. I'll write a coloring book for an editor if that's what he wants, as long as I get my check.

pish posh! the deadline is when i turn it in.

I've done maybe three or four freelance jobs for no money, and it was a ton of work. I remember spending probably 15-20 hours working on a one-page article. (Mostly the work was on getting interviews because it turned out to be a bit touchier than I excepted.) The stress it caused soured me against the idea for quite a while, and the lack of any pay at all deadens the whole big-picture outlook quite a bit.

It will probably be harder than you think to start out, no matter how hard you think it is. I'm sure it's harder than I think it is. Just expect a lot of fucking work, and if you really want to get into it, you're going to have to handle some serious work-and-little-reward for a while.

i did a monthly column of dvd reviews (about 1200 words) for a year, and yeah it was hard and it took up time but a) i loved the movies i reviewed, b) i did it for the glory.

yep, it was nice to have someone come up to me & say they had laughed their asses off at my rants, or that they had seen the movie i recommended & had loved it, etc. i like that shit and it was a fun sport.

i'd look for a chance to do it again, but i've taken up other vices.

Quote of the day, on my Google homepage:


Maybe it is a sign? :)

As !@$#%! says, the greatest reward comes from the feedback you receive from readers rather than anything you get financially. There are definitely easier ways to make money if that's the only motivation for doing something.
The best attitude to have when writing is to do it because you want to, and look upon any financial reward as a bonus. In that sense it's exactly the same as starting a band.

Thats exactly what I was going to say. If you love art and painting, and you do it for that reason, if it is decent, or at least expressive, somewhere down the line somebody will notice and like your stuff. Maybe, you'll get a spot at the local gallery and sell a few pieces, maybe you'll get a spot at some trendy gallery in Soho,NY....who knows. I too was considering the tenets of freelance writing and came to the conclusion that I would need to have a good job full-time in order to persue writing part-time. I would probably take a journalism course, so I could learn the terminology and various swagger of the writing enviroment.

I had thought of taking classed of that sort. I have my own way of expressing myself with words, but if it doesn't sell, then I may as well just keep a diary instead. As a wise man once said:

no need to pay for classes

http://www.writersmarket.com/

http://www.writersdigest.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Renegade-Write...ref=pd_sim_b_1 << good one, this one

http://www.amazon.com/Six-Figure-Fre.../dp/0375720952

etc.

Awesome! These are much appreciated.

the biggest reward i have gotten from freelancing is meeting a really amazing musician and having the interview be like a conversation about life and music and pulling certain jobs, like arranging and doing an interview in less than 48 hours from scratch.

I agree. Interviewing musicians is about the best part of the job I've done.