Why You Should Write For Free

While it is true that a few people can skip protocol and begin writing for large markets without writing credits, the ordinary person cannot. Be prepared, because every publication will want to know where you have been published before, and you should have a list of publications as long as your arm.

Write for ezines that pay in subscriptions, (some will pay $5). Write for your church bulletin and bulletins at work. Go to your local newspaper and ask if they need someone to cover sports and/or political meetings. (These are hard jobs to fill, and almost every paper needs someone in these positions.)

You may be asking yourself, “But if I give writing references in ezines, bulletins, and local papers, won’t the editor know I’ve been working for nothing?” Yes, they will, but they won’t care. They will admire you for your tenacity. They will know you’ve been out working and learning the market, and they’ll know that you m ust be some kind of a decent writer, or no one would have published you.

There is yet another way that you can get experience, and that is writing for Associated Content and other such places. You can also write for article distribution centers. Everything counts.

When you send your first piece into a magazine, don’t make the mistake of saying, “My teacher said she liked this piece,” “I’ve never been published before, but I’ll be a hard worker,” or “I belong to a writer’s club and they voted this article as the best of the month.” These are amateur remarks, and any editor will recognize them as such.

If you don’t have any publication credits, avoid the subject altogether. Give the short story on how you got into writing and what your goals are. And always thank the editor for his time in reading your submission.

Many years ago, I wanted to write for the American Legion&rsquo ;s 75th Anniversary Edition, as their national office was only a few miles from me. However, when I went to apply for a job, the Editor told me he was full up and had no positions available. I called him the next day, and he repeated his statement.

I was totally desperate and I laid in bed all night devising a plan whereby he would have to hire me. By morning, I was ready with my new approach. I called him yet a third time and said, “This is Deborah Owen again. I realize you don’t have any openings, but I have a proposition that is sure to interest you.” (He asked what my proposition was.) “It is too complex to talk about over the phone, but if you’ll let me take you out to lunch one day this week, I’ll tell you then.”

The man tried everything in his power to niggle my proposition out of me, but I stuck to my guns, offering to buy his lunch. Finally, he gave in. Even as we walked to the restaurant, he tried to get m e to tell him my proposition. For once in my life, I was wise, and I wouldn’t tell him until we were eating.”

At lunch, he asked me about this great proposition again. I could tell he was intensely curious. I said, “Well, it’s a win-win deal for both of us. I know you said you don’t have any openings, but I live close by and I’m thirsty for knowledge. This is a great opportunity for both of us. I’m a hard working perfectionist with both writing and office experience. I will work for The American Legion free of charge if you will only give me the opportunity to learn. That’s a win-win proposition."

About that time, he finished eating, and he said, “Show up for work at 8 am, Monday morning, and, Mrs. Owen – never offer your services free of charge. It makes your employer think your services aren’t worth much, and everyone is worth something. I’m going to mentor you myself – and &nda sh; I will pay you a salary. Do you know why I came to meet you today, Deborah? Because of your persistence.”

I ended up ghost writing 37 articles for that landmark edition. Writers, when the doors don't open easily, sometimes you have to pry them open any way you can. Just know what you are going to say, practice saying it out loud (alone), and then go for it.

In conclusion: write articles free of charge to get publishing credits (and keep dated clippings from each one); don’t offer to work for nothing, go where angels fear to tread, and have the audacity of a Rockefeller. Remember, you're selling yourself. Most of the time, you’ll get the chance you’re looking for, if you bluff your way through it.

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Deborah Owen has been writing off and on for decades. She began as a reporter for a small town newspaper and w orked her way up to having 37 profiles published in The American Legion's 75th Anniversary Edition. Her most recent accomplishment is http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.