Build to Avoid Working for Free
Get your clips sorted
Today we’re talking about how writing for free helps you avoid writing for free.
Confused? Stay with me. I’ll explain…
I’ve spent some time on sites like Fiverr, Freelancer.com and others looking for work in dry periods (there will always be dry periods!). A common scam is employers asking for a sample of your work.
The job is enticing. Write a 500 word sample, get a long term contract? Sweet.
Sweet for them maybe. They get free work and move on to another writer.
So how can writing for free help you avoid working for free?
Clips!
What on earth are Clips?
Clips is the writerly term we use for ‘examples of our work’.
Clips can be stories you’ve written on Medium, poems you’ve had published in literary journals, articles you’ve posted on NewsBreak.
Anything you’ve written and published—they are your clips.
When can you use clips?
When you apply for work,
pitch an editor with an idea,
want to prove yourself to a new client.
Your clips are your writing samples. You don’t need to write personalised samples for each client. And if they insist, it’s probably a scam.
What if you don’t have any clips?
Start building them on site where you can write for free. Or even better, where you get paid. Medium is a fantastic place for building up examples of your work and potential earning a little while you do.
Make it fun, but take it seriously.
What do I mean by that?
Don’t be paralyzed by perfectionism, but develop your craft.
Take your time. Edit your work.
Don’t be afraid to ask someone for help or for feedback. Use your writing peers or book in with me.
Push publish! Build those clips.
Then when you have at least three, you can simply link to your work. Just add something like this to bottom of your application or pitch:
“Please find links to my clips below.”
“Please find examples of my writing here.”
It’s best to match your clips to the type of job you’re applying for—health-related personal story if you want to show off your writing chops to health editors, services pieces on marketing if you want to write copy for businesses…
Building up a good library of stories will come in handy!
Have you started building your clips?
I’ve opened up the archives for those of you who want to support this newsletter and access some bonus writing lessons.
The 42 locked lessons were created as part of a Creative Nonfiction course and are much more in depth than the usual free newsletters.
Here’s the list of archives. (Check it out! CNF is so much more than you think!)
Hi Kelly, I've been toying with starting writing on Medium, but I wasn't sure how it worked regarding potential clients/editors being able to read my clips if they need to be paid Medium members to read articles - how does one get around that? Thanks!