photo by: flyzipper

I promised a list filled with books that have helped me get a jump start into the field of freelance writing. This is a short list but I will expand as I get more books in my arsenal.

• Starting Your Career as a Freelance Writer by Moira Anderson Allen. This book is one of my favorites. It’s fun to read, informative, and less textbooky in comparison to other how-to books. Great book to have on hand as you’re querying or writing your first draft.

Writer’s Digest Handbook of Magazine Article Writing edited by Michelle Ruberg. Chock full of expert information not only pertinent to beginning writers. While it’s less entertaining than others, it’s filled with really great information like things to do reduce risks when working with start-ups that I wish I had when I first started.

• The Forest for the Trees by Betsy Lerner. Another one of my favorites. It’s less how-to and more how it is to be a writer. I pick this up when self-doubt creeps in and am instantly gratified by sayings like this, “…the degree of one’s perseverance is the best predictor of success. It is some combination of ability and ego, desire and discipline, that produces good work.”

photo by: Tomm (hmm at Rosa tint)

Over the past 3 months I’ve learned more as a freelance writer, than I ever did working in a cubicle. Learning things that I’m passionate about is fun and so I’ve been absorbing everything around me, attempting to learn as much about the freelance writing world as I can.

From months of reading, writing and learning, I’ve compiled a list of resources that has helped me and will hopefully help you, get a head-start on becoming a successful freelance writer.

1. Go back to school. You don’t need to get your MFA to learn important writing skills. Take a day long or semester class at a local community college. I did and it was the best $65 I spent.
2. Read up! Writers are readers too. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to learn more about the business it pick up a book on freelance writing. In my next post, I’ll list the books that have helped me.
3. Network with other writers. Meeting with Jordan was a definite highlight in my freelance writing journey. Chatting in person is a great way to learn about your field. But I’ve also met a ton of people online through social networking sites like the Writer’s Digest community and Twitter.
4. Speaking of which…What I like about Twitter is that I have the opportunity to connect with other writers who find great articles and tips for newbies like me. I learned a lot of stuff just by reading their links and blog posts on things like writing contracts and pay rates.
5. Subscribe away. A cool benefit to working as a freelance writer is that you can write-off related expenses such as classes, books and even magazine subscriptions. I find SO many relevant tips in The Writer, for example, that I feel its well worth the price.
6. Become a member. There are a variety of sites that with a fee allow you to become a member. Sites like MediaBistro, for example, offer everything from articles on pitching popular magazines to personal benefits like offering financial planning services. There are also other helpful organizations such as the Editorial Freelancers Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, which provide great member benefits for writers.

What about you? Any tips you’d like to offer for new writers?