George R.R Martin? JK Rowling? Can you make some extra money from writing?

“One day, I will find the right words and they will be simple” – Jack Kerouac, The Dharma Burns.

Writing isn’t simply an act of conveying something you want to say in word form. It is an exquisite art form that not only asks you what you want to say but how you want to say it.

Considering today’s world of digital information, it is getting harder and harder to write engaging words and content for people to read. However, the demand for the written word has actually increased with people consuming a higher amount of content online. So how could you make writing a viable side income for yourself? Read more below on how you can pursue writing.

#1: Build Up Your Personal Writing Portfolio

The way to get started on writing is to actually write something on your own first. Most employers don’t have a good sense of how you write if you don’t have a writing portfolio that they can refer to.

To really start from scratch, begin by posting your own content on your social media. You can post on any topics, ranging from personal hobbies to more complicated ones such as finance. From there, get constructive feedback on your writing from family and friends in order to improve your writing.

Next, while social media platforms are fun, you need to properly establish a more respectable looking portfolio that you can showcase to prospective employers. To do so, start a personal blog that allows public readership and publish your articles there. Some helpful tips include:

  • Write regularly – Shows you are invested in writing and can deliver content regularly.
  • Cover wide-ranging topics – Shows your familiarity with different topics and allows better expression of writing.
  • Tag your articles – This aids you in customizing the content you may want to direct different employers to, if needed.

#2: It’s Okay to Start Off Imperfect

No one gets it right the first time around no matter how good a writer you are. This has been the prevailing mantra for writers to not get discouraged if they can’t get it right the first or second time around working on the draft. After all, good writing doesn’t come out of thin air, it comes from repeated effort and drafts to perfect it.

It is acceptable that your first draft is rough and unpolished. Do not be discouraged. Putting too much pressure on yourself to get it right the first time can lead to the dreaded writer’s block. Instead, keep writing and see where it leads you.

Set yourself with the right expectations that it’s okay to be imperfect, and you reduce unnecessary pressure on yourself before you even begin writing.

#3: Learn about Storytelling

Believe it or not, most writing today depends on one critical element – storytelling.

Storytelling is the ability to convey your points in a narrative manner that is coherent and engaging. If you just state the facts without the ability to connect them together or piece them in a story-like manner, you won’t be able to capture the attention of your readers.

Think of what keeps you engaged when you yourself are part of an audience. Whether you are reading books or watching a movie, chances are the facts, while important, are less engaging than the pace, depth, and flow of the story. Not too fast, not too slow. Not too much, not too little. Just nice.

You can learn a lot about storytelling from reading and watching. However, if you prefer to take a more academic approach, you can take up storytelling courses on eDX, Udemy, Coursera, or Skillshare, where most offer them free of charge.

No matter how you learn about storytelling, do put your learnings into action and continue to produce new and improved content.

#4: Install Grammarly or Other Language Checking Software

A good command of the language conveys an excellent first impression.

Don’t be discouraged if you think your language skills are not superb. There are ways to get around it!

There are many language-checking software out there such as Grammarly, Ginger, Hemmingway, LanguageTool, and even Google Docs Grammar Checker. You can download and incorporate them into your writing software.

When choosing between free ones and those that require payments, it depends on your confidence in the language. With free ones, you can correct simple mistakes. With the paid ones, they typically suggest grammar and language improvements to sentences.

#5: Use Simple Language

Contrary to popular belief, more bombastic words and convoluted sentences do not equate to better writing. If your readers need to crack their heads to understand your words, then you are not doing a good job.

You must first understand the purpose of your writing and your target audience. While you should use appropriate terms and jargon to fit the industry you are writing for when it is needed, keep everything else simple and easy to understand. This way, your content will be more attractive and engaging.

For example, “The price-earnings ratio is too high so the equity is deemed overvalued which could affect its long term financial performance” can be accurately yet neatly simplified to “The company is expensive to buy so its performance could be bad in the long run”.

In this digital age, readers have shorter attention spans. Keeping your writing simple and in shorter chunks will be a win-win for both reader and yourself.

#6: Advertise Yourself in Freelancer Websites and Groups

Having just good writing skills is necessary but not sufficient to ensure that you can get consistent writing jobs from employers. If you are not visible to employers, they can’t see how good you are as a writer. If you don’t provide a good impression in the first place, the same problem persists too.

Marketing is key here. You need to create a reputable writing portfolio like in #1 and also craft a marketing strategy well-suited to yourself. The best way is to advertise yourself with a professional-looking CV and writing portfolio on freelancer websites and groups. You can try websites such as Upwork, freelancer.com, and even Jobstreet. Furthermore, you can join freelancer groups on social media sites such as Facebook.

If you have testimonials from clients in your writing, include them as well in your profile and posting. Of course, be smart about it by being selective on which testimonials to include. However, as in all freelancer work, be careful of scams and dodgy employers.

Conclusion

Writing is a very viable side job now considering that more and more people are spending time online. Hence, there is a lot of opportunities for content to be consumed. Get started at pursuing writing as a side job by taking on our 6 tips above.

 

Have questions on writing as a side job? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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