How to Become a Journalist

Finding success in the written world as an aspiring journalist or author can be extremely difficult without the proper guidance or knowledge. Long before the rise of job search websites and online journalism careers, the wishful writer was forced to seek out employment through any local sources available. In the current market that writers face today, the problem is not in a lack of employment opportunities, but more in the difficulties of weeding through them to find the most financially beneficial outlet for you.


An Author's Career - Endless Expression

Having job experience is really one of the most important aspects of nailing a good career as a journalist. If you have never had an article published anywhere, it is difficult for an employer to have trust in your abilities. Still, the fact of the matter is that we all have to start somewhere. By providing any would-be employer with your accomplishments and/or writing samples that are relevant to the position you are applying for, you might still be able to impress with your individual skill alone. If you are trying to get a job that will involve mostly article writing on current events, consider writing an original article on any news event to bring as a writing sample - even though this job was not assigned to you, the fact that you are able to recognize and write about these news events on your own can sometimes be just as good as having past job experience.

Make Money Writing Online

Always avoid going to an interview for any position that will be relying on your individual skill in writing any given style or on any given subject without some sort of reference towards your past work. Trying to explain your abilities verbally will almost always come off as very unprofessional and your chances of getting the job will be greatly reduced. Try to have as many different genres of writing in your portfolio as you can - don't stuff everything you've ever written into a folder and head to your interview, instead choose only your strongest pieces. One weak opening paragraph or sentence could be all it takes for an employer to turn you down. Consider scamming through the work you plan to bring to your journalism interview and brush up on the articles and topics just in case.

Short Stories and Different Means of Profiting Through the Written Word

Once you've got an interview lined up and are confident about all of your writing samples you plan to bring with you, make sure you've got a clear idea in your head of your writing career objectives and goals. Whether you plan to do all of your work through written word, reporting, or a combination of both; having a clear idea of your objectives and strong points verbally will only bring more authority to you and your writing samples.

Online Writing Careers

The online world has quite possibly more than doubled the amount of job opportunities available to any author, journalist or writer of any sort. Nailing a job as a content writer for an established media source or other outlet can sometimes be difficult as these businesses will usually want you to be physically present at their headquarters rather than receiving your assignments entirely through email or the internet. A new writer might be more likely to succeed by focusing their efforts towards domains that outsource their content entirely over the internet. Direct inquiries are often unsuccessful when you are just getting your foot in the door as a writer, hopeful writers usually have a better chance receiving money for articles online by going through a outsourcing agent or domain.

Providing Writing samples or even links to your previously published work will still prove invaluable when pursuing the career of an internet journalist. Be prepared to present your best work that utilizes your strongest points of writing without revealing any weaker areas you might still have difficulty with. This type of job will often ask you to present them with a certain word count or article amount that you can complete in any given day - if you've never had experience with writing different content articles back to back, start with a reasonable amount that can undoubtedly be completed.

- The Entrepreneurial Route

Another option that can be pursued over the internet by a talented writer is the entrepreneurial route. Creating your own blog or domain featuring your original articles on virtually any subject can generate revenue through advertisement and affiliate income. Being successful in this field will require more than writing ability - internet marketing knowledge is a must if you want to maximize the amount of people who are able to find your content, thus maximizing your revenue. 

Basic Information About Blogs, Writing Careers, and Anything Else Literature

Be aware that deciding to create your own website will not result in any immediate return on investment unless you plan to be selling your own product through your domain. Gaining trust and authority for your site is something that can take years and should not be considered for an immediate financial engine. Rather, think of your blog or site as a form of residual income - the more time and effort you put into it each day, the more you will eventually get back through affiliate marketing and advertisement revenue.

Progressing the Storyline of a Creative Novel or Short Story