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allysonk_h
Community Member

Creating a Writing/Editing Specialized Profile w/Minimal Experience.

This is a bit different than the thread Tiffany S. started...So, my main profile is basically where I work as a Virtual Assistant.  However, I enjoy and have a knack for editing/writing, but I don't have any experience on paper.  I have a few samples and have written some for jobs off of Upwork, but I have nothing published or a website.

 

I would like to get my foot in the door in this area, so I am wondering if anyone has advice on how to construct a Specialized Profile to do this?  How should I market myself without sounding desperate and not get ripped off in the process?

 

Thanks in advance!

2 REPLIES 2
colettelewis
Community Member


Allyson H wrote:

This is a bit different than the thread Tiffany S. started...So, my main profile is basically where I work as a Virtual Assistant.  However, I enjoy and have a knack for editing/writing, but I don't have any experience on paper.  I have a few samples and have written some for jobs off of Upwork, but I have nothing published or a website.

 

I would like to get my foot in the door in this area, so I am wondering if anyone has advice on how to construct a Specialized Profile to do this?  How should I market myself without sounding desperate and not get ripped off in the process?

 

Thanks in advance!


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It's not so much re-jigging your profile to fit the wish, but having real hands-on experience in either of these fields, which are hugely oversubscribed.

 

I would suggest that to get money you stick to what you are doing to pay for an appropriate  and reputable course to follow and get a piece of paper that will earn you some cred. I know this sounds pretty crass, but clients love it.

 

If you want to write - then write. There is nothing in the world to stop you and nothing in the world to stop you putting what you write in your portfolio.

 

However, being a good writer, does not automatically make you a good editor. Many good editors wouldn't know where to start if they were asked to write. So you need to define your area and discover the differences.  

 

ETA: I have looked at your portfolio pieces, and I don't think it will take you long to transition, but as a writer, you do need to have some basic knowledge of actual formatting and structure. There are many guides that may seem confusing at first but which really help when you are putting an article together. So have a look at Chicago Manual of Style - a style bible. APA (mainly used for academic texts), and AP which is a fairly universal journalistic style and worth having under your belt. 

Allyson,

 

Nichola's advice is 110% correct.  The two samples in your portfolio are geared toward PR so focus on that aspect of writing until you have more samples.