For many, academic writing is a dream job that they’ve been considering for a long time. For others, it’s a way to make money while going through school or waiting for another job offer. Whatever your case is, academic writing is a great opportunity for everyone, if approached correctly. However, it is better to prepare yourself before starting to work as an academic writer. Read further to know what must be done at the beginning stage.
Hone Your Skills
Make sure that your skills are sharp before you start thinking about taking clients’ orders. If you’re currently only producing mid-quality essays, you might want to invest more time in practicing skills before offering your services. You’ll be charging people for what you do, after all. You should produce quality work that reflects that.
Don’t, however, think that you have to be absolutely perfect to get started. No one, no matter how long they’ve been writing or how much they practice, will ever be able to write a perfect paper. If you are consistent in turning out good essays and papers, then you should do fine. Overcoming perfectionism is a big step towards success.
Put Together a Portfolio
Do take this as an opportunity to show the best that you have to offer. A portfolio in today’s world should be digital, but having one in actual paper isn’t a bad idea if you receive a lot of local work. Choose the best that you have to offer, and make sure there’s a wide range of examples for potential clients to look through. Keep it up-to-date, adding and removing new pieces if needed.
Don’t overfill it, either because you want to include everything or because there’s a lot to choose from. If you have too many samples, there’s a good chance that a person interested in your services will just stop reading. Don’t amass a large library; a few (or even one) in different subjects may be a good start. You should also make it neat and organized, so that it can be easily perused.
Decide How to Market Your Services
Do a lot of research before deciding! There are many ways to market yourself, from cold-emailing to Craigslist, but you need to choose the one that will be profitable for you. If you live in a place where there is a great need for academic writing (a large city or a college town, perhaps), then local boards and similar places on the internet will be a good choice. But, if you don’t reside close to a place like that, you might try some academic writing boards.
Don’t sign up without knowing what you’re getting into. This is especially true if you’re going to be working on a board and not face-to-face or with an individual client. There are places out there that may scam you, and you have to avoid them. Some quick internet searching can make it easy not to fall into this trap.
Read… a Lot!
Get acquainted with the works the best writers read! And they read quite a bit.
Keep your reading selection varied and stocked both with new and old favorites. Then settle down for a good afternoon (or morning, or night) of reading.
Don’t spend all of your time reading, though! It can be easy to accidentally slip into a good book and forget to come back out.
Some of your time does need to be spent writing, after all. Set a timer if you find yourself forgetting that you have other work to do.
Also, read not only books but also different educational sources, online libraries and look for examples of writing on free databases like procollegeessays.com to know more about essays and needed topics.
Never Stop Practicing
Practice makes perfect. Even once you begin your academic writing, you shouldn’t stop practicing. Pick a few favorite exercises (such as journaling or doing writing challenges), and do them on a regular basis. Try to change topics or genres from what you normally write about to keep yourself sharp.
Don’t let your practice fall into a rut. If you find yourself bored with what you’re doing, shake it up a little. Switching your writing styles, topics, and even from prose to poetry can do a lot to keep you flexible.
Becoming an academic writer takes more than just skills. It takes a certain amount of know-how and work, some of which can be confusing to beginners. With the tips above, you’re hopefully a step closer to where you want to be. So, grab a pen (or keyboard) and get ready to write!
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