Writing and Public Speaking
There are thousands of writing jobs posted all over the Internet and even more writers applying for those jobs and writing contracts so how do you deal with rejection when the offers do not come your way? Do you curl into a tiny ball and vow never to write again, or do you plod on sending your CV or resume into Internet Space hoping that someone out there is listening! ;)
Many writers with genuine talent and ability are too afraid to take the plunge and apply for writing jobs in case they are rejected. They feel that the lack of response or interest is personal to them and that the client is saying a big 'you are rubbish go away' if the writing job is not offered to them. Or even worse, they want the jobs but have never applied for one as the prospect of even one rejection is too great.
Is this you?
Do you read the writing job ads and then skip to an article site like this to see what every one else is doing. Have you read this site but never posted here for fear of having your writing rejected, criticized or ignored?
I know many talented writers who actually do this and it makes me very sad. I have read their work and it is often pretty darn good. Sometimes my encouraging them to take the plunge and see their work published works and others times not as the fear is simply too great. Take the plunge! There is nothing better than seeing your work published and very rewarding when people take the time to leave comments.
So how can you beat the fear of rejection?
Take the plunge. Add an article to a site and see what happens. Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe your work will appear and no one will read it. Maybe your work will appear and it will go straight to the front page as a featured article!
I can advise you on how to increase the likelihood of your work being read, published and highlighted but it really depends on what you want from being published and how much your own individual style means to you. So weigh up the pros and cons.
Here are some tips first for dealing with rejection.
Rejection is part of life for anyone in an industry as competitive as writing. It is no different to being an actor. A client looking to hire writers is looking for some very particular qualities, skills, experience and will search the writers profiles until they find someone that seems to most closely meet their very unique needs. At that time this person may be you, or it may not. But this is not a reflection on you or your writing.
One size shoe does not fit all size feet and you cannot expect to have a resume that ideally matches every single writing job out there. When looking for jobs, try to apply for jobs that you feel drawn to and be bold and play the numbers game. Apply for many and often, at some point you will get that lucky break.
If you do not, maybe it is time to evaluate your resume, rates or your collection of samples. Maybe you are aiming at an audience that is not in fact one that best appreciates your talents and you should try a different genre?
Take advice from other writers on how to best promote your writing services. There are writing forums that you can post questions on freely and this site www.searchwarp.com has an abundance of writers that will offer help and advise whenever you request it. If these writers do not become aware of you via your own article, leave comments on theirs! Then they will notice you.
Suddenly you are front page, your profile is linked to theirs, simply because you left a relevant comment on their article. This is how the community of writers is built. Sharing ideas and opinions. Not all agree, but that adds to the flavor of the site.
Do not deny yourself a chance of success by being afraid to change, evolve or apply!
How to get your writing noticed is really the topic of another article but here are a few tips.
Most importantly consider your title. Is it ambiguous and arty or does it clearly indicate what your article content is about? A clear title on the Internet attracts more readers that arty ones that are unclear. People are searching for your content, help them find it via a good concise title. Make it original too but without losing the relevance.
Spend time observing the type of articles that make the front page of article sites. This will give you a strong clue as to the sites preferred style and direction. Do they publish mainly technical, entertainment or news pieces or do they seem to highlight religious, sentimental content? Maybe they have a wide selection so as to appeal to a wider audience.
Content is King. Write informative pieces that give the reader what they want. Maybe they want to be moved, entertained or annoyed even! Controversy can read very well at times. It gets the pulse racing and stimulates a response. Do not ever be willfully offensive or discriminatory. Challenge your reader without insulting them.
Now join up and start posting, we want to see what you have to say!
Meanwhile, to give you another boost check out this new site here: http://www.find-writer.blogspot.com
Every little helps.
Good luck.
Leah Gray aka creativeblogger is an Internet Writer/marketer, Problogger, Dating eBook author and Relationship Columnist. She is also a Qualified Stress Consultant and Character Analyst MASC, AMANF. She is available to hire for various Internet writing/blogging projects. For more details of those visit her home page here: http://www.creative-blogger.com Leah has also recently created a site for writers to promote themselves and their work. It is a free service and will help them to get noticed!