Five Steps for Crafting Your Writing Portfolio

Freelance writers land clients with their portfolios, and yet portfolios are landed with clients. If you are beginning or have a lackluster portfolio stop hindering business and take five steps forward.

These five steps are a double threat: find yourself planning your career and improving it after completing them.

Work hard at these steps without rushing. Slowing down to build career and portfolio for immediate and long term results.

The process is based on a great writing tool known as your imagination. You will need to envision your markets and write for your target clients as if you have assignments. Taking this process seriously will return in the credibility from your clients upon seeing your finished works.

Move forward your career in five simple steps: goal setting, choosing projects, portfolio size, creating clients, and creating content.

Envision Your Career

I pray you have a business plan, a marketing plan, that you have motivation and meditation regarding your freelancing business.

All you really need to do, at this stage, is pinpoint where your experience and abilities and desire meet.

Translate this information into three markets you would like to write in, and keep your motivations in context. Consider heavily your motivations for writing. Myself - I aim to teach and inform most often when I write. My first business was professional assistance to realtors, as I am inspired to participate the real estate services industry. I have an emotional and professional response, and therefore solid ground to pursue this writing market.

Write these down in a list (try for three), and move on. Don't obsess over your list but do choose solid options. Avoid feeling limited because this list is a beginning point rather than a definitive list. Part of freelancing is freedom, so there is nothing to stick you to this list.

What Will You Write?

Now you need to make another list (of, again, about three) of the types of writing you will want to sell. This is logical - it only makes sense to display the writing and your abilities for which you would like to be paid.

Find a Size - To Start With

I suggest that three is your guideline here as well. For each market try write one of each project type. Nine may not seem like plenty to you, but rest assured to begin it can be more than enough and likely just what you need.

With Those Steps You Are NOT Done

I need you to talk to yourself as well. While many would opt to stop with the above steps, you are missing that business and very much writing is about people. So now your clients are what you focus on - your projects require preliminary interviews. Make it up and record the information. Stick to it. You need the practice and the samples that provide the work you can do at its highest potential.

Walk the Walk

Now you are a freelance writer with work to do! Set deadlines (yet polish them as near perfection sanity allows for proper presentation) and work towards them. Take notes on your process and remember what worked well and what needs help. Put your finish projects together in attractive binding you choose. These options range from binders to self-publishing. Keep electronic word documents and PDF reader documents. Store them online.

The goal is to complete the work and to improve.

A Few Final Notes

Steps four and five should be repeated to have more samples when you feel you have the beginning process down. Allow yourself some time to complete this project. If you feel like you should be marketing and seeking jobs, you are right, but you probably would do better to have a portfolio. So take a little time to prepare yourself to be ready to work as a freelance writer.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Go forward and get the jobs you deserve with a winning portfolio!