HGG Community Forums

What about freelance writing? You can use your past skills as a niche and write in that field. You could work from home, on your own, and choose your own hours. I'm a member of a freelance writer's group that could help you break into that if it's something you want to try.

Nonfiction writing for businesses can be very lucrative, especially if you market yourself within a particular niche based on your background, something that can help clients see you understand their industry. White papers and case studies usually bring in the most money and also follow a story structure if you don't like technical writing. There's also blog posts and website content and copy writing. Those are all good places to start before you look for a big white paper job.

@boredaf Unfortunately, fiction writing is much more of a gamble if you're looking at it for a sustainable single income, though it's not impossible to hope for. I think in today's market, the best way to make it in fiction is to self-publish and be very prolific. You can also pitch short stories to blogs and magazines and have all of that building you a following while you pitch novels to traditional publishers if you feel that's the pinnacle you want to reach.

I wrote serialized fiction for a while but then a couple years ago I needed something that would start making a steady income sooner, so I turned to editing and I've found I actually enjoy it much more than relying on my own fiction writing to make money. I've been able to help people develop and get their work ready to publish and let my own story writing return to more of a hobby. I've also learned more about writing by working with other writer's work more than I ever did studying and working with my own work. That switch has been the best career decision I ever made.

Well I didn't know what kind of freelance you meant if it was more of a ghostwriter/ip thing or a technical thing. I was just hoping for a way to turn writing into a job. I didn't expect it to be something I enjoyed writing. I can do that on my own time.

The lack of an English degree is a common worry of new freelance writers, but when it comes to writing for businesses, it can actually work against you sometimes because marketing directors are looking for writers who can appeal to an average audience and the academic background can sometimes give them the idea that your writing might be stuffy. (Not true, I'm sure! But I've heard many instances of prospective clients having this impression of English majors.)

The biggest advice I can give you is to avoid freelancing platforms and content mills. I started out on Fiverr and spent a lot of time making very little money working for people who didn't understand how much professional writing and editing should cost. But if you wrote for Textbroker, you probably have the instinct now to steer away from content mills already. The freelance writer's group I'm in teaches how to establish a profile on LinkedIn and market yourself directly to prospective clients.

In case you're interested, here's a link to the group:
https://freelancewritersden.com/dap/a/?a=16565

It's called the Freelance Writer's Den. There is a waiting list and it's not free to join, but it's a month-to-month deal, you can cancel anytime, and there's a risk-free trial period. Once you're in, it's an all you can eat buffet of resources and the forums are very active and helpful. All past bootcamps are available for self-study and you can still go to the forums for support while you work your way through them.

I can't share their materials with nonmembers, but I'd be glad to talk to you further about what I've learned. :)