I started The Professional Freelance Journalism Course about three months ago. I am currently three-quarters of the way through the course and have just been commissioned to write my second paid article.
Starting the course gave me the confidence to approach a local food magazine – Appetite - and ask if I could write some website articles for free to build my portfolio. After completing three of these, the editor contacted me to say he would like me to write a paid feature for the next print edition. I have also been commissioned to write a paid article about freediving for a local magazine, The Northumbrian.
I have known for a while that I want to write for a living but struggled with not knowing where to start. I felt that, because I didn’t study journalism at university, I would never be able to break into the profession at age 40. I love how the course is grounded in practicality. It explains how to identify suitable publications, build ideas, write pitches and contact editors. This knowledge has been the push I needed to turn my ideas into reality. I have also built a portfolio website, and I am excited for my commissioned articles to be published so I can put them online.
I am very grateful for the feedback from my tutor, Judy. She is honest with her opinions - when she likes my work, she says so, and when it needs improvement, she is very clear about what it needs. I believe Judy’s feedback on my freediving article idea really helped me secure the commission. The course has made it clear to me that before you pitch an article idea, it needs to be very well thought through in terms of the angle and exactly how it is right for the intended publication.
Sometimes, I’ve found the assignments quite tricky, but being committed to the course has driven me to complete a task which I otherwise might have procrastinated on. Having two young children and another job, I have appreciated being able to complete the course in my own time and schedule the tutorials to arrive at times that work for me.
I really do feel that once I have completed the course, I will be able to use my freelance journalism skills as a useful second income that can be flexible around my family life. I’m so glad I signed up for this course.
TO SEE MORE OF ZOE’S FREELANCE JOURNALISM WORK, PLEASE VISIT ZOE-ROBERTSON.COM.
