As a rule, you'll want anywhere between 10 and 20 pieces. In order to curate your best work you need a selection of writing to choose from. Think about the difference between a heart surgeon and a general practitioner. It may feel limiting, but often specialising in a specific topic or writing type can make you more successful and in demand, not less. Important: Beginning writers in particular can be scared of the idea of committing to a single niche. While your essay may be an impressive read, a blog post on the best poutine in your area would likely be a better item to add to your portfolio. Let's say you want to be a food writer, but you happen to have written an essay in the style of Virginia Woolf. By understanding yourself as a writer right from the start, you can set more achievable objectives and build a killer portfolio that fits in with your broader goals. You need to be able to answer these types of questions. What do you like to write about? Do you want to be a freelancer? A copywriter? An author of children's books? Is your natural inclination towards humour, or do you excel at explaining complex topics in a digestible way? Do you have a niche? Or do you want to be a generalist? So, before getting caught up in the nitty-gritty details of creating your portfolio, spend some time defining who you are as a writer. It's the one thing that separates you from every other writer. Your voice is what makes your writing special. But it's not just a matter of uploading all your work and waiting for the job offers to roll in-there are certain best practices to follow to give your portfolio the best chance of standing out. There are tonnes of tools for creating writing portfolios out there. How to create a writing portfolio in 7 easy steps Stepping back and examining your body of work can help you to identify trends, through-lines and topics of interest you didn't previously recognise. In addition to being a career move, compiling a portfolio can be an exercise in self-discovery. For example, an author might use their portfolio to showcase their books and share advice with their readers, while a blogger might just have links to recently published posts. How these goals manifest differs based on the type of writer you are. To create awareness: a portfolio is your online 'home', a place where people can learn more about you, and the work you've done.To get writing work: writers send their portfolio to potential employers to demonstrate their proficiency.Writing portfolios have two main objectives: It lets you build a unique body of work, show off your abilities and display your writing all in one place. Why is having a writing portfolio important?Ī writing portfolio is a professional way for you to introduce your writing to readers, potential clients and collaborators. Your portfolio should be made up of relevant, up-to-date content that showcases your best writing. Important: A common misconception is that a writing portfolio has to show off every single piece of writing you've ever done. A portfolio will look different based on the type of writing you do, and what stage of your career you're in.įor example, an experienced business copywriter's portfolio will be full of advertising campaigns, prestigious awards and a long client list, whereas an aspiring author will likely use creative writing samples and short stories. Writing portfolios usually consist of published work (this could be print or online) and writing samples in the niche you want to write in. It's a way to show off topics you've written about and any sites or publications you've written for. A writing portfolio demonstrates your writing ability to prospective employers. Portfolios don't just exist for the fun of it. Once upon a time, this would have been clippings and snippets kept in an actual folder, but thanks to the magic of the internet, writing portfolios can be hosted online and accessed by folks around the world. What is a writing portfolio?Ī writing portfolio is a collection of your best written work. Whether you're a copywriter or a poet, a freelance writer or a novelist, you'll have your portfolio site up and running in no time. In this article, we'll outline the steps you need to take, including which tools to use and how to make your writing portfolio shine. But there's a lot to consider: what kind of pieces should you include? How many? How do you make it stand out to potential employers? Your portfolio is your calling card a showcase of your best and most recent work. Whether you've been writing professionally for years, or just decided to try your hand in the freelance world, creating a great online writing portfolio is an essential step in any writer's career.
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