UK’s Press Gazette has a whole section of their website devoted to How to Pitch to specific UK publications such as olive, Body and Soul and BBC Focus. The advice comes from people who have intimate knowledge of the publications, such as Gilly Sinclair, the features editor women’s weekly Chat who asks for “Real-life, real-life and more real-life! Once and for all we don’t do celebs! Give us stories that will make us laugh, cry or leave us shocked. Give us pictures that will make us throw up or well up.”

Are you starting out as a freelance writer and trying to establish yourself as an “expert” in a particular topic?

The always helpful Freelance Writing Jobs has an interesting suggestion that might help you gain expertise while still earning a few freelance dollars on the side: find a blogging job in your topic of interest.

Then, when you discover someone looking to hire a blogger on the topic you’re trying to gain expertise in, send your letter of interest detailing your writing, blogging and social media experience. Do this for each blogging job you run across, and it won’t be long until you have the expertise and writing clips you’re seeking.

The following sites might help you in your quest:

• Freelance Writing Jobs
• Problogger
• ReadWriteWeb
• Freelance Switch
• Freelance Folder

A few blogging jobs on the right topics could look great in your writing cv and writing website. This will maximize your chance of landing new clients in areas you want to write about.

Whether you freelance full-time or part-time, it’s important to include your freelance writing work in your writing CV. This will eliminate any job gaps in your writing CV and show that you are capable of finishing a project.

Simply list “Freelance Writing” along with the other jobs in your writing CV. For example, suppose I’m a computer programmer who has done some article writing on the side. I would add my freelance writing experience to my writing CV as follows:

Freelance Writer
March 2001 – Present

Computer technology writer and editor with 7 years experience in the computer industry. Strong experience in print and online article writing. Clients include ComputerHelp Online, CompuPub and WikiNow.

Remember: The most important thing to do on your writing CV is don’t lie and don’t leave any gaps.

You don’t need to write for free. Freelance writing jobs are everywhere. Have a look through any of the freelance writing job boards and you’ll be blown away by the number of paying gigs out there.

Here is a list of my favorite websites to look at for freelance writing jobs, plus a bonus tip for those of you who overwhelmed by the sheer number of freelance writing jobs out there.

Subscribe to the RSS feeds of your favorite freelance writing job boards, and peruse the listings all at once in Google Reader or your RSS reader of choice. (Read this primer on RSS if you’re new to the concept.)

Now, on with the list you’ve been waiting for!

Where to Find Freelance Writing Jobs

• Freelance Writing Jobs – the best resource out there in my opinion, updated daily with the best writing gigs from all around the web
• About Freelance Writing Job Listing – Updated three times a week by the lovely Anne Wayman
• Problogger Job Board – You guessed it, loads of blogging jobs.
• Craigslist – Great for local writing and telecommuting job opportunities. Just keep on the lookout for scams and bum clients.
• Absolute Write Job Board – A friendly community with a paid writing job board that’s worth keeping an eye on
• Elance – Go here to bid on various freelance writing jobs
• Poe War – Great source for advice and job info
• Media Bistro – Lots of big names advertise here
• Freelance Switch Job Board – The jobs here always sound interesting; paid subscription required for full access
• Jobs at the Writers-Editors Network – It’s a hideous website but carries some useful information
• JournalismJobs.com – The name says it all
• All Freelance Writing Jobs – Featuring jobs from around the web
• journalism.co.uk – UK-focused resource with a great job board

Hi, I’m Monica, and this is the new blog for WritersResidence.com!

Tim and I created Writer’s Residence to help writers create an online portfolio and now we have this great blog! Thank you, Tim, for building it.

This is a blog about writing. Occasionally we’ll post news and updates about Writer’s Residence, but mostly we’ll stick to the good stuff that writers want to read about:

• Writing tips
• Getting published
• Marketing yourself on the internet
• Careers in writing
• How to be a better writer
• How to find paying gigs

And so on…

Stay tuned!