
Writing
Gigs
It is nice when you are offered many opportunities to share your creative
talent with the world. For
most writers they have to search out opportunity instead of it
knocking on their door. The
task of finding a great fit for a writer’s talent can be
simple but it is when you are looking for compensation that it
gets more difficult.
Is it better to have a list full of gigs or only a select few that are
paying you? This
question alone could be a continuous debate.
The writer wants to get exposure but they also would
like to be compensated for the work they contribute.
What is a new writer to do?
Some of the recent common places to find opportunities are on craigslist,
social media and writer groups.
These can vary in venue such as magazines, newsletters,
blogs, collectives, etc. It
is up to the writer to decide what they aspire to be connected
with. With finding
gigs in these places most of the ads are stating that no
compensation is offered. Even
more detailed is the fact that the work created can only be
used on that venue and is no longer ownership of the writer.
It makes a lot of things to consider when securing the
right gig.
To find the paying gig that is a dream come true research is needed.
It is essential to decide the venue, genre, etc that a
writer wants to contribute to.
Once that is listed then a writer can go through a
google search engine, ads posted on various websites and other
writers to find venues that meet the criteria.
The research can be longer than the other arena because
it is a longer process to be considered for paying positions.
A writer has to show past work, give specific samples
and references. If
the writer can complete the research, go through the selection
process plus be approved it can be a successful venture in
many different ways.
It all comes down to what the writer wants and is willing to put time
into. These are
the things that the English teacher neglected to share with
the writer in the very beginning.
It is a creative career but you have to do the work to
see that goals are met.
It is best to never let the written word talent go to waste.
Sometimes just being respected and known in many
different venues can gain the exposure needed to be seen by
the ultimate gig.
Carla
Thorpe is the author of commentary works,
poems and short stories. Her work can be seen in Stylistic
Newspaper,
Brown Gurl Online Magazine and other online
publications. Carla is currently working on her first
book titled “Her
Own” due to publish in 2010. She resides
in Northern Virginia not too far from her
hometown Capitol Heights, Maryland.