And More Importantly...

So, I've talked plenty about where to find freelance gigs; since I now have a bit more experience in doing so, I should probably mention how to actually land them. Once you've got the e-mail address or phone number of the person to inquire to, what's next?

As you might guess, the process begins by sending in a resume and cover letter expressing your interest. I won't talk much about writing a resume, because there's plenty of information about how to do that--on this website, in fact. So, right, keep to one page, have an attractive format, and--this I will stress particularly--have several of them. At the present I have, I think, three or four resumes and I'm fully conscious that that number is going to go up.

Earlier this year, when I took a comedy writing class, my group project was writing a pilot episode for a sitcom about a talent agency in LA. When we were coming up with characters, one who we considered was the proverbial guy-who-thinks-he-can-do-anything. We imagined throwing in a running joke of him popping up every time any kind of role was offered: "Sure, I can be an Elvis impersonator!" "Me! I can do an old Afghani man!" "A part for an autistic twelve-year-old? I'm there!"

As time goes on, I feel more and more like this guy. Each of the different resumes I'm accumulating identifies a different area as What I Am Interested in Doing. Dishonest? Not really. It's true, for each of those resumes, that there are also other things I'm interested in doing, but why would they want to know that? As long as you don't start applying for inappropriate jobs or faking credentials you don't have, creating focused resumes is no different than being focused about the work you're seeking.

Of course, that's just the first step, and it's mainly a way for employers to weed out the obviously poor bets. The single most important thing when seeking freelance work--and this makes me so happy I could (ahem) "spit"--is usually some form of work sample. If it's comedy sketch writing (one thing I am doing), for example, it ultimately comes down to your writing samples. If it's copyediting (one thing I hope I'll be doing), they'll want to test your abilities as a copyeditor before taking you on.

This is the thing that's always appealed to me about hiring practices in the writing business; most places, skills really are what sells. As in all of entertainment, networking and first impressions are important, but you can't survive on them. Melinda Snodgrass, though I quoted her a few months ago saying that living in Santa Fe had probably hurt her career, is still a celebrated screenwriter in her genre, because she does good work.

The hard part about freelancing comes when once you've demonstrated that you can do good work, you have to keep doing it. Unlike conventional employment, there's no sense of "once you're in, you're in." As a freelancer, you are hired on an independent contract, meaning you're not, in the traditional sense, an employee. Getting good work demands a good reputation, which demands--well, good work.

Another note: flexibility is a huge positive. Being able to do work on short notice, and to take assignments that require an odd schedule, can get you in at the head of the line some places. One dilemma I'm facing right now is the choice of whether to go full freelance, or look for a regular job to supplement, and that will affect how well I can perform in this department. So we'll see how that goes.