One way newbie writers, editors can get practical experience

Writing stars, we had an interesting discussion on a message board recently about how difficult it can be for newbies and recent college graduates to get writing and editing jobs. It's the classic catch-22: if you don't have experience, it's difficult to get a job, and if you can't get a job, how are you going to get experience?

If this is your predicament, read Corey Eridon's article, "How Small Businesses Saved Me From Living in My Parents' Basement" (love the title).

Corey got a job fresh out of college, and instead of having just one role, she ended up juggling a few, including blogging, email marketing, and copywriting and copyediting—all necessary skills for building your online author platform, by the way.

I especially liked what she had to say about her positive attitude and work ethic: 

"When I first started, I figured it was my job to say "yes" to everything. I wanted to prove my value, make myself useful, and above all else -- keep the job. I assumed if someone asked you to do something, you just said you would do it, and figure out the details as you go -- even if it's not in your job description."

Happy National Small Business Week!

June 17 kicks off National Small Business Week, which is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Association. According to the SBA, 

"More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year."

I launched my editing career at a very small publishing house in Chicago, and I will always be grateful for the expertise I developed there.

So sorry for the cliche, but where there's a will, there's a way!

Donna Marie

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