Melissa Barton, Writer

Or on the business of writing, as the case may be.

1. Don’t be afraid to turn down assignments.
It can be hard to turn down assignments, especially when you’re breaking in, but taking an assignment that you’re too busy for or feel unenthused about (or that’s poorly paid) can lead to more stress than it’s worth. And stress can lead to missed deadlines and other bad things. Turning down an assignment that’s not right for you frees up your time for a better job to come along.

2. If you’re going to write for free to break in, do it for a legitimate nonprofit.
While you don’t necessarily have to write for free to break in, you’ll feel better about donating your time–and editors will respect the clip more–if it’s for a local nonprofit rather than an internet start-up zine. Donating your skills to a nonprofit you’re passionate about also helps you make contacts that can lead to paying jobs.

3. Volunteering is a great way to find story ideas.
A wide variety of people do volunteer work, from children to retired people, with all kinds of backgrounds, hobbies, and experiences. Think profiles, small business stories, human interest, and so on. You can’t always write about the organization you volunteer for because of conflict of interest, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find stories. I also think it’s important to keep your mind flexible by doing things besides writing.