How to Use your Profession to Develop a Writing Niche

How to Use your Profession to Develop a Writing Niche When you become a freelance writer, you can potentially write for numerous websites, blogs and magazines. How you decide which clients to approach depends on the niche you select. Your niche also helps with branding, which enables potential clients to find you. The most effective and engaging articles, blog posts and books are those written If you are passionate about your chosen career, you need look no further than your profession to develop your niche. Start Consider writing styles, too. This is especially important when it comes to length, type and tone of the article. A well-researched, lengthy article is quite different to an anecdotal, humorous one. Some questions to ask yourself in deciding what types of articles to write include: Do you want to motivate readers to join your profession? Do you want to educate the public regarding issues you believe are important? Or do you wish to create a friendly discussion with readers in your industry. Now that you have a list of ideas and styles, you can start looking for work. Firstly, source a few good websites and blogs about writing for a living. Two of my favourites are: Writers in Charge [www.writersincharge.com] and Make a Living Writing [www.makealivingwriting.com]. While you familiarise yourself with the various forms of freelance writing, I highly recommend joining a writing group for support, encouragement and feedback on your progress and your writing. GoodReads.com has many groups one can join including a writing group. There are many writing groups on FaceBook e.g. Freelance Writers [https://www.facebook.com/groups/2351373470/]. Dont have a blog yet? Start one! It helps you refine your niche and test different styles and subjects. It helps you connect with readers and potential clients, and learn what they wish to know. Blogging also provides social proof when you pitch for writing jobs, e.g. The Role of Occupational Therapy in Sleep and Wellness. [huffingtonpost.com/shoshanah-shear/the-role-of-occupational-_b_12673818.html?1477582471] Extending your blogging activity to creating content for client blogs is a wonderful way to earn. Securing a paid opportunity to write a column related to your profession can also position you as an expert in your field. This is a valuable marketing tool for gaining private clients. Lastly, search for websites, magazines and blogs related to your profession. Dont forget the trade magazines! This article of the top ten trade magazines [allyoucanread.com/top-10-trade-magazines/] can give you ideas of what to look for. Though most professional journals do not pay for articles, you might be surprised to find that some do! Trade publications can also provide many ideas for article topics or companies to approach for work. I have found that scouring the adverts in professional journals opens many doors, from providing client contact details to triggering ideas for original content. In summary, writing articles, blog posts or books can provide an interesting addition to your profession. This can become a side income stream or a new way to use your professional knowledge. Most of all, love sharing your professional knowledge with others. Love writing. Love your profession and love knowing what an impact you can have on the lives of others.

Aileen Hernandez - Feminist Civil Rights Activist

Aileen Hernandez - Feminist Civil Rights Activist Aileen Hernandez was a lifelong activist for civil rights and women’s rights. She was one of the founding officers of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966. Dates:  May 23, 1926 – February 13, 2017 Personal Roots Aileen Clarke Hernandez, whose parents were Jamaican, was raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Ethel Louise Hall Clarke, was a homemaker who worked as a seamstress and traded domestic work for physicians services. Her father, Charles Henry Clarke Sr., was a brushmaker. School experiences taught her that she was supposed to be nice and submissive, and she early determined not to submit. Aileen Clarke studied political science and sociology at Howard University in Washington D.C., graduating in 1947. It was there she began to work as an activist to fight against racism and sexism, working with the NAACP and in politics. She later moved to California and received a master’s degree from California State University at Los Angeles. She has traveled widely in the course of her work for human rights and liberty. Equal Opportunities During the 1960s, Aileen Hernandez was the only woman appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to the government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). She resigned from the EEOC because of frustration with the agency’s inability or refusal to actually enforce laws against sex discrimination. She started her own consulting firm, which works with government, corporate, and nonprofit organizations. Working with NOW While womens equality was getting more government attention, activists discussed the need for a private women’s rights organization. In 1966, a group of pioneering feminists founded NOW. Aileen Hernandez was elected NOW’s first Executive Vice-President. In 1970, she became the second national president of NOW, after Betty Friedan. While Aileen Hernandez led the organization, NOW worked on behalf of women in the workplace to gain equal pay and better handling of discrimination complaints. NOW activists demonstrated in several states, threatened to sue the U.S. Secretary of Labor and organized the Women’s Strike for Equality. When the president of NOW endorsed a candidate slate in 1979 which did not include any people of color in major positions, Hernandez broke with the organization, writing an open letter to feminists to express her critique of the organization for putting such priority on issues like the Equal Rights Amendment that issues of race and class were ignored. I have become increasingly distressed by the growing alienation of minority women who have joined feminist organizations like NOW. They are truly the women in the middle, isolated within their minority communities because of their espousal of the feminist cause and isolated in the feminist movement because they insist on attention to issues which impact heavily on minorities. Other Organizations Aileen Hernandez was  a leader on multiple political issues, including housing, the environment, labor, education and  health care. She co-founded Black Women Organized for Action in 1973. She has also worked with Black Women Stirring the Waters,  the California Women’s Agenda, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the California Division of Fair Employment Practices.  Ã‚   Aileen Hernandez won multiple awards for her humanitarian efforts. In 2005, she was part of a group of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hernandez died in February 2017.