Not all of us in freelance writing do so exclusively. Yet those traditional jobs can also be golden opportunity to utilize the skills you’ve learned while freelance writing.

One of my past employers had a long-running newsletter put together by the same person for years. After she left the position, I offered my services to edit it, citing my writing experience from crafting articles to covering various events and travel destinations. I didn’t get the opportunity at first, but it wasn’t long until the job of organizing the newsletter bounced around from one person to another among people who had no real interest in writing, researching, and formatting.

Finally, they gave me the job. I was given a certain number of hours each quarter at my regular hourly wage to get the newsletter published. Because of my skills and insights gained from freelancing, I was able to add spin to the publication like employee profiles, a column by the director, plus a new look by using publishing software so the newsletters could be archived and put on social media. The newsletter became more available than ever before.

In the process, I connected with co-workers and supervisors from other shifts besides my own, who gave very positive comments about the work I’ve done as an editor. One coworker told me that the newsletters look like they were created by “a professional,” which is as nice a compliment a non-writer can give. By the time I left that job in 2020, I had presided over the creation of 22 quarterly newsletters!

Don’t check your freelance writing skills at the door of a place where you punch the time clock, because you never know when the need for someone with writing or editing skills will appear.  Ask your supervisor if you can complete the writing tasks on company time, and thus, get paid regular wages for your expertise.

Things to keep in mind at your traditional job:

1)      Does your company have employee-based committees where writing is necessary? Offer to join a committee or two to do this task.

2)      If there is no current company newsletter, suggest starting one.

3)      If you hear about some unmet need for a writing/editing-related task at your job, seize the moment to take that function on, even if it’s just temporary. Completing such tasks effectively will resonate with your supervisors and co-workers, who would rather just pass the buck on writing if they have no interest in this craft.

4)      Many companies, including nonprofits, use social media to publicize their goods and services, upcoming events, etc. Offer to write those posts on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Additionally, when applicable, offer to write Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to local print, TV, and radio outlets.

Let your co-workers and supervisors know that you like writing. Someone I know was an aspiring poet doing part-time clerical work and errands for a real estate agent. Overwhelmed with work, the agent remembered he liked to write creatively. She assigned him to write real estate ads for her listed properties. He learned how to write tighter copy as well as gain additional photography and house measuring skills.

But there’s an even greater advantage to tackling writing duties at your traditional job. Soon the company and its employees will begin recognizing you as a writer, and before you know it, they’ll ask what you have published. That’s excellent advertising you’d never get otherwise. Who knows . . . you might be able to slip that fact in the byline of that company newsletter.

BIO: Roy A. Barnes is a past contributor to FundsforWriters. His writing-themed articles have also been featured at WritersWeekly.com, The Willamette Writer, The Writer, FellowScript, and others.  He lives and writes in southeastern Wyoming.