Aspiring To Become A Freelance Writer. My Writing Skills Assessment?

Like most of you guys working in the "student assignment helping" field, I want to earn extra income out of my pen. Please i need assistance and suggestions to guide me on the road toward writing career.

I have been working as a writer for the past two years. I have a degree in computer science from a mediocre university in Pakistan. I write papers on business studies, political science, history, social issues, etc. My long term desire is to acquire employment in American and UK based essay writing websites. However my question is how do I obtain employment, how do I assess my writing skills, and possibly upgrade them to the level of native writers? Here is a sample of my writing:

"The process of change inside my organization has been exceptional and excellent. The results have been fantastic since an industrious environment has been generated. Employees have also been sent on orientation and induction programs in order to boost and augment their skills. Management now has a monitoring and validating system which provides them with real time information about the work process. A systematic and organized change management program was deployed. Management sought to implement the system for a single department.

Using this pilot project, the strengths and weaknesses of the approach were identified and recognized"

Update: Thank you for providing me with a balanced and honest evaluation of my skills. I would never pose as a EFL writer. Unfortunately every Pakistani company scams overseas clients by claiming to have EFL writers on their payroll. Another question is that I scored 100/120 in TOEFL. Say I obtain assignments from an EFL audience, would that count as a positive sign? Finally do companies like ET hire ESL writers?

You write English well enough for general purposes (and maybe for ESL clients) but definitely not well enough to represent yourself as a professional writer to anybody expecting native speaker-quality English writing. I don't know that it's something you can necessarily improve on.

There's nothing terribly wrong in your writing but your sentence structure, vocabulary, and punctuation are definitely obviously ESL. Considering what you posted is likely something you've been very careful to make sure represents your best work, you should never fail to disclose that you're an ESL writer. It's pretty good for an ESL; it cannot possibly compete with qualified native-langauage writing on any level.

Basically, what you posted would be the starting point for a competent ESL author who still needs a native speaker to improve on his writing for presentation to a native audience.

I guess students would be much better off approaching their teachers and trying to buy grades directly than hiring either of for help.

No problem. TOEFL can't determine whether your writing "sounds" authentic to a native speaker's ear. I don't think ET has a firm rule about it; they probably go strictly by your writing samples and the quality of your work. You probably write as well as or better than many native English speakers who aren't professional writers, but if a company's customers are primarily American, they're probably not going to hire any writers who don't sound the way we do in writing. Don't take it personally; it happens to us when we offer our services to UK companies who only want UK-educated writers regardles of how good our grammar is or how extensive our US educational credentials are.

neuropenfire:
You have what it takes to be a writer. You just need a pen and some paper and if you are fired up enough, you are ready to go.

Really? Say hello to 1993 for me. The word "fantastic" sticks out. I wouldn't use that word, at-least not like that.

imho, your English is more than adequate to help people cheat on their homework, Cap. if you really want to be perfect, though, there is no substitute for language immersion in the US or UK.

And perhaps if you like to write online you need a computer and an internet connection. Mind replacing your pen with a typewriter?

Neuro, if you are confident that you are a honest and good writer then you do not need to worry about anything else but finding the way to reach your target customer. Probably start with a few customers and if your work is truly admired then positive word of mouth should help you achieve in this career, I personally believe this.

This tutorial will teach you how to asses your writing skills to become a better educator, writer, or teacher.

Writing and Research Skills - Self-Assessment of a Research Writer

Introduction

There are always areas in which we need to improve. We may do something well, but to continue to be well in that specific area, one should assess his/her skills to see where changes need to be made. People learn from those who are experts and have already had the proper training. Experts (i.e. scientists, doctors, authors, etc.) also learn from those who are more knowledgeable about a topic than they are. So, we all are constantly learning. In reference to this, I have learned in-depth about how to write a paper without plagiarizing. It takes time and persistence to gather the proper citations and find the right websites or other sources with reliable information, but in the end it will be worth it. We should take pre-cautions when citing other's work because not doing so and knowingly doing so could result in bad consequences. Plagiarizing isn't worth the trouble. I have learned that I must take more time to research and "weed" out bad information according to the seven rules of plagiarism found in the "Avoiding Plagiarism" tutorial.

Analysis of Strengths

I know how to research information and put it together within a paper. I do understand the necessity of citing information used. I also want to do better, which I believe is a strength. It is called determination. This will make me to be cautious and to evaluate what should be cited. I can distinguish between what I know I said versus what someone else said. After taking the tutorial, I learned the difference between whether to cite common knowledge or information that has been tested, researched, etc. Common knowledge is information that everyone already knows. For example, the first President of the United States was George Washington. This is a commonly known fact and is not a study that has been conducted by an expert. Information that would require documentation is the life of George Washington. I don't know off the top of my brain what happened in his life. If I were writing a paper about him, I would have to research this information. I would cite the work from a historian or author who has already done the proper research about his childhood, what schools he attended, his likes/dislikes, etc. To write a paper and act as if it were already known would be plagiarism. It would take away from the hard work that the professional has taken time and passion to do. We must give honor where it is due.

Analysis of Weaknesses

My downfall is not having a thorough knowledge of exactly where to research. Any website can post any information at any given moment but it is the legitimacy of the information that counts. I have learned that academic databases are strong, reliable, and preferred. Our online class has links available to access information that can be trusted. Initially, I was thinking that I would use online encyclopedias for my research, but upon reading the Ashford University Student Writing Handbook (Online Edition), I learned not to! It explicitly states, "What sources are not acceptable for academic research and referencing? Encyclopedias, dictionaries, Wikipedia..." (Ashford University Student Writing Handbook Online Edition) I was in for a rude awakening because that was actually what I had always done. In undergraduate, no one told me not to use encyclopedias for academic research. I was introduced to databases like ebscohost and LexisNexis, but no one put emphasis on what sources to use. However, I did know NOT to use Wikipedia. One professor did forewarn the class about it and she elaborated on why. We learn by trial and error! I remember once, a classmate asked me to write a paper for her. She felt she was horrible at writing papers and was doing poorly in class so asked me to help. I knew it was wrong but I felt bad for her and wrote the paper. A couple of days later, she was upset because she had to write the paper over. The teacher knew it wasn't her writing. She said it was a drastic difference from the first draft she turned in. Never again have I written someone else's paper and never again will I! We could have gotten in serious trouble. I learned to do my own work and if someone needed help, I would assist them but never do their work for them. Writing a paper for others is not a weakness but I felt it was relevant to share that since week two in class had been focusing on plagiarism. When you write a paper for someone else and they turn it in as their own work, that too is plagiarism.

Growth Plan

I plan to take time and find those trusted websites and search engines that are known to give credible information. I also will keep in mind the resources that I have used to write this paper and the guidelines given. I would like to become better in writing. I strive to so and I mention it all the time because that is my field next to being a teacher. Since we will have papers due every Monday, I feel I will learn more about who I am as a writer. I certainly can brush up on my skills. It has been two years since I have written a school paper. It's different from writing stories, in terms of having a set topic to write about and following guidelines. Writing short stories gives me a chance to write feely, so getting back into the groove of writing a school paper will be a little of a challenge but with familiarity.

Conclusion

Knowing about plagiarism and researching topics is quite important to study in this class because we are training to become educators. It is especially important for those that want to teach high school and beyond because those are the years when writing papers will be most of the work load. I'm sure teachers are learning even in the classroom. There they learn about who their students are, how to have an effective teaching plan, and who they are. Yes, learning is constant, even for the one who teaches.

How to capture reader's attention: Authentic creative writing skills

Writing is a passion. Apart from using the platform to capture clients, also, we can exchange ideas on creative writing. A long term-based writer should not only base his or her mind exclusively on academic writhing but also consider jotting story books (literature). Content of good writing captures the attention of the reader. Through creating suspense, a reader would want to know what happens to the subjects and objects in the next episodes. Not forgetting symbolism, it create critical thinking to the reader.

I don't think that there is a set formula or method for becoming a freelance writer. In some instances, one just falls into it. I just happened to fall into this line of work because of my love for the English written word. I can't remember a time since I started school, and discovered the world of essay writing, that I did not have a pen to paper. Which later on turned into fingers on the keyboard as I moved to the computer for my writing fix. My advice is, if you have a love for reading, if you are a voracious reader who often taps away on the keyboard just to clear your head of thoughts after reading something interesting, or, if you are someone who has the capacity to continue to learn long after you have left school, then freelance writing just might be the career for you.

It was only by chance that I came across an academic writing site in the past. I found it interesting, took the test, passed, and then learned on the job. Provided you know how to read and understand English instructions that range from simple to complex and you have the patience for research, revisions, and editing, then you will survive in this line of work. If you are doing it just for the money, then you might not succeed as well as the others did. I find that academic writing is more of a vocation for me than a job. It is something that I enjoy doing because I am intrigued by the topics being given for essay writing or research. I find that I have learned more in my 20 plus years of academic writing than I ever did in all the 15 years that I spent enrolled in formal schooling.

My last word is this. If you want to become a freelance writer, then go for it. I suggest that you start by trying to get into one of the writing companies first just to get your feet wet. Give it a few years as a contracted writer and then, only if you feel that you have experienced writing all possible types of research and essay papers, then you can strike out on your own as a freelance writer.

You write decently for a 3rd world writer. You could be a regular writer for ESL students with this level of writing skills. However, if you were to work for me, I would still need you to take some tests to better assess your language and research skills. Sometimes, writers are good when dealing with off the cuff writing assignments, but then fall apart when they are given specific instructions, materials to read and use, and when the student makes specific writing demands. You should apply at several companies, take their assessment tests, and then wait to see which one follows up with a phone interview. If you get to the phone interview part, then that will just be a formality. You can consider yourself hired from that point on.

It's called the developing world now, and has been for let's see... 20 years? More?


What exactly are your qualifications for judging this? Please answer!

ESL writers have been using AI to pass themselves off as native speakers. The students are already aware of this and have been steering clear of non ENL writers. While the OP did have acceptable writing skills, I sincerely doubt that he would be able to continue competing with more established writers and the writing technology that exists today. Even ENL writers find themselves without clients to work for, and these are ENL writers whose writing skills are at the proper level expected of US and UK students, It is not so much about the writing skills anymore as it is more about the way that technology has changed the academic writing for hire landscape.

It's always a great laugh when someone who, quite clearly, has never actually worked in a field presumes to post his "tutorial" on the topic.