You can’t be good at writing about everything, can you? — A conversation with Abhijeet Kumar
Abhijeet describes himself as the “Lazy Writer”. However, visit his linkedIn profile once and you will realise that he is probably more hardworking than 10 other writers combined (We did this interview at 6 AM). Abhijeet talks to maice about his career and gives out some strong, but fair advice to writers who have just started out.
Q. First off, I wanted to ask you about your career. Where did it all start for you and what were the challenges you faced?
I started with Upwork, the freelancing website. I needed something productive to do in my free times, and in the past few years, I found I am good with writing. So, freelance writer it is. Since I write part-time, there wasn’t much struggle, I would say, that I had to go through.
I kept submitting proposals to prospective clients and landed my first one-time project within a week. Lucky me! The regular work, however, started only after a month.
Q. Have you ever felt that freelancing has slowed you down in terms of your career trajectory?
Not at all. I find it better to freelance. If you’re good you will always have work. There are times when I don’t have any but I have got people who return to me when they have some work for me. So, it’s all going well.
Q. What is your dream writing platform?
Haven’t thought about it yet, still exploring.
Q. At maice, we are creating an ecosystem for writers and creators to be able to communicate, share and display their writing prowess. Do you think creators would prefer a much transparent community?
Of course, one to one communication is always beneficial than talking through an intermediary. Take the interview as an example. If you want to do an interview with someone you can either do it yourself or tell someone to go on your behalf.
That someone will ask questions provided and discussed between both of you, adding few of his/her own as the interview proceeds and will provide you the answers. But what if you felt a need to ask another question while going through the answers? You will need to approach that someone again, and probably a quick call to the interviewee this time.
Q. What is your take on niches? Many people choose their expertise while others remain open to multiple domains. How would you categorise yourself?
Having a niche is good, or should I say, mandatory. You can’t be good at writing about everything, is it? You can be open to multiple domains but with you having a niche, the clients will feel more secure that you will understand what they need. And thus, trust you with their work.
I started without a portfolio and without a niche. But as time passed, I found myself more comfortable with Tech topics. Travel topics are fun too. Having a niche minimizes the chances of having confusion. A client approaches you with finance-related topics, but you can only do it well if you have the required knowledge. If not, you will spend most of the time understanding what he wants and how you should proceed. That’s the problem you face when you don’t have a niche.
Q. For a writer starting out, what are the most basic (but important) things he/she needs to take care of?
The first thing is to be open to learning. You know you write well but others also write well. How would you make a place for yourself? Learn from others. See what people do, ask them things you don’t understand and keep yourself updated. Even though you have a niche, don’t forget venturing into other areas. Who knows you find yourself a new area of expertise.
Second, start making relationships. Start small but give preference to clients who can provide you with regular work. And don’t just ask people for work, be a part of their life and they surely will remember you when they need something that you can do. Your client is human like everyone else.
Next, it doesn’t matter if you’re writing for others or on your blog, give the best you can. Oh yes, a blog! Every writer needs to have a place where s/he writes. Why? You say you can write but how would someone know? Yes, you can have a sample portfolio but before approaching you, it’s better that a client has some idea of how well you write. The blog can be your tool or go the LinkedIn way.
Start writing on LinkedIn itself or showcase your works. It works for any industry, and not only writing. I get to enjoy some awesome experiences there.
Q. What do you think is going to be the future of content marketing or content creation given the current trends?
Content creators and marketers have a bright future… Everyone needs content, whether they sell something or provide a service, but not all can write. We can be their life-saviour. Yes, I am proud of what I do and happy with it.
Note from the editor: At maice, we are creating a marketing platform that prepares writers for the future of content marketing. Head on to our website or register here to get first crack at the platform. Follow us on LinkedIn here. Want your story to be featured? Send us an email to ceo@maice.co Interested in writing for our publication? Click here to submit your details and you will be added. We reward good stories too.
