Professional Writing

I have started a professional writing short course at the Adelaide College of the Arts which is part of our TAFE (Technical and Further Education) System here in Australia. I am not sure what the equivalent would be overseas. Here in Australia TAFE train apprentices and offer courses in a variety of subjects from Certificate 1 or entry level right through to Advanced Diplomas. To work towards a degree you go to University. 

Well my first assignment has been submitted. The assignment called for an article that was showed ‘skill, ingenuity, professionalism and objectivity’. I also had to write a cover letter to accompany the article.

This is an online beginning freelance journalism course and I am afraid I am not impressed so far. If I knew how to do all that I wouldn’t be doing the course. There were no examples to work from and so I am winging it. It is early days yet though so we shall see how things develop.

Pass or fail? I went into this to learn something. I have already so regardless of passing or failing I am learning. After a quick email to an e-friend who has been published and a bit of work counting in some of my preferred magazines I now know approximately how many words are on a magazine page and the length of feature articles.

I would love to be able to get work as a freelance journalist, as a change of career would be great. I am not getting my hopes up about that. I spent quite a lot of time in the local newsagents and I only found one magazine that takes unsolicited submissions and you have to write to them with an article outline first.

I want to improve my writing skills in my blogs. I can see how I have improved over the years so I am at least getting better there. 

So we shall see how this goes. Hopefully the lecturers will be gentle and I won’t get to the end feeling like I have wasted my time and money. 

Wish me luck.