Land and deliver a paid creative writing engagement — essay, fiction, or content — with invoice paid.
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Research Paying Publications and Build Portfolio Clips
2–4 weeks (2 hrs/day)
Research at least ten publications or platforms that pay writers in your target genre. For each, document the payment rate, submission guidelines, audience, and what a successful pitch looks like. If you have fewer than three published clips, publish three pieces now — on a personal blog, Substack, or equivalent — to serve as portfolio evidence.
Proof required
Submit: a research document listing ten or more paying publications with their rate, submission guidelines, audience description, and one example of a published piece; and three published clips (links) that you would include in a pitch as portfolio evidence.
What gets checked
Ten publications are researched with actual documented payment rates — not 'pays writers' with no specifics
Submission guidelines are documented for each: word count, pitch format, response time
Three clips are published and accessible — not draft documents or unpublished samples
Resources
Foundation: start here · Depth: go deeper · Mastery: for the dedicated
Foundation
Substack
Who Pays Writers
Depth
Seth Godin's Blog
Pitch Ten Editors and Secure a Commission
Deliver, Publish, and Collect Payment
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