Guest Post: Building a Writing Portfolio

Time for a good guest post! Very often, I stumbled across good posts in WordPress and I kept nodding to myself, impressed that the article is so good that I need to share. This post by Dalen Flynn is really awesome and I think you should check it out.

Enjoy!

---

Whether you write novels, novellas, scripts, anything you can think of wanting to write, it’s possible to create a writing portfolio and continue building on it before publishing it in its entirety – or section by section, depending on what suits your fancy.

I had planned to build my own writing portfolio countless times over the years but by the time I was finished one script and outlining the next, my standards changed and I felt as though I was improving as a screenwriter which kept leading to me forgoing the previous script entirely. I never let my portfolio materialise in the past. There’s a lot to consider.

Keeping All Of Your Work

From the exact point in time you decide you want to create a writing portfolio, keep everything you write. Your standards will change as will your feelings towards certain works, but nitpicking before your desired amount will only stall you. Whatever new ideas you have can be jotted into a notebook for future reference. Any story can be replaced later if need be.

Compilation or Universe?

This is by far my favourite part of this process – going through everything that’s been written and asking myself if it should be a compilation of unrelated stories or an interconnected universe.

With the compilation, your finished stories can be published as they are, showing off all the different skills you’ve attained as a writer in many ways, like your first personal ‘best of’ volume at your current quality. The interconnected universe option can always be a tempting one, including easter eggs from a previous story in the collection and crossing characters over for an even more ambitious plot further on.

I recommend consciously thinking about either option because the possibilities truly are endless. Which do you think represents you better?

Don’t Worry About Keeping The Same Theme and/or Genre

It can feel pretty tempting to have several portfolios comprised of identical themes and genres – and if that’s how you feel most comfortable doing this, then go right ahead – but I wanted to mention that you don’t have to box yourself in like that. There’s always going to be feedback that recommends you do this. Little do those people know there’s actually no rules for a writing portfolio, or even writing stories in general, except for the rules you give it all yourself.

Always Do What’s Best For You

This deserved its own title. Disregard “rules”. Of course remember what you’ve been taught or what/how you taught yourself, but how much of it do you actually agree with? If there’s anything you don’t agree with, simply drop it. There’s something out there for everyone. Your work in its purest form will also be something for someone to enjoy taking in as much as you enjoyed creating it.

---

Thirsty for more? Check out his website or look at the other guest posts that I have curated for you:
Guest Post: Job Seeker Poem
Guest Post: 4 Ideal Careers for Fearless Females
Guest Post: BUS CAPTAINS OF SINGAPORE by Annabel Law Productions
Guest Post: Sometimes YOU are a Jerk and you do need to Change! by Kevin Hellriegel

Can’t get enough of MiddleMe? You can find me sharing my thoughts here as well: 
Instagram @kallymiddleme
Twitter  (MiddleMe_net)
FaceBook (MiddleMe.net)
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/kallytay