How I'm Here
I recently offered to tell the story of how I became a copywriter for Creative Careers Week at my friend’s school. I didn’t really know where to start, I wasn’t sure what the middle would be, and I assumed the end would wind up at some point early last year. I set out to write about half a page on how I ended up where I am today, but quickly realised the journey was just that - a journey. Becoming a freelance writer had been brewing for a long time, it just took me a while to throw all caution to the wind and jump. Here’s how it happened…
I have always loved words. I like how they look and how they feel to write. And I’ve always liked writing, ever since I was little. I also can’t remember a time that I didn’t love to read. To this day, when I read a book I become fully transported into the story that the author has created and the outside world truly melts away. It’s been a lifesaver during lockdown.
In school I was one of the naughty kids that always got sent to isolation (lonely detention) for wearing the wrong uniform or acting up in class. I hated being told what to do. Miraculously I still managed to get quite good grades at GCSE. My favourite subjects were English, History, Art and Textiles. I opted for the minimal amount of Maths possible and Applied Science because that’s what all my friends did. If I could go back and listen in class, have more respect for my teachers and actually try and learn, I absolutely would.
During college I wasn’t much better, and frequently skipped class and turned up hungover. I once again studied English Literature and Language (books and words please) and Art. I did a few doss subjects at AS that I don’t remember and came out with below average grades. If I could go back and try harder and pay more attention, I absolutely would, too.
I decided Cornwall was boring and applied to study Fashion Management in London. A combination of bad grades and a mediocre attitude meant I didn’t get in. On a whim, my best friend Olive and I bought plane tickets to Australia and flew half way round the world to live the next year of our lives in the unknown. From here I ended up in Indonesia and the travelling continued. All the while I wrote, keeping journals about my travels.
Back in England, with not much to focus to keep me there, I went off to Central America and hitch hiked from Nicaragua to Mexico with no plans, no money and no knowledge of the language. I picked up a street dog along the way and kept writing. I had never realised I had so much to say! My adventures were up and down and totally indescribable at times but I tried, writing and writing and writing about the people I’d met and the places I’d been and the things I’d seen.
Once again I returned home and wrote a few short stories that I sent to different magazines and publications. Through mutual contacts I got paid for one or two. Other articles were printed without payment but I knew it was worth it for building my portfolio. But mostly I didn’t get published at all. I had no idea how to turn writing into a career and just worked on and off in bars, ice cream vans and surf schools to make money, whilst writing was still just a hobby. I continued travelling, tried a ski season, drove down the west coast of Europe in my tiny car with my street dog, writing all the while, working odd jobs and generally having very little direction. Eventually I decided I was sick of working for minimum wage serving pints to drunk people and got a job doing marketing for my uncle’s industrial factory. I didn’t find the work very stimulating, but it was cool to see how I could utilise my writing and social media knowledge for the marketing purposes of a company. After a few months working here a friend sent me a job application. A role that had come up in the creative agency she worked at. They were looking for a copywriter and account manager.
With very little work experience and not the best grades I didn’t feel hopeful, but I applied, sending over my limited CV and my portfolio of articles that had been published. I was very surprised when I got through to the second stage of the application, and even more surprised when I was selected for an interview. By the second interview the agency had whittled us down to 2 applicants. I turned up clutching the magazines containing my articles with sweaty, nervous hands. Through my sheer passion for writing, a love of Cornwall, the portfolio I’d scraped together and my willingness to learn I got the job over someone who was definitely more qualified.
I learnt everything at the agency. I learnt how to turn writing into copywriting, how to manage clients, how to plan and execute meetings, how to use different programmes and software and how to make money from something that I’d always assumed was just a dreamy hobby. My boss was amazing, the young team who worked there were all incredibly creative and driven and I saw the inner workings of businesses and companies across Cornwall and beyond. The work experience I gained from working at the creative agency was the most valuable thing I have ever had the opportunity to learn from.
When I had been travelling in Portugal 4 years prior I’d lived in a car park in a tent, on the south west coast. Here I met a Dutch guy called Tim who became a really close friend. After about a year of working at the agency I drove back down to Portugal to visit him. We were drinking beers overlooking the surf and talking about life and careers and home and I told him that however much I loved working at the agency, I was desperate to start my own business as a self employed writer. I was finding working 9 til 5 in an office really hard, if not a little soul destroying. Fast forward about 6 months and he’d put me in touch with friends of his who ran a small publishing company in Holland. They were looking for a travel writer to co-write their surf and travel guide called I Love the Seaside, a beautiful coffee table book packed with information about local businesses, surf spots and photography. This huge freelance job was guaranteed to take up most of the year and was the big break I needed.
It was sad to leave the agency but I was very excited for the future of my writing. I quit and used all the skills I’d learnt there to start my own business, Lottie’s Words. Through my work experience I knew how to secure meetings, arrange retainers with new clients, seek out freelance work and score big projects. I offered copywriting for websites and blogs, content writing for articles, social media schedules for businesses and English proofreading for foreign companies. Slowly but surely my business grew and now Lottie’s Words has been established for the past 2 years. Writing for clients pays the bills, and I enjoy meeting the passionate business owners behind companies that I respect and admire. Being freelance can definitely be tough as you have to constantly hustle for clients and work, the industry is extremely competitive and time management is not my forte, but I would never change being self-employed for the security of employment, as I can’t still stand people telling me what to do! I am also in the midst of attempting to write a book about my travels through Central America which is an incredibly rewarding if not exceptionally intimidating task. My dream is to continue with my creative writing as well as copywriting.
If I had to sum up my advice in a nutshell I’d say:
You do not need to go to university, but you need work experience. So if someone offers you a foot in the door, bite their hand off for it.
It really is who you know. I’d never have scored my first big freelance job if I hadn’t started chatting with the random guy in the car park, so be social! Introduce yourself, network, mention what you do, or want to do, to the people you meet who work in similar fields. You never know where opportunities might arise.
Believe in yourself! If people weren’t replying to my articles to tell me they weren’t good enough they just weren’t replying at all. I didn’t stop writing just because no one wanted to publish me.
Do it because you love it. Sometimes I hate copywriting and the words simply won’t come. When this happens I try to write purely for myself instead. I forget about deadlines and social schedules and SEO and I write because I like the way the words sound and look on paper. I find this brings the love back every time.
