If you’ve nothing to write about, how can you possibly get any writing experience? That’s tough for someone who wants to write for a living; you know you can do it but you’ve no proof of experience. And how do you improve?

It doesn’t matter if you want to write a novel, an essay, or a blog post; you need practice and you need to get some experience. It would be so easy for me to say to you, “just write every day”, or “just start, put pen to paper and let the words flow”. It isn’t that easy though.

For a start, you need motivation. You need a purpose or you need to have something to write for. Sadly, you aren’t good enough to write for an online magazine or publication yet – at least, that’s what you think. So what do you do?

There are a few ways that you can get that experience under your belt.

Start a Blog

Fiction writer or non-fiction, pick a subject that interests you and start writing. No doubt you’ve read hundreds of blog posts and articles online so you know what a good one should look like. So go for it. Don’t waste time worrying about mistakes, making some money or even making yourself look stupid – just do it.

WordPress.com is a good place to start, as is Weebly, Wix, Squarespace, or Blogger. If you don’t want to start your own blog, consider writing for Medium or another similar online publication; not only will you get some great experience and practice, you can use your best posts as samples when you apply for paid work.

If headlines stump you, use Google to search for headline hacks; there’s plenty of great information to help you write stunning headlines.

Post Comments on Other Blogs

Not only is it great writing practice to comment on public blog posts, but it also provides a way to advertise your own blog site so other people can find it. Most of the time, your URL or blog address can show when you post your comment and if you write a good enough comment, others might head to your blog and subscribe.

It’s also a good way of getting to know other bloggers and letting them get to know who you are.  If you follow one or two blogs for some time, your familiarity with their work will grow and that gives you an opportunity to guest post on their blog later.

You could just state that you liked the blog post and why. Take your time over it; make your comment an exemplary example of top-notch writing – clear, concise, and free of errors. Or you could tell them that the post was helpful but you’d like to add to it and provide your own points – without being judgmental.

Keep things professional; you never know when you might be spotted by someone who is considering hiring you! The last thing you want is for them to see unprofessional, error-ridden waffle!