Historical researches depend on different materials as a source of information. The sources may be primary or secondary.

The primary sources of information include the following:

• Documented and undocumented testimonies
  The documented testimonial may be present in public records such as meeting minutes, legal documents, corporate records, diaries, and journals found in the local library, local historical society, university archives, etc.
• Secondary sources of information
  This type of information source can be either written or oral. These include the following: Reported accounts of past events that may be in books, newspapers, journals, biography including other media such as tape recording and film tape.

Steps in historical research writing

There several different but related steps for historical research writing. They include the following;

• Identification of the idea, topic, or the research question

The first step in historical research writing is the identification of the idea. At this stage, the writer brainstorms to find a suitable topic to research. A good reach idea should come from the writer’s areas of interest. The reach topic should clear, researchable, and with enough information. The research writer should also have enough information on the subject.

• Reviewing the background literature

At this stage of historical research, the researcher reviews available background information about the topic. There is already existing information about your case. As a researcher, you should read and compile what already exists about your topic. The stage is crucial to both the reader and the researcher. It enables them to build their foundation of knowledge on the subject selected.

• Refining the research questions and idea

Your research idea may be broad. You need to narrow it down and make it more specific. You can have the statement into three to six objectives depending on your historical research and formulate your specific questions that guide your research.

• Determine the methodology of your historical research

You need to method to follow when carrying out your research. You will need to determine how you will collect information and the number of people you will interview if you will use it as an information source.

• Identification and location of both the primary and secondary source of information

Your historical research may need either primary or secondary or both sources of information. You should explain where and how you will get your information sources and materials.

• Evaluation of the authenticity and accuracy of the data collection

Your materials for the collection of data should give adequate and accurate information. As a historical researcher, you may need to test your data collection materials at this stage to ensure that they can collect enough and precise information from the source. The information should be reliably replicable in case of a repeat study.

• Data analysis and narration and discussion of the findings

After the collection of data, you must carry out an analysis. Compute your data into percentages, mean, mode, among other analytical methods. Study trends and behavior of data variables understudy to make meaningful statements out of your analysis. Summarize your findings in tables and charts for straightforward interpretation.

Conclusion

After getting all the necessary steps you need in carrying out historical research, you can find a topic and write it with ease. Historical research writing is systematic; you must follow each step to be successful in writing.

1. Descriptive articles

Back in the day, product descriptions used to cough off good money, but the internet ran down the cluster to the ground. No single freelancer has praised it as a well-paying type of writing in recent years. It is nowadays not considered well paying, and many companies do not even care about blogs or articles. It is a job for writers who are willing to get paid with the worst of payments.

2. Resume Writing

It is a niche that used to pay well. But since the dawn of free online tools, the market has gone down in drains. Nowadays, there is not much work that pays well from it. Another let down is, customers will only need one in their lifetime to get updated or two if they want to pursue a different career path. If you continue with this niche, you will soon be jobless and will find yourself writing your resume.

3. Review

Writing reviews is dead as a gig. First of all, they never paid well. Imagine this. You are to read a whole book, then write a review about it and get paid $100? That is not far from a scam. Whether you’re writing for a restaurant, movie, or book, you will find that sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Yelp have grabbed that market. The influx of free reviews have degraded the market and have made some markets quit paying people to do the job.

4. Personal essays

The niche has gotten challenged by many waves and tides. For instance, the sites that publish stories for free have impacted the market of personal essays by far. If today you find a market that is willing to pay you $100 for a lengthy script, then you have got a goldmine. Most gigs find authors who have surpassed the market by far. Personal essays are much more like resumes as they are a one-time win. You will have to scratch your head to find good pitches for your essay but still get low pay.

5. Poems and Short stories

Fiction work is now unreliable and does not pay as much as it used to. The poetry market fell off long ago, and even magazines nowadays do not publish them. The market is quite a rocky one, and writers who venture into such waters should be passion-driven. If you are a writer and you want to make a living off this type of writing, then you will only be wasting your time and effort. Most poets have day jobs, and they do the side hustle for fun. Coming up with a website to market the pieces is a good idea, but first, you must get your audience in check before embarking on that long journey.

This article provides tips and information on how to become a successful writer.

How to Become a Writer?

• Volunteering

There are several ways of getting into the writing field. You can begin the art by volunteering as a writer under an expert. Their several things you can do as working as a volunteer to gain word publishing skills. Writers can join a local group for writing .as you volunteer, you can enter any writing competition and create blogs.

• University Training

You can also get the skill through special training at the university. At the university, you will get the writing skills through qualifications like a higher diploma or degree, among other academic levels. You pursue subjects like English literature, creative writing, journalism, professional and creative writing. Other writers enter the career through post-graduate education.

• Applying Directly to The Writing Firm

Writers can make a direct application and start their technical writing at firms such as pharmaceutical, engineering, including other fields relevant to their educational background. An experience in journalism could also give you skills in broadcast and travel writing.

What Do You Need to Be a Good Writer?

To be a good writer, you will need some unique qualities and skis to earn a name in your work. You should be open-minded and ready to take criticism positively. Your portfolio should be visible for employers to have an easy time comparing your ability with what they desire. You need the following skills:

Creative and Selling Ideas

• Excellent skills in research work
• Strong ability to express ideas in a unique style
• Some other essential skills and knowledge you need in writing includes:
• Understanding of English language
• Excellent communication and written skills
• Have determination and persistence
• Be initiative and creative. You should have a strong ability to think and come up with new ways of doing things.
• Be ambitious and have a strong desire to succeed.
• Have an understanding of communication and media production
• Be computer literate

Your Activities as A Writer

Your daily activities may include the following:

1. Selecting the subject according to your interests or as per the direction of the publisher or agent
2. Developing ideas content or plot of what to write
3. Caring out of researches on internet, library or through face to face interviews
4. Developing stories and, blogs, articles, and reviewing manuals
5. Submitting your drafts and publications to the editor
6. Review work after receiving feedback.
7. Uploading of your work on social media, websites or searching for publication opportunities
8. Attending events such as reading, book signing, and discussion of your writings in workshops
9. Managing a workshop for writing

Conclusion

Before beginning your writing career, check to ensure that your skills and knowledge meet the writer’s requirements. Having a technical background in a particular field is desirable. You may also need to attend some training to upgrade your writing skills and improve your written communication skills. Various entry channels into the career may be available in your localities. Try volunteering, applying directly to the writing firms, and attending training to gain the necessary skills and knowledge you need as a writer.

If a client hires your writing skills as a ghostwriter, they will pay you for the work and take full rights. However, ensure that: You take a 50% retainer before you start the work and take the balance at or before you submit the work. If the book becomes a great success, you should be proud of the distance. Successful ghostwriters enjoy their glory in the shadows. However, the speaker does not write his books alone. A particular speaker in the industry commands above $10,000 per speaking. It is dynamite to read his works and phenomenal to listen to his speeches. He contributes to the books and does not write any of them in person or otherwise. His ghostwriter by the name of Shelly writes this wonderful piece of masterpiece. Shelly allows the speaker to earn because she is naturally shy but talented in writing. Shelly once said she needs to be, and the speaker is where she or he should be. To be a ghostwriter, be invisible and receive payments for the job since the payment is enough. Consider the following tips:

• The ghostwriter must meet the real author’s requirements by covering the subject matter they want and do whatever is in your power to make your client happy.
• Like writing any book, ghostwriting goes through many changes and revisions for more than two months, particularly if the book requires the input of a publisher or an editor, continuously make the required changes. Do not wait for the last payment if the client has not received approval from the publisher.
• Make a habit of writing as though it is yours, embedding professionalism and quality in all your writings.
• Avoid signing non-compete contracts on the content of the books. It is funny for a client to ask but also funnier for you to do. Suppose the client asks one to walk out. Remember that you have your work and clients’ work to protect.
• The client demands professionalism and exceptional work from you, and the client you are working for owes you a better remuneration for work well done.
• If the client requests some changes after you have received the payment, be courteous enough, and do the revisions. It is because satisfied clients are repeat clients, and they bring referrals and steady work.
• Consider making use of a pen’s name as a ghostwriter. Many professional ghostwriters make use of a pen name when ghostwriting. That means they wrote and presented ghostwriting using their pen name. The benefits are that if somebody decides to spam, then there is no harm to the name. Secondly, when you write for a client, you have no clue what a client will do with the work. After that, it leaves your hand. The client might add content, which you may not like, or write something that is not in your writing style. Remember this when you write for customers as a ghostwriter. In general, the client hires your writing skills; you end up doing the job while the client will own the work’s full rights once it leaves your hands.