Writing is as much about communication as it is about expression. I learned this the lucrative way when I inadvertently got involved in a client’s ongoing project.

I was sitting with a client discussing a brochure when she asked me if I could help her out by handling communication for an ongoing project. The client was organizing a five-day consultation for delegates from across the country and was swamped with correspondence. They needed someone with good communication skills to respond to the various emails and correspondence.

The client was willing to pay for the work yet I was hesitant. It didn’t really sound like a copywriting job. The client also admitted as much, saying it would really be more office correspondence than copywriting. But, the fact remained that they needed someone with good writing skills. Plus, this was a regular client, and a good one at that (the kind that pays on time, appreciates the effort you take, remembers you when they have more work; in short, the kind of client that is hard to come by!). So, I agreed.

As I took care of the project’s communication, I found myself increasingly involved in the event. Soon, I was the pivotal contact point for information. Because I knew the project quite well by then, the client gave me the job of writing the consultation brochure and report. So, now I was making money for my copywriting skills, too.

Incidentally, my client was only one of the 11 organizations involved in the consultation. As the person handling all the communication, I was able to network with all other member organizations. And, because other members had already seen my work (through the brochure, report and emails), I didn’t have to approach them as a newbie. In fact, the project led to a few more similar projects and many other writing assignments.

So, as they say, never judge a book by its cover, nor a writing assignment by the first brief.

Juhi Basoya is an experienced freelance copywriter and an aspiring writer. She has worked with advertising agencies, as well as corporate and social organizations. Her writings have also been published in Journeys, a collection of short writings. She lives in New Delhi, India with her husband and two sons.

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