Another Wednesday and my research continues for my career aspirations. This week, my assignment was to look for portfolios created by people in the same field I aspire to be in. First before conducting my search, I again consulted Claude about the assignment. I began by asking questions about what a portfolio was. This was its reply:

From here, I wanted to know if portfolios looked the same for freelance writers compared to published authors. I thought this was important as when first beginning my career, I would more than likely be dabbling in a multitude of writing projects that provide me with more experience than my official creative works. So, after discussing this with Claude, this was his response: 

Portfolios for aspiring writers:

Portfolios for published authors:

As shown, while there were some similarities, there were differences such as the portfolio for aspiring writers focusing on including a variety of works and showcasing your skills and past work experience. I think asking these questions was great as I could see what type of portfolio I should create as I find my footing in the industry and how it will possibly evolve as I become more established. I was also able to learn of new opportunities that can help with my portfolio such as National November Writing Month. A holiday I previously had no knowledge of, but after a brief search, I learned it is an event hosted by a non-profit that challenges writers intending to complete a 50,000-word novel by the end of the month. They support writers through this process and have hosted authors drafting novels that I myself had previously read or plan to read. These include Marissa Meyer’s Cinder, Elizabeth Acevedo’s With the Fire on High, L. L. McKinney’s A Blade So Black, and a few more. It is an event that I would definitely be eager to participate in the future and showcase in my portfolio.

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After an engaging discussion with Claude, I started looking for writers whose portfolios stood out to me. I decided to go about this by doing a search through Google, as well as going to the websites of authors whose works I have previously read.

• https://www.akwaeke.com/
  • The first portfolio was by writer Akwaeke Emezi. An artist whose works focus on embodiment, ritual, and rememory; her portfolio first caught my eye because of her distinctive pictures featured when first going to her website. These pictures include her on the cover of TIME magazine as well as stills captured personally by her. As I was already compelled by this eye-catching introduction, it then led me to explore her page where I found her books with art equally captivating. I left her website wanting to look more into her work and I definitely plan to.
• https://jenniferhillierbooks.com/
  • Next was Jennifer Hiller, an author who I very recently found out about through her novel “Things We Do in The Dark”. When going to her website I immediately noticed that it matched the vibe that her overall works seem to convey. Matching the suspenseful tone of her books, it led me to look into her other stories. Her website also included features such as documents for each of her books with questions that she felt would be great for readers in book clubs. I personally loved this feature as I think as the writer of her stories, nobody knows her characters better than her. So naturally, she would be able to create great questions that have her readers truly analyzing already riveting novels.
• https://www.eliserpeterson.com/
  • Elise Peterson was the next writer whose portfolio I enjoyed. The first thing that stood out to me on her website was the handwritten signature in the top left corner of her page. It was something simple but brought a lot to the otherwise basic background information that is on her home page. Elise’s page provided something new that I had yet to see on any other writers’ pages. Not only was she a writer but her portfolio consisted of visual works, selected writing clips, and the standout: her Cool Moms podcast, founded in 2018. Each thing featured was connected in a way that added great depth to her work and sparked my curiosity to look into who she is as an artist.
• https://dorkdiaries.com/
  • Lastly, I revisited a portfolio that was probably the first author portfolio I had ever seen. Even if I had not known it at the time. Rachel Renee Russell was an author who shaped my childhood. Other than R.L. Stine, she was responsible for creating my love for reading, and seeing as I am interested in writing children’s novels, I wanted to revisit her page. As a children’s author, her portfolio was very engaging and stood out perfectly for her targeted audience. She not only included both reading and audio snippets of her works, but she also interactive features such as games, quizzes, and music. All related to her bestselling book series “Dork Diaries”. It was distinctive in a way that was very fitting for the genre she focuses on and provided a new perspective on how author’s portfolios can look.