Throughout this site you’ll see these words printed over and over again: start your own blog. I can’t stress enough how important this is for honing your writing instincts and building a strong base of clips to show your editors. It’s also a way to test the waters before you set out to make video game journalism your career. If you can keep a blog updated with at least five interesting posts a week over the course of several months, then you can think about stepping into the professional realm. Until then, make your mistakes in relative privacy.

The easiest way to get your name on the ‘net is to settle down on a free blogging service. Blogspot is by far the most common, as is WordPress.com. If you’re serious about making a commitment, I recommend scoring your own domain along with a low-end hosting plan. Not only does this give you room to grow (allowing you to host your resume, for example), but it’s a slight monetary commitment which often chases away the laziness. If you invest cash, you might feel obligated to work more often. The host I’ve stuck with for almost three years is Dreamhost, and I love them to death. Use the coupon code 40OFFDOMAIN to get a free domain and $40 off any plan.

After you have your blog, it’s up to you what you write. Blog about games you’re playing, games you want to play, your reaction to news, etc. Anything and everything you’re interested in, write something about it. The main advantage of having your own weblog is having this freedom. When you’re doing this for a living, you don’t always get to choose your topics.

Grab your corner of the web and start typing. Be creative, be whimsical, be interesting and most importantly, have fun. You never know, your personal blog may grow into your full time job one day.