I'm a strong writer, but I have little actual work to show that. How can I start a portfolio to show potential employers?

Hi Megan! Great question. Most jobs look for good writing skills. Most high schools and colleges have newspapers and offer writing positions to students, even if they're not journalism majors. You may be able to start a column about disability justice and advocacy to show employers that you are knowledgable. Also, sites like Uloop News, Her Campus, and Odyssey let you write for them without being a journalism major. These are great ways to build your portfolio. You may also want to consider starting a blog to show off your knowledge.

Hi Megan! The advice that has already been provided above is outstanding; I'd like to piggy-back off of what they have already said with some advice on developing your writing styles.

I, like you, knew that I wanted to take my writing skills and leverage them as part of wherever my career took me, but did not have interest in pursuing writing as a career. One of the things that I found was very helpful as I developed my skills and my portfolio of writing was to build a network of people to read what I had written and provide me with constructive criticism. I found these people by taking writing workshops, and contacting those that gave solid feedback in them, and I also included peers, colleagues, and trusted friends. I was amazed to find that things I thought made sense when I read it were actually confusing to others when they read it. This helped me to become more mindful and think of things in different ways. Start collecting these people in your life, and maintain a relationship with them. Odds are that you will be able to help them out as well, which helps you create trust and also learn new techniques.

Another piece of advice is to find outlets to force yourself to try out different types of writing. You mentioned wanting to showcase that you have skills, so why not try writing in a variety of styles? Sometimes forcing yourself to try writing something that doesn't necessarily appeal to you will help you in areas you never expected. For instance, in college I took a creative non-fiction workshop, and while I didn't have interest in ever writing creative non-fiction in my "real life," I found that having to construct something creatively helped my writing and hold the interest of others in documents I wrote in my real life. It might be in your interest to research different types of writing, pick one, and then just allow yourself the freedom to try creating a short piece in that style. You never know what you'll find out about yourself, and allowing yourself the freedom to try something new will stretch the skills you already have developed.

Best of luck to you as you move forward with building your portfolio!