The Creative Way (to be a freelance writer) in 2026

There has never been a better time to set up as a freelance writer. We can work from home, in the hours we choose, and we have all the right technology in place to help us to earn a good living from it.

In this online course, I'm going to teach you how to:

• Write creatively on Instagram.
• Launch on Substack, where you can earn a monthly income.
• Pitch to write first-person pieces for newspapers/magazines (I've written for all the publications pictured below).
• Create a proposal for a non-fiction book deal.
• Get into ghostwriting.

In the last tax year, doing all the above, I earned a high five-figure salary as a writer. Now, I want to help you to work towards something similar.

I will share generously, because I want you to succeed. I love working with women writers, connecting and giving others a leg up. The more of us there are earning a decent living from writing, the better.

You'll have access to:

• Online courses that will help you to shift your approach on Instagram, launch/grow on Substack, build an online community.
• Pitches that secured me commissions with national newspapers and magazines.
• The non-fiction book proposals that led to three book deals.
• The ghostwriting CV that secured me two ghostwriting jobs in the past year.
• Plus, a bumper creative workbook that you can print off and work through alongside the course materials.

And I'm always happy to share contacts, if I think they'll help you with your writing career.

The details

• When does it start? As soon as you're ready.
• You'll have access to all the online materials from the start and you can work at your own pace.
• I'd recommend focusing on one module per week.
• I will email you once a week to keep you focused and on track (though, you can opt out of this).
• I'll be available for all your questions for four weeks from the start of the course.
• You can continue to access the course for one year (and longer, if you send me an email asking to extend).
• Included in this price is all the course materials to get you set up as a freelancer writer with multiple income streams.
• If you'd like me to edit your non-fiction book proposal, there's an additional charge.

Testimonials

"This is the second course I have enrolled in with Annie. Really really loving it! I feel so much more confident in embracing my writing! It's fab." - Alice Bramhill

"I've really loved learning from you. Your teaching style has meant that I have been able to already take positive steps towards my career goals without feeling overwhelmed. It's been effortless so far. So thank you! "- Angee Chaudhry

"I’ve sailed through a few parts of the creative course, thank you! So much help and guidance AND encouragement." - Philippa Kay

About me

I'm Annie Ridout.

I’ve been a freelance journalist for over 15 years, writing for the Guardian, the Observer, Forbes, Grazia, Red Magazine, Stylist, Metro, the Telegraph, the Independent, the Evening Standard, Refinery29, You Magazine, Women's Health, iNews and more.

And I've been interviewed on BBC Woman's Hour, on a panel at Stylist Live, on the Sunday Times Style Secrets of the Side Hustle podcast, on Gaby Roslin's BBC Radio London show, The Jeremy Vine Show and for the Independent.

I’m also the author of three non-fiction books: Raise your SQ (Radar, 2023), Shy (Fourth Estate 2021), The Freelance Mum (Fourth Estate 2019). Plus, I’m a Sunday Times-bestselling ghostwriter for celebrities and I write poetry that goes viral on Instagram.

So writing is my thing.

But alongside writing, I’ve launched digital magazines and businesses that have boomed. Reaching 100,000 views a month; bringing in six figures a year. So I ‘get’ the online writing and business world and love sharing what I know.

On Substack, I'm a bestselling writer with 10,000+ subscribers, 500 of whom pay a monthly subscription to access my essays.

I was delighted to be named as one of Substack’s ‘Featured Publications’ and to rank in the global top 30 in 'Philosophy'. You can read more about what I share on Substack here.

Poetry

Two of my poems have gone viral - 'I've just had a baby' and 'what I want', after being shared by thousands of women around the world, including Paloma Faith and Busy Philipps.

I turned them into prints and books, which sold globally - across Europe, the US, Australia, Canada. And I continue to share poetry and poetic prose on Instagram @annieridout.