If you have a portfolio of short work such as short stories, personal essays, or poetry, Professor and author Donna Arthur Downs recommends trying to get this work published. It can sometimes be easier to find publishing opportunities for short work than full-length books, she says. Downs herself took a freelance writing class where she had to learn to search for these types of opportunities through platforms such as DuoTrope, Submittable, and Google. Before searching for opportunities, Downs says it's important to understand who the audience is for the work in question. In other words, who will want to read what you have to say? To find a readership, Downs recommends focusing on "evergreen" themes that are always appealing to readers — things that tug on the heart and emotional things that will connect with readers. This approach will allow you to write in the most compelling way possible, increasing your chances of getting published.