[MV64]

Creating a portfolio is one of the most important steps in becoming an actual, honest-to-goodness freelance writer. Tons of websites are devoted to creating portfolios but in my mind, they always seem to focus on content. Which, of course, is important. But what about the actual act of creating the portfolio?

I am not at all, in the slightest, even remotely, crafty. But I would really love for my portfolio to be professional. Now, I know a lot of people are creating online portfolios, which is great and necessary, but my question is only about creating a physical portfolio.

I've been published in a few magazines now, but I'd like to keep moving up the scale into more professional (read: regular) work. How should I present these published articles in a portfolio?

Should I print them out from something like Microsoft Word? That seems really amateurish. Should I tear out (or scan and print) the actual magazine pages? If so, how many pages should a good sample article be?

Thanks!