I’d been thinking about writing this post for next week, but today I was reading through Deb’s job posting for the day and came across an article she linked to: “Driving Rules for Getting to the Point with Your Lede” and thought, “Hmm, that’s a good topic, interesting headline, I wonder who in the network wrote that one…” I clicked the link and realized it was my work. Oops. Self-flattery aside, I realize I have fallen into a pattern of writing, editing, publishing and forgetting my work. When you first become a professional writer, once you get past the “Whoo [Read more…]
Fun Friday: Editing Gone Wrong!
March 19, 2010. 1 Comment
Is there anything more fun than typos that are both hilarious and ones you personally didn’t make? Huffpost has some doozies that I’d like to share with you: Regret the Error is another great sight site that’ll help you get you’re your editorial giggle on, but be careful – get two too cocky and you’re bound to end up on it yourself!
Three Tips for Killer Web Headlines
March 14, 2010. 5 Comments
The other day I wrote “Down with Deb Ng! Headline Writing 101” where I touched on misleading headlines and basic, across the medium rules for writing headlines. The responses are still coming in, many people tuned in to see what dirt I had on Deb and others were ready to jump to her defense – not that she needs it because girlfriend can take care of herself! Anywho, the headline was a success and I got a few emails asking how to write a headline the right way. The parameters change depending on the genre, so today, let’s look at [Read more…]
Follow Article Writing on Facebook
January 24, 2010. 2 Comments
Heads up FWJ crew, Article Writing at Freelance Writing Jobs has a Facebook fan page! Come on over for great post links from FWJ and other great sites, stimulating conversation and an opportunity to ask all your deep, dark article writing questions.
Day 3, 5 Ways to Enhance Your Writing Skills
January 16, 2010. 2 Comments
Day three’s tip is easy – have fun. Even when writers are actively living their dream, they can get bogged down in the everyday activities of being a writer. It is important to remember that while you’re billing clients, scheduling meetings, researching, organizing and working to improve your writing skills you can still have fun and you should, this is a fun job! Too often when writers really start working as writers – getting paid on a regular basis, they have multiple clients, etc., they lose sight of the awesome-ness of being a freelance writer and only focus on the [Read more…]
Brainstorming Technique #2 Freewriting
January 8, 2010. Leave a Comment
Freewriting. It sounds like a cool, pill induced experience, but it is actually a perfectly normal way to get all your ideas on paper without stopping to edit or organize. Freewriting is simply writing without stopping. This technique is actually a great way to start the writing process before you move on to outlines. It allows you to see everything all at once and this often leads to stand-out elements and angles for the article like ledes, quotes and important facts. Another great outcome of freewriting is it is actually freeing! Often writers get bogged down in the process of [Read more…]
Interviewing Sources – Looking the Part
December 29, 2009. 1 Comment
Deb had an interesting post this week: “Appearances Count Even When You Freelance” that had me chuckling and also got me thinking about how writers can shut down their sources simply by walking through the door. Freelancers often brag they get work in their pajamas and while that’s technically true, no one should interview sources in them – at least not in person. When I conduct an in-person interview with a source I pay careful attention to my attire and match my clothing into the message I want to convey. Of course, a writer wants to be viewed as professional, [Read more…]
Brainstorming Techniques #1
December 26, 2009. 1 Comment
*This was supposed to post yesterday! I’m not sure what happened, but enjoy anyway! Hustling is a part of the job description for freelance writers. We move at a quick pace writing emails, responding to editors, microblogging on Twitter, updating Facebook, interviewing sources and writing articles, etc.. which is why you are checking FWJ the day after Christmas! Even while we aren’t in front of the computer, we are still coming up with ideas and brainstorming. Here’s a quick brainstorming trick to play around with as you go in for your second or third round of turkey or ham! Listing [Read more…]
5 Reasons Why Evergreen Articles Rock
December 23, 2009. 2 Comments
It’s not just the Christmas spirit and winter snow that has me excited about evergreens. Granted, I love wrapping a big tree in tinsel, but I really love wrapping my keyboard around an evergreen topic. The term evergreen topic refers to subject matter people are always interested in reading. They are popular search engine requests and usually revolve around the basics of any particular subject, for example, “home office deduction,” “freelance writing,” or “writing a query letter.” Most writers will find themselves assigned one of these pieces and that’s a great thing for several reasons: 5. Popular topic, popular article [Read more…]
Email Interviews vs Phone Interviews Part 2
December 19, 2009. 2 Comments
The other day we talked about the pros and cons of an email interview :”Email Interviews vs Phone Interviews.” Many of the issues that apply to email interviews also apply to phone interviews. The main thing is to consider which interview is going to give you the best outcome for your article. Phone Interview Pros Quick and convenient. Like its electronic counterpart, phone interviews are easy on both parties. All you need is a phone line and an agreed upon call time and you’re set. No need for anyone to dress up or travel. Personality shines through. It can be [Read more…]
Email Interviews vs Phone Interviews
December 18, 2009. 5 Comments
Interviews are an integral part of article writing. An article won’t survive the sniff test if it doesn’t have a few quotes and information provided by an outside source. I’m still a firm believer that the best interview is the face-to-face interview. Sharing the same space with your source, seeing facial expressions, hand gestures, etc. is priceless, but most writers can’t travel around the world to interview sources so phone and emails help get the job done. There is a big difference between the two and writers should be aware of the pros and cons of both when setting up [Read more…]
Driving Rules for Getting to the Point with Your Lede (Lead)
December 2, 2009. 6 Comments
The other night The Wizard of Oz was on and I watched Dorothy and her crew sing about following the yellow brick road. It was a simple instruction, but it dawned on me the yellow brick road was a terribly convoluted roadway, with twists and turns all over place. Who were the city engineers on that project? Sheesh! Some ledes are the same way. They are good enough to hook the reader, but take so long to get to the point readers lose interest and turn the page or hit the back button. Here are a few rules of the [Read more…]
Cheesy Query Pick-Up Lines
November 18, 2009. 8 Comments
I often compare querying a publication to dating or being in a relationship: “Date Your Publication” and what would dating be without cheesy, low class, creepy pick-up lines? “I think we’ve met/Tweeted/are Facebook friends.” “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” Writers really don’t have to press to find a connection with an editor in their query. Unless you’ve had an encounter the editor is going to remember, forget the wind up, just pitch. Some exceptions include: actually meeting them, talking with them and having the door left open for a pitch, regularly interacting via social networking, etc. “Are you looking [Read more…]
Lede This! #2
November 14, 2009. Leave a Comment
Ok, the first Lede (Lead) This!” didn’t go so well as we had no participation. Maybe it was the stunning cuteness of my little lion or the (hopefully) super busy week all our FWJ writers had, whatever the case we are going to try again. I’m a little late getting this up, it’s been a crazy week over here as well. Remember a good Lede (Lead) is what captures your audience’s attention and gets them to read the article. Brush up on your skills and get featured here at FWJ – the number one site for freelance writers! The Rules: [Read more…]
Lede (Lead) This!
November 6, 2009. 4 Comments
I like having fun on Fridays, I always make it an easy day or a day off of work and I thought I’d bring some fun stuff to the FWJ community. Each Friday we are going to do Lede This and on Monday I’ll pick the best lede and talk about why it works. So here’s how it’s going to work: I post a picture, you write your lede in the comment section below, give the type of publication you wrote it for and the subject of the article. No need to write a full article, actually, please don’t write [Read more…]
Don't Say "Google Me."
November 4, 2009. 7 Comments
I hate it. I HATE IT when a writer says “Google me” when submitting for an assignment or worse, when asking for advice on their writing career. I’m serious, I have had a writer or two ask me about furthering their career and to then added “Google me to see my work.” Wow. You couldn’t bother to include a link in your email? Are you that busy? Do you think I’m not busy so I have the time and motivation to go looking for “Jane Smith” throughout the Google-verse? Or do you think it makes you look good that your [Read more…]
5 Things You SHOULD Say to an Editor
October 26, 2009. 9 Comments
Last week I named a few things you shouldn’t say to an editor “5 Things You NEVER Say to an Editor” and the post was pretty darn popular so I figured it was only practical to give a couple of tips on things editor’s love to hear from writers. 5. “I need help.” Writers like to present a tough facade. They want to show they have everything under control and worry that asking their editors for help on a piece will cost them future work. On the contrary, editors love to know a writer will come to them for help [Read more…]
5 Things You Never Say to an Editor
October 21, 2009. 12 Comments
We all joke about crazy editors and their goofball demands. Editors, for the most part, have a good chuckle too because they know some of their peers are pretty nutty. Here at FWJ we often reinforce a writer’s right to push back – professionally – against edits, cheer on as they ask for more work, better pay, etc., however sometimes a writer can take things too far. There are a few things you should never say to an editor, especially if you ever want to work with them again. 5. “You’re just a frustrated writer.” It could be true, it [Read more…]
Cut! How to Shorten Your Web Articles
October 17, 2009. 6 Comments
A recent commenter here at FWJ wrote she was having trouble making the transition to web articles from traditional print. Writing for the web is significantly different as I pointed out in “P.U.! Why that Web Article Stinks.” When people go to the web, they are often in short attention span mode. Most readers hit the headline, skim for the important points and are onto the next piece before you can say, “Whoa!” If you bring your print mentality to the web you’ll find yourself dropped faster than a 486 PC. So how to make the cut? Bullet points and [Read more…]
Article Writing and Your Psychic Friends
October 8, 2009. 4 Comments
Pitching queries for magazines can be a bit like playing fortune teller. You have to be in tune to what the audience will want to read six months from now. In my post “Are you thinking about Christmas yet? You should be…” I talked about the long lead time for magazines, how writers need to use their insider contacts and hunches on trending topics to pitch specifics to mags and how they should look for new angles on evergreen topics. What if you don’t have a talkative insider? To get a future cast, all you really need to do is [Read more…]
Bringing Community Back: FWJ's Giving Away $150!
October 1, 2009. 4 Comments
Once upon a time there was a blog. This blog had several thousand visitors each day. They shared. They chatted. They commiserated. It was all good. Soon some mean people came by and began scaring away the happy chatters. The vibe changed from warm and fuzzy to not so much fun anymore. The owner did her best to build up community, but she was so busy with her projects and her job it wasn’t happening. She put a comment policy into place but the damage was already done. She had a reputation for having a community that liked to bicker. [Read more…]
Responsible Citizen Journalism – Article Writing
September 30, 2009. 10 Comments
Deb had a great post today from the Freelance Writing Jobs mailbox: FWJ Mailbox: What is a Citizen Journalist? tackling what defines a citizen journalist, is there money in the field and the types of citizen journalist gigs available. It got me, a journalist by trade and education, thinking about how writers can engage in responsible citizen journalism through article writing. There is a serious debate going on right now about all things journalism. When it comes to citizen journalists, those in media circles debate the effectiveness and reliability of these writers. In fact, many are simply stuck on whether [Read more…]
5 Ways to Know You’ve Written a Good Article
September 17, 2009. 9 Comments
There are times when you have an article finished and you wonder if you’ve really done the piece justice. Here’s a few things to keep in mind: 5. It has great sources. Great sources include leaders or well known folks in the field, interesting subjects that give a personal perspective to the piece or sources with something new to offer on an evergreen topic. Great sources have been vetted, they provide accurate information and there’s a demand for the information they are offer. 4. There are no holes. All the questions have been answered – the ‘why’s’ and ‘why not’s’ [Read more…]
A Query Question
September 15, 2009. 2 Comments
Do you contact a source prior to submitting the query or do you wait until after you secure the article?
Brainstorming Tips
September 3, 2009. Leave a Comment
How often do you brainstorm writing ideas? Some writers have a constant steam of ideas they get throughout the week and others delve into their creative sauce to come up with ideas as needed. All of us should stop regularly and get our brains working on new article ideas and interesting angles on evergreen* topics. Scheduling a brainstorming session is not only for coming up with new ideas, but to make sure, if you’re a niche writer, that you are staying on topic. It is really easy to find yourself moving away from your niche or particular area of interest [Read more…]
