Masthead Located within the first few pages of a publication, the masthead lists the important information you need – editor names, assistant editors, departments, contributing writers, etc. It is also helpful to find out the email configuration of the company – a not so secret tip on getting your queries to the right person without the SASE. On Speculation When a writer has a fantastic idea and an editor isn’t so sure, they will ask the writer to write the piece on spec or speculation. This means a writer will write the article in its entirety on the hopes that [Read more…]
Article Quickie: Freelance Writing Jargon
M - Z: Mastheads through Writers Guidelines
January 27, 2011. Leave a Comment
Article Clip 911
Protect your career and back-up your work
January 13, 2011. 7 Comments
This is it! This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for – a publication you’ve had your eye on is interested in your work. Perhaps you’ve had a chance meeting with an editor or saw a job post. Now all you need is to send in that one great clip. You know, the one that shows your skill, expertise and spot on interviewing? So you type the title and your name into Google to pull up the piece…It’s gone. Silly you, you never got around to saving that clip or even printing it out. You figured it would always be [Read more…]
What Writers Can Learn from Ted Williams
Regaining your voice after setbacks
January 6, 2011. 5 Comments
If you haven’t heard of Ted Williams by now, you must have been working really hard! Ted Williams was homeless, asking for change by the highway in Columbus, Ohio. He has an incredible voice perfect for voice-overs, radio work, etc. In fact, before addiction took hold, Williams worked in radio. A videographer for the Columbus Dispatch newspaper captured his voice and story, published the piece and it went viral. Soon, calls and job offers began pouring in for the man with the “golden voice.” There’s a lot to be said about the heartwarming story – the power of social media, [Read more…]
For The New Year’s Day Dream Makers
December 31, 2010. 1 Comment
I had planned on taking the rest of the week off. Normally, I post on Tuesday and Thursdays, but Christmas and New Year’s this year I gave myself the Thursday before each holiday off. Then this morning I woke up with a memory: Years ago on New Year’s Day I was sick, had the day off from work and was researching information for the beauty and fashion column I wrote for a friend’s site. It was a fun thing I did on the side, but while researching I came across the term “freelance writer.” I realized there were people out [Read more…]
Closing the Deal on Conclusions
Four ways to find closure
December 7, 2010. 3 Comments
I admit it. I’m a terrible closer. If I spend 20 minutes crafting my lede, you can guarantee I spend 18.5 minutes on the closing. It’s something I work on more often than I want to think about, however, it is better than the alternative – driving your audience off a cliff. When I’m stuck on my wrap-up I try four things to get myself back on track: 1. Revisit the lede. The lede brought your audience into the article and the conclusion will touch back home on the same thought, feeling or person – if an anecdote – that [Read more…]
5 Easy Article Research Tips
Digging deeper into subjects and sources
December 2, 2010. 5 Comments
If you peer into the heart of a great article, you’ll find it being kept alive from lede to conclusion by thorough research. And while access to information is easier, digging through the massive amounts available can be difficult, time consuming and frustrating. Simply tweaking a few already used tools will yield quicker, quality, in-depth information. 1. Google Tweaks A big source of info and debate is how best to use this vast resource. One thing to keep in mind while doing a Google search is the items that are listed first are not necessarily the best on the subject [Read more…]
Objectivity vs Indifference
Staying human while writing articles
October 28, 2010. 1 Comment
I pride myself on being a journalist. I hold fast and true to the Society of Professional Journalist Code of Ethics and use it to guide me through ethical situations. I also cringe and swear (loudly) when other journalists don’t, and I don’t have much tolerance for ‘personalities,’ ‘commentators’ and ‘hosts’ who pretend to be journalists and break all the ethical rules of journalism. I believe in the power of objectivity and letting the story speak for itself. But guess what, I also believe in the power of the human voice telling the story. There is a difference between passionate [Read more…]
Niche or No?
Weighing your writing options
October 28, 2010. 7 Comments
There is one big question freelance writers must tackle regardless of their experience or career length: niche or no? Newbie writers will read article upon article and blog upon blog touting the importance of finding a niche, picking a niche, taking a niche out on a date…Veterans will find themselves bombarded with articles and posts on when it’s time to leave a niche, switch, combine, create a Frankenstein and give a manic laugh… The truth is – you have a choice. Pro Niche: 1. Building a good reputation as a writer is important. Getting steady work is important as well. [Read more…]
Why Your Freelance Writing Pitches Fail
The 5 Ws and 1 H of Writing Pitches that Work
October 13, 2010. 5 Comments
In journalism, writers learn that all news stories should answer the 5 Ws and 1 H: who, when, where, what, why, and how. Did you know you can apply the same questions to your freelance writing pitches to identify the primary reasons why those pitches fail? It’s true! By simply asking yourself the six primary questions every first year journalism student learns, you can fix fundamental problems in your query style and pitch success rate. Why do your query letters fail to generate interest in your pitches? Check out the six basic reasons based on the 5 Ws and 1 [Read more…]
Just a Quick Note
September 23, 2010. 7 Comments
Backspace Agent-Author Seminar Coming in November
Join Writing Workshops with over 20 Literary Agents
September 10, 2010. Leave a Comment
Writing conferences and seminars are a great way to hone your writing skills, run ideas by your peers, and sometimes get in front of seasoned experts who can help you take the next step in your writing career. The upcoming Backspace Agent-Author Seminar that is being held on November 11th and 12th in New York City is one of those conferences. The Backspace Agent-Author Seminar will include panel discussions, small group query letter workshop critiques, and opening pages workshop critiques with over 20 literary agents in attendance (including someone from the literary agency that represents my books, although not my [Read more…]
Side-Note: Making the Most of a Writing Opportunity
When someone asks a question, answer it!
September 9, 2010. 6 Comments
If I asked you a question and you knew the answer would you answer it? What if it meant thousands of people would see your response and have a link to your website? That’s the great thing about FWJ. It gives great opportunities to newbie and seasoned writers. A few days ago I wrote a post about writing on hot topics, a few do’s and don’ts. At the end I posed a question to the FWJ community: I wanted to hear some of your ideas on how to or how not to write about a hot topic. I asked for [Read more…]
That Whole "How to Write Good" Thing
September 7, 2010. 2 Comments
I’ve seen this type of thing in several different places. Back when I was still wondering what the heck the Internet had to offer other than hard-to-follow chat rooms, I found a printed version of it in a souvenir shop and bought it for my English major friend. Some years later, I was forwarding different iterations via email. (Yeah, the Internet was getting a little more relevant at that point.) Now, here I am: a professional blogger, and I’ve found a whole new way to make people read this stuff. By the way, I found this compilation at PlainLanguage.gov. I’m [Read more…]
L.A. Comedy Scripts Screenplay Competition Open for Submissions
Enter L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival Annual Competition
September 3, 2010. Leave a Comment
I’ve published a variety of writing contests over the past month, but today is the first screenwriting competition. It’s a good one, too! Each year, the L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival includes a competition for filmmakers and a competition for screenwriters. Entries are now being accepted for the 2011 competition, which coincides with the April 2011 festival. The early bird deadline is October 2, 2010. Following are details from the L.A. Comedy Shorts website: “Comedy screenwriters from around the world compete for over $10,000 in cash and prizes, including travel, accommodations and two VIP passes to the festival in Los [Read more…]
100 Most Commonly Misspelled Words
How Many Words on the List Give You Problems?
September 2, 2010. 11 Comments
If you follow me on Twitter, then you may have already seen the great list of the 100 most commonly misspelled words that I tweeted yesterday. YourDictionary.com put together the list and it’s filled with words that most people have trouble spelling. I scrolled through the list and found several that often cause me to pause as my fingers fly across the keyboard. Accommodate and embarrass are two such words that always make me second guess myself. The best part about the list on YourDictionary.com is that most of the words include a helpful little clue so you can remember [Read more…]
Freelance Writing Back to School
Time to Get Back to Writing Basics
September 1, 2010. 1 Comment
I wrote a post today over at Performancing.com called Blogging Back to School, and I thought it was a good topic to talk about here on Freelance Writing Jobs, too. With all the kids heading back into the halls of learning at this time of year, many freelancer writers have a bit more time each day to work and catch up on all the things we had to push down on the list of priorities while our kids were home on summer vacation. It’s also a good time to think about writing basics! The English language has taken on a [Read more…]
5 Literary Agent Blogs Aspiring Writers Should Read
Get the Inside Scoop on Query Letters, Manuscripts and Publishing from the Pros
August 31, 2010. 3 Comments
There are a number of interesting and useful blogs written by literary agents that can help aspiring writers learn the process of querying agents, writing and formatting manuscripts, publishing, and more. However, there are five blogs written by agents that are absolute must-reads for any writer that has goals to publish a book through a well-known publisher one day. A few of these blogs helped me immensely as I taught myself how to get a literary agent and publisher for my first book. If you want to get published, start reading the following literary agent blogs today: 1. Nathan Bransford [Read more…]
PEN Center USA Emerging Voices Fellowship Accepting Submissions
Enter to Win a $1,000 Fellowship and 8-Month Mentorship
August 30, 2010. Leave a Comment
Sorry for the late notice on this opportunity, but I just stumbled upon it this morning. If you have poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction ready to go, then you can still make the August 31, 2010 deadline to enter to win a $1,000 fellowship from PEN Center USA and an 8-month mentorship in Los Angeles, California. The entry fee is just $10. Here are the main entry details from the PEN Center USA website: “Emerging Voices is a literary fellowship program that aims to provide new writers, who lack access, with the tools they will need to launch a professional [Read more…]
Call for Submissions and Writing Contests from Creative Nonfiction Journal
Get Published or Win Money from Creative Nonfiction Journal
August 26, 2010. Leave a Comment
Do you write creative nonfiction? Then this post is for you! The Creative Nonfiction Foundation is a private, non-profit organization described on their website as follows: The Creative Nonfiction Foundation pursues educational and publishing initiatives in the genre of literary nonfiction. Its objectives are to provide a venue, the journal Creative Nonfiction, for high quality nonfiction prose (memoir, literary journalism, personal essay); to serve as the singular strongest voice of the genre, defining the ethics and parameters of the field; and to broaden the genre’s impact in the literary arena by providing an array of educational services and publishing activities. [Read more…]
BookRix Drabbles Contest is Open to Writers in All Genres
August 16, 2010. 4 Comments
BookRix is holding a Drabbles contest! Drabbles are short stories of exactly 100 words. Do you think you can do it? Can you fit all the components of a story into just 100 words? It would certainly be fun to try. The contest is open to all genres, and you can follow the link to get all the contest details and submission guidelines. The contest offers monetary prizes: First prize = $600 Second prize = $400 Third prize = $200 Winners are chosen through a two-step voting process, which has already started but it’s not too late to enter: Community [Read more…]
An Old Fashioned Writing Challenge
August 5, 2010. 10 Comments
I’ve got a challenge for you. An old fashioned writing challenge. Write with Pencil and Paper We spend so much time in the digital world, I’m waiting for that scary world portrayed in 1984 where we just think and the computers hear us. (No more carpal tunnel?) I think our brains can use a good refreshing with some non-digital time. I know the Sundays where I stay in bed and do nothing but read and write in my journal is remarkably energizing for my creative energy and productivity. Many of you will be familiar with Julia Cameron’s morning pages – [Read more…]
Poetry Contest with $500 Prize and Manuscript Publication
August 5, 2010. Leave a Comment
The Melissa Lanitis Gregory Poetry Prize offers a $500 prize, publication of the winning poetry manuscript, ten copies of that published manuscript, and a reading at Lake Tahoe. The entry fee is $20 and the deadline to enter is August 31, 2010. Following are the guidelines from the Bona Fide Books website: Submit a previously unpublished, full-length poetry manuscript of between 48 and 100 pages. Include two cover pages: one with the title of the manuscript only, the other with title of manuscript, name, address, telephone number, and email address. Include a table of contents and, if applicable, an acknowledgments [Read more…]
Family Circle Magazine Short Story Fiction Writing Contest Deadline Approaching
July 30, 2010. 3 Comments
If you’re an aspiring short story writer or fiction writer of any kind, then you might be interested in the 2010 Family Circle Fiction Contest. The submission deadline is September 8, 2010, so you have just over a month to polish your 2,500 word or less original short story! There is no entry fee. The winner gets money and a prize packages from MediaBistro.com, including: $750.00 A gift certificate to 1 course of your choice from MediaBistro.com A 1-year MediaBistro.com AvantGuild membership A 1-one year MediaBistro.com On Demand Videos membership You can submit up to 2 stories, but to enter [Read more…]
Weird
July 28, 2010. Leave a Comment
