Yesterday we looked at scheduling time to research information, conduct interviews and prep an article in the first part of “Scheduling Time for Your Articles ” today we are going to wrap up this mini-series with a look at writing and editing. Schedule time to write the article. Once your preliminary work is complete it’s time to write. Short articles you may wrap up the initial draft in an hour or so, longer feature articles or more detailed subjects may take you anywhere from a couple hours to a couple of days. You should know your writing style by now [Read more…]
Scheduling Time for Your Articles
May 7, 2009. 3 Comments
How long does it take to write an article? Honestly, a good one takes as long as it needs to take. So how do schedule time for your articles? It’s not enough to plug a due date into your editorial calendar, you need to carefully map out enough time to complete all the elements required. An article’s schedule is not just the time it takes to write an article, it also includes the time it takes to thoroughly research the material, interview sources, pre-plan your layout and edit the piece. Schedule time for research. This first step is key because [Read more…]
Are you thinking about Christmas yet? You should be…
April 28, 2009. 6 Comments
If you are thinking about pitches for magazines you need to be several months ahead of the curve. I know the last thing anyone wants to think about right now is snow, cold weather and roasting chestnuts, but thinking ahead is a great way to get your pitch approved. When everyone else is thinking about decking the halls, editors are looking to spring fashions and top summer vacation spots. Thinking and working on magazine editors’ schedules will help in getting your work to the top of the heap. When thinking ahead, writers need to balance general with specific. Editors take [Read more…]
Finishing Strong – How to wrap up an article
April 23, 2009. 8 Comments
Every writer knows creating a great lead (lede) is key to a great article. It piques an audience’s interest and pulls them in for you to deliver the goods. What some writers fail to realize is a good ending or conclusion is just as important. We’ve all been there – one minute you’re reading a piece, zooming right along and then it just trails off… An article is not a novel, it shouldn’t have a cliffhanger. When writing a newspaper article, there are a few set standards for finishing up a conclusion, such as a final quote. Features have more [Read more…]
How to Lose Control of an Interview
April 7, 2009. 12 Comments
The concept of a media interview is simple. One person asks the questions, the other person answers them. In today’s media, with handlers, PR people and media savvy (and weary) interview subjects, interviews can get a bit more difficult to manage and if you’re not careful it can get away from you. Who’s asking the questions here? If you find yourself talking more than listening – you are in trouble. It’s okay for an interviewee to be interested in your background or publication, but honestly your life story is not that interesting. It’s a distraction to the reason why you’re [Read more…]
The Art of a Yes/No Question in Interviews
April 3, 2009. 7 Comments
Most of the time when you’re interviewing a source you don’t want to ask yes or no questions. Nothing kills a interview faster than a transcript full of ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ and ‘I don’t know’s.’ There are times, however, when a yes/no question is both useful and necessary. The key is the follow up. Often a good interview subject will answer the question and then elaborate on why they feel that way. If they don’t it’s up to you to ask them to give more detail. How you do it is important. For example, say you’re interviewing a politician who has [Read more…]
Writing and Your Moral Code
March 10, 2009. 8 Comments
There are times when a story is so hot you can write article after article, blog after blog and milk it for all it’s worth, but doing it gives you pause. You may wonder if you are feeding the media machine so many complain about, or you may wonder if you’re causing more harm than good, or putting profit over your moral code. I write a parenting blog for Examiner.Com and the hottest story on the parenting scene is a domestic violence incident between two young music stars. The national news, Oprah, The View and other current event shows are [Read more…]
Thank a Writer Today
February 4, 2009. 3 Comments
By Terreece M. Clarke Is there a writer whose blog you follow religiously? Did you read an article recently that you enjoyed and thought was well-written? What about one of your Tweeps (Twitter friends) that consistently keeps you informed or in good spirits? Take the time to send them a thank you. We’ve talked about keeping in touch with editors and clients to maintain a good relationship and visibility, but it isn’t too often that writers are told to thank their fellow champions in type. The benefits are two-fold. While incredibly competitive, writers are a group people, we tend to [Read more…]
8 Things to Do Before Submitting an Article
January 15, 2009. 4 Comments
By Terreece M. Clarke You’ve got it down to a science. Research, interview, write, spell check, submit. Assignments come in, articles go out – but are they everything they could be? Make sure you check these 8 things off your list before you submit: Check all names for correct spelling. Is it Allyson or Allison? Don’t count on the copy editor to catch your mistakes. Spelled write but used wrong. Spell check and even you’re grammar cheque may not pick up on these simple mistakes. Double check direct quotes. Nothing is more embarrassing than an editor calling you because a [Read more…]
New Year, New Freelance Writing Opportunities
January 2, 2009. Leave a Comment
By Terreece M. Clarke Happy New Year FWJ Crew! This is a going to be a great year. Think about what you accomplished last year and now think about which areas you can work to become stronger. Start off this year of your writing career with questions: How’s your source list? When is the last time you checked for new local publications or new publications in your niche? What’s the latest news and events for your industry? Who’s the new it girl or guy in your field and what are they doing that you’re not? Are you a grammar goof? [Read more…]
Press Releases – Where to Find Work
December 29, 2008. 3 Comments
By Terreece M. Clarke A few weeks ago I wrote about the fundamentals of a press release. Among the questions I received the most popular was, of course, “Where do I find clients?” The good news is there are a lot of clients out there. The bad news is, you are going to have to contact most of them to get the work. While there are some companies and organizations that will advertise a need for press release writers through Craigslist.Org & FWJ, many often do not. So which organizations should you approach? Non-profits – Many non-profits, including local branches [Read more…]
Query Challenge – Dear Random Editor:
December 16, 2008. 9 Comments
by Terreece M. Clarke “Dear Editor: This is a fantastic query. It’s a hot topic and perfect for your biggest issue of the year. It’s well-researched and has a fantastic expert on board for an interview. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the time to find out which editor I should send it to. Sure I could have sent a quick email or picked up the phone to be sure that the person on the masthead is still there and in the department, but I decided to go generic. Just any random editor at the publication. So now my query is stuck [Read more…]
Thoughtful Thursday: How's that Working For You?
December 4, 2008. 3 Comments
By Terreece M. Clarke Tuesday in “Date Your Publication” we talked about getting to know the publications you want to query and got some great feedback, specifically from Mary who commented on how frustrating her first year writing was because she hadn’t tailored her queries to specific publications. Once she started however, her success rate climbed. Mary is an excellent example of a great writer stopping to take stock in their career to see where things could be improved. This time of year is a great time to take stock in your career and goals as Deb wrote in her [Read more…]
Happy Turkey Day!
November 27, 2008. Leave a Comment
If you are celebrating Thanksgiving today, I have one tip for you – get off the computer! We love the hits and your loyalty, not to mention your dedication to all things freelance writing, but seriously, go eat some turkey and relax with family or friends. Not everyone has a family to go home to and that’s okay too, why not cuddle up with your pet, a good piece of pie and just reflect on what sends your gratitude meter into overload. I’ll share a secret: I’m grateful for you, our FWJ readers, and not because I’m getting paid to [Read more…]
Writing on a Schedule
November 11, 2008. 14 Comments
By Terreece M. Clarke Sometimes your creativity needs security. It needs to know that you won’t pounce on it after it has a few off days nagging, pleading and begging it to get with the program and the deadline. Sometimes your creativity likes, dare I say, needs a routine. Many writers benefit from a writing schedule. An editorial calendar in combination with a regular writing routine is like giving your creativity a work-out schedule. For instance, my creative bug – which looks much like a ladybug wearing Mickey Mouse ears – knew I would be writing on this topic today [Read more…]
