A friend recently emailed a link to an essay that he had published in Motherwell, an online parenting magazine. The essay was about an old dish and how it got passed down through the family and repurposed over the years. I could write something like that, I thought, but shoot, Motherwell is for parents, and I am not […]
How My Non-Writing Experience Launched My Freelance Career and Led to a Lucrative Niche
/ 2021-05-28If you had told me fifteen years ago that I would someday be writing about heart disease in apes and museum programming for teens – with no background in either one – I would have been skeptical. But that’s where writing for professional and trade organizations has led me, with rewards that include interesting stories, […]
How to Pitch a Magazine or Freelance Gig
/ 2021-05-28Sounds easy enough, but editors will tell you that very few writers pitch well. As a result, the few who do pitch well receive most of the work. That’s how repeat business is created . . . by following the guidelines, writing well, and treating the editor like gold. First, I am a firm believer […]
Accepting Advice
/ 2021-04-02Not long ago, I was in an online chat. A woman had just been offered representation by an agent, and she was over the moon. She was concerned, however, that the agent had asked that parts of the story be rewritten in a different direction. Others in the chat rose up in a banter about […]
Six Rookie Mistakes to Quit Making
/ 2021-03-05If your middle school years were anything like mine, the cafeteria was a dangerous place. Where to sit? What to say? And just when you thought you figured it all out, everything changed. Entering the writing world gave me a déjà vu of walking back into the middle school lunchroom. Even if I knew the […]
Connecting with Clients and Writing Markets
/ 2021-01-08Connections with our clients and writing markets form the cornerstones of a successful freelance business. When people remember YOU ARE THE WRITER, they hire you – but if clients forget your name, other writers get the job. When starting out, I had a small handful of customers. Building and maintaining client relationships has increased my […]
How to Get Two (or More) Assignments Out of One
/ 2020-08-01Building a career as a freelance writer takes more than talent and tenacity. While editors seek superbly written articles and essays, it’s what you do after publication that can make the most impression, leading additional assignments or acceptances. I have a strategy that has worked for me for the past year. These five easy steps […]
When You Have an Editor’s Ear
/ 2020-06-12Editors juggle a lot of balls in finding literary material for publications. They have multiple deadlines for multiple editions and all the administrative nuts and bolts that come with putting a publication together. When finally obtaining the ear of an editor, keep your moment(s) brief, because others just like you are vying for that editor’s […]
Ten Reasons Why Editors Ignore Our Pitches
/ 2020-03-13Tired of brainstorming new ideas and pitching to publications only to hear crickets? Ever wondered why these editors ignore our ideas? Editors are intensely busy people. Their inboxes stay packed with pitches from writers like us. That’s why they select only the cream of the crop and neglect pitches that show the following bad traits. […]