Hubby came home from shopping and showed me a glossy magazine. “Do you still write for magazines

like this?”

I said I did, if the idea popped into my head and the publication seemed worthy. I looked at the magazine. Hook & Barrel, The Lifestyle Magazine for Modern Outdoorsmen, was pretty slick.

One might wonder how in the world I could write for such a publication? Hunting, country music, wild game recipes, Christmas gift guide for gear, cigars and beverage pairings, ammo and guns. How did I fit into that niche? Yes, I’ve told the freelancers I’ve taught that you should develop a niche. However, you also should be able to envision how to write for any publication.

I instantly thought of the following:

1) Interviews. In any of the above topics, you have people with expertise. Landing an interview with an expert in any of the topics in the publication, could land a positive nod from the editor.

2) Talk to the store where the magazine was purchased. In this case it happened to be Palmetto Armory, a major gun range in SC. Do they know of someone special who lives local who might make for a good interview. Or what topics could the store see put in the magazine, especially if it involved them, their business, their niche, their customers.

3) Same goes for the other topics. I could go to a major alcohol distribution nearby and ask them for topics (in exchange for an interview or mention). I could talk to businesses of any of these topics and ask how they became successful.

4) Lists. I could come up with a Top Ten list of subjects that touch upon these topics. All I would have to do is go to experts and ask for their top ten, then mold all the answers into a list of my own.

In that ten minutes, I had the itch to jump back into freelancing, and a half dozen topic ideas. An active freelancer learns to see any publication and come up with subjects. Do it enough times, and it becomes as natural as breathing.