So you think you want to be a freelance
writer?
Playtimes
editor-in-chief
Tracey
Starr
offers these tips for getting started.
Get educated:
Make sure you’re trained
to write for the kind of publication(s)
where you’re seeking work. For example,
have you studied feature writing?
Reporting? Interviewing techniques?
Magazines, newspapers and book
publishers all have different style
requirements.
Do your homework:
Before approaching
any publication, make sure you’ve
learned as much about it as possible.
Editors are human, have egos, receive
many unsolicited requests from
candidates, and – like most people
these days, I imagine – have too much
work to do. So, if they’re going to take
the time to consider you, they want
to know that you’ve taken the time to
do your homework. For a magazine or
newspaper, read their current issue,
along with several back issues, and
make sure you understand their topic,
style and audience. Learn as much as
you can. Then, when you approach the
editor, personalise your pitch to show
why, exactly, you’d be a good fit. It will
also show that you have the research
skills to put a good story together later.
Communicate perfectly:
In those first
emails especially, and on any CV,
résumé or attachments, make sure your
writing is perfect. Email is quick and
people make mistakes, yes. And, after
I’ve been working with a writer for some
time, I don’t expect her to craft her
emails as carefully as a feature article.
However, in the earliest communications,
it’s all I can judge you on. So, make sure
there aren’t any typos, word choice
problems, or grammatical errors.
Have samples ready:
I always ask
candidates to send me samples of
their published work. If you don’t have
any samples yet, you’ll have to get
some. Community newsletters, school
newsletters/magazines/websites, church
bulletins – publications like this are often
eager for good, free stories. Start there
to build up your portfolio. Or, if you
have a travel story you’d like to write,
then enter the
Playtimes
travel-writing
competition, which runs from September
to November.
From the editor
you have produced the goal you set for
yourself. It is important to find several
types of output for your writing. Just
concentrating, for instance on travel
writing, is unlikely to keep your bank
balance topped up sufficiently, unless
you are very good, and very lucky.
Marketing your product has to be
approached as a part of the job, as
well. You need to build up a database
of contacts who are going to be useful
to you. Networking is critical.”
Elle, who writes for several
publications, says, “These days, too
many writers will work for free or very
little, and that keeps rates lower than
they should be. It devalues the skill
of writing and reduces it to content-
milling.” She also advises that you
know what you’re getting into when
you make an agreement with an
editor. She says, “Some magazines
want writers to source pictures, which
is more work, and some won’t publish
until months later – this can leave you
hanging on for payment for six months
or more. So evaluate these things
when you make your agreement.”
Whether you’re a stay-at-home
mum looking for a creative outlet, or
trying to pay the bills while you’re
writing a novel, freelance writing
offers flexibility and a chance to build
your skills and your name as a writer.
If you’re willing to really commit to
it, it may even prove to be a way to
make a living. And the best part, in
my opinion, is that you can do it from
home in your pyjamas!
Decemeber 2013
91
