The Free Beginner's Guide to Freelance Writing, Part I

Okay. So youve figured out that you would like to write for magazines, newspapers, and e-zines. Unfortunately, so have about eight gazillion other people on this planet. Therefore, you have to stand out from the crowd. You have to sparkle. How do you do this? Simple. It all starts with The Big Idea. The first secret you must learn in this funny business is that you dont actually have to write the whole article to get a job. In fact, only bright green novices attempt to write the whole thing before selling it. What you do need, however, is the IDEA for the great story. You will use this great idea to convince editors to pay you exorbitant amounts of money via a proposal letter (called a query letter. But youll learn about that in a minute).

So, where will you find this Big Idea?



Well, youve heard that wise adage write what you know. Thats a wonderful mantra for finding your jumping-off point. You dont need to stick to what you know for the specific focus of your story, but tap into your already huge vat of knowledge to find the storys basis. This is how you will become an expert. Experts are in demand. People with stories arent. What you have to do is sneak your stories into your areas of expertise. Example: lets say your hobbies and interests include fishing, watching talk shows, and traveling. Good! You are a potential expert in those areas. Jot these things down. Now comes the fun part: brainstorming.

The biggest mistake you can make in pitching your story is being too general. Never, ever send a letter to the editor suggesting an article about fishing. Not even an article about fishing in Florida. This vagueness is not appropriate for short writing. In general, you will be expected to write somewhere between 800 and 2000 words on your topic. You couldnt possibly tell us all about fishing in 2000 words. What you could do, however, is give us a comparison of twelve different lures used to catch sailfish. Or the pros and cons of joining a fishing club. Or even how the moon can tell you if itll be a good fishing day.

So heres your first assignment. Get out your trusty notebook. (If you dont have one, stop reading and get one. Right now.) On the first page, write down a list of any and all topics that interest you. Its okay to be general here. Need some ideas to get you started?

Think through your whole day. Dont neglect anything. What do you do from the moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep? You turn off your alarm clock. (An article about alarm clocks disrupting valuable sleep stages! Or waking up to music versus waking up to that annoying beeping sound. Or the optimal number of times to press the snooze button.) You brush your teeth. (Article: What all those touted ingredientsfluoride, peroxide, baking sodareally do for your teeth.) You take a shower. Maybe with your significant other. Lucky you. (Romantic showers for two.)

Moving on. You go to work. This is the most obvious area of expertise. Lets say youre a secretary. How ergonomic office equipment can save you from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an achy back, and a stiff neck. How to avoid screaming at your boss when hes a total idiot. Five couples (or ex-couples) share their wisdom about dating in the office. Think about what cover story would entice you to pay three dollars for a magazine. You dont have to have the knowledge to actually write the article yet. You just have to know you can get this information later.

Next, you come home. What happens? Do you have kids? Great! A wealth of article ideas. You could write about childcare agencies, potty training, decoding teenage slang, teaching table manners youre getting the idea now, right? Run with it!

Write at least one page of general topics that interest you, then weed out the most interesting ones. Narrow it down to three or four. Then write those three or four topics on top of brand new pages. Now fill up those pages with specific article angles. Just write. Dont edit yourself. Dont judge. Just write whatever pops into your head. If you need motivation, play it like a game of Scattergories. Set a timer for ten minutes. See how many ideas you can jot down before the timer sounds.

Keep in mind that there are markets for almost any conceivable topic. Dont limit yourself to the headlines youd read in Vogue and Good Housekeeping. Between newspapers, consumer magazines, trade magazines, e-zines, tabloids, literary journals, and more, youre bound to find an appropriate publication for your Big Idea.

You want to know more about these markets? Read on!

Researching the Markets

First, youll need a few definitions:

Consumer Magazines: These typically pay the best. These are the types of magazines you might find in a grocery store check-out line, convenience store, in your airplane seat pocket, or your doctors office. Types of consumer mags: mens, womens, special interest, inflight, teens, school/career, travel, health, ethnic/minority, political, entertainment, romance, religious, etc. This is the area most writers try to break into.

Literary Magazines: These dont pay much, if at all. However, what they lack in moolah, they make up for in prestige. If youre looking to jump-start your career as a fiction writer or poet, your best chance at recognition may come in the form of one of these small publications. Often published by colleges and universities, their circulation is usually regional and low. They generally seek scholarly essays, intellectually challenging prose, poetry, and book reviews. Publishers will be impressed if you succeed in placing your work in one of the more prominent journals (Cimarron Review, Ploughshares, and Story, for example).

Trade Journals: Pay varies greatly. Any publication that focuses on a particular occupation/industry falls into this category. This is where your expertise can shine. There are trade journals for almost every line of work, from art dealers to truck drivers. In general, your written eloquence is not as important as your research and timely knowledge for these publications.

E-Zines: Pay varies greatly. Simply put, e-zines are simply magazines on the Internet. The only major difference is that articles for e-zines can usually run longer than print magazines. (No printing costs, so space isnt as important an issue for e-zine editors.) Most e-zines dont pay (except by means of a byline) but this trend is changing. The most popular sites (Lifetimetv.com and Wired, for example) pay quite well. Topics stretch as wide as your imagination.

Now that you know, learn how to contact them!

There are tons of ways to find markets that are open to freelancers. If you were paying attention, you might notice that this very website is looking for writers! Finding places to submit your work is easy if you know where to look.

First, the most important tool in a freelancers toolbox is The Writers Market. Available at any major bookstore, this is an annual compilation of more than 2,000 magazines, 1,000 book publishers, and even specialized markets like greeting cards, script writing, and syndicates.

The next best tools are online. Lucky you! Theyre free. Absolute Markets is a weekly e-zine filled with market guidelines, contest listings, and marketing tips. Freelancing4Money puts out a jam-packed e-zine filled with freelance opportunities. Writer's Digest has a great, searchable database of markets. Writing For Dollars has a biweekly newsletter with market guidelines, and a searchable database on the website. And Writers Weekly lists calls for writers and market guidelines each week.

You can even run a search for freelance writers on any major search engine, and youre likely to come up with tons of listings. Try specifying if possible; add words that fit your needs. (Example: paying markets, romance, teen magazines.)

So, your next assignment is this: go back to your trusty notebook and pick out your very favorite idea. That will now be known as your Big Idea. Pick the markets that best fit your idea. Choose several. Find out if you can get a free or discounted sample copy. (Writers often can, if you specify that you would like to query them in the future.) Request writers guidelines if available. Its considered poor form to query publications that youve never read, or know nothing about. Do your best to read at least one copy of whatever magazine or journal you plan to query. Check your library for copies if you prefer not to go broke researching.

Got it now? You have your idea, and youve found places to submit it? Great! Then you'll need to learn proper protocol for writing and submitting the Killer Query.

The Killer Query

The job of the query letter is to entice an editor to say, Hey! Id be interested in learning more about that. Therefore, you dont want to spill all your secrets and research yet. You want to tease and tantalize. Now that youve got your fabulous Big Idea, your job is to condense (or expand) that idea into two to three paragraphs.

Finally, clips! If youve had anything publishedor even if you havent, but you have a few good writing samples appropriate for this type of marketinclude them. These samples are called clips, and they are used to show the editor that you are an intelligent, insightful, funny, clever, and/or excellent writer. Photocopy your articles straight from the publication. Just 2-3 clips.

When you're sending queries by e-mail, you can paste the text of your clips into the body of the e-mail (never as an attachment!), or you can direct the editor to one or two website URLs where she can view your articles.

Interviews and Profiles

I know, you feel weird about this one, right? Youre uncomfortable calling someone or visiting a business to ask a professional to take precious time out of their day to help you research your article.

Well, buck up, little camper, because most professionals absolutely love to be interviewed. They jump at the chance, for a few reasons. These are the reasons to keep in mind when you feel small and silly for asking:

* It shows you respect their opinion and/or job.
* It gives them opportunities for publicity of their business.
* It gives them the chance to brag to friends that they are quoted in a magazine.
* It gives them something to frame and show clients.
* Finally, someone is recognizing their genius and taking an interest in their work.
* Theyre usually wannabe writers, anyway, and they will be just as happy to pick your brain to find out how you got the job.

Before you approach experts:

Make sure you already have your questions mapped out, at least briefly. What exactly do you need to know from this person? What could this person tell you that no one else can? Avoid yes or no questions. Ask open-ended questions that could lead to lengthy responses chock full of great quotes. Also, have a synopsis of your planned article ready, so you can tell your expert what youre writing and how they can supplement your knowledge.

More to come....