Is it just me, or does it seem like there’s a uptick in the stories and blog posts on the evolution of the news business and the role independents – writers and others – are playing in it? The sputtering economy is speeding up the pace of change. Here are some developments of interest from […]
Stalking the reluctant source – 10 secrets to getting anybody to talk
You had the idea, wrote the query, got the assignment, negotiated the contract, worked out a deadline and did the research. Now all that’s left is interviewing the source. What’s that, the source won’t answer your email or phone calls? Don’t they realize what you’ve had to do to get this far? Unfortunately, just because […]
If you're upgrading your writing career, j-school isn't the answer
Twice in the last week I’ve encountered writers or bloggers who’ve run into a bad patch in their careers and are wondering if it makes sense to go back to school and get a master’s degree in journalism. Bottom line: you don’t need a degree to get work as a writer. Even if you have […]
I love editors who…
* Leave a job and contact you from the next one – with assignments and higher per-word rate. * Tell you they’re reining in freelance budgets due to the economy but are keeping you on their freelance short list. * Reward one fast-turnaround assignment with two more – in as many weeks. * Freelance for […]
Sex sells, and other blogging lessons learned
Made you look. In the blogging world, a catchy title will make people click through to read your post. That’s just one lesson I learned since starting this blog a year ago. I still consider myself an advanced beginner, but I’ve picked up enough over the past 12 months to want to share. Here’s what […]
My freelance writing resolutions for 2009
I am behind. I am still working on a story that I wanted to get done by Dec. 31 so I could bill for it during 2008. I am writing this blog post at 8:50 a.m. when I’d originally intended to pre-write and post it by 5 a.m. The Christmas trees (yes, plural, we go […]