Working writers can’t always wait to be inspired. Deadlines aren’t that patient. But if you let it, lightening can strike. You could be anywhere: a steamy shower, a long walk, falling asleep, in the middle of the night. And wham, there it is, the lead you’ve been searching for. The perfect structure for that feature […]
8 things freelancers absolutely, positively need to do before going on vacation
I leave for a much needed week’s vacation in four days. It’s easy to tell I’m wrapping up business before a getaway because (a) I’m writing like a mad person to make a deadline, (b) the office, house and car are disaster areas as I focus on getting work done before I leave, and (c) […]
Around the Web: the changing newsroom, young reporters, Twitter
Where are newspapers headed? It’s hard to say given the varying tone of reporting on the newspaper industry and fate of newspaper reporters. On one hand, Journalism.org’s The Changing Newsroom study describes today’s newspapers as being run by smaller, younger, more tech-savvy staff. But Mark Glaser, writing in his MediaShift column at PBS.org, says papers […]
Freelancers need to pursue grants, scholarships, fellowships
Flipping through the latest issue of the Columbia Journalism Review, I saw an ad for the annual Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health. Six of the nine journalists and documentary filmmakers who received this year’s awards were freelancers or independent film producers. That in and of itself is cause to stand up and cheer. It underscores […]
Social network overload and why I don't do Twitter
I’m on LinkedIn. I joined Facebook a while back, and Del.icio.us and Technorati. I’m on my favorite message board for freelancers at least a dozen times a day. But I can’t do Twitter. At least not yet. There’s only so many hours one person can devote to online social networks, and only so many social […]
Debate continues over outsourcing copyediting to India
As U.S. newspapers scramble to cut costs in the face of falling advertising, a handful have announced plans to outsource copyediting and page layout to editorial services firms in India. This has sparked a tremendous debate within the newspaper business. While one side argues that there’s no way something as connected to local language, geography, […]