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MayB,
Thanks for the encouragement. As long as I have breath, I'll be plugging away.
posted by
word.smith
on July 20, 2005 at 2:28 PM
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Word.smith, keep at it. I think that part of it is finding an editor with whom you have a rapport. There is no formula. It happens or it doesn't
posted by
Azur
on July 20, 2005 at 2:16 PM
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Way to go, Symphony!
That's a mighty long vacation. I'll come see what you're up to in a minute.
posted by
word.smith
on July 19, 2005 at 1:42 PM
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Great post and excellent comments
I always find this very informative....after the six weeks holidays I am going to try my hand at freelancing....
posted by
_Symphony_
on July 19, 2005 at 11:42 AM
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Joe
No harm done. I've been published a grand total of 7 times (that I know about) and I have something coming up in September. I haven't landed a magazine gig yet. There's this new magazine publisher that can't seem to get their act together. If they do, that'll be another article for me for August. It's much easier to be published in on-line publications, I have found.
posted by
word.smith
on July 18, 2005 at 5:10 PM
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Word. ., I promise I'm not trying to put you on the spot,
but, I have a sincere question. How many times have you been published? Do you only write for magazines?? I'm just curious.
posted by
Joe_Love
on July 18, 2005 at 4:47 PM
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word.smith
Thanks a bunch!
posted by
Bel_
on July 18, 2005 at 10:24 AM
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You could try looking at Women's magazines.
There are those who look for essay type articles, based on personal experiences, rather than how to's articles. Lemme know how it goes. Thanks.
posted by
word.smith
on July 18, 2005 at 9:58 AM
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word.smith
I tend to do personal memoir type stuff...similiar to some of the things I write in my From The Home Front here. Needless to say when they say write what you know this is what I know. Granted here I get a bit more personal and go into things I wouldn't put out in a publication but it's basically my experience, the human side of what is going on in our world today.
Thanks for the advice, I very much appreciate it!
posted by
Bel_
on July 18, 2005 at 9:30 AM
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MIWife,
What kind of stuff do you write, if you don't mind my asking. That column, although it's done gratis, is keeping you in practise. I don't think the query letter is that hard. I find that the 'text book' advice I read on the net helps.
I use what will be the first paragraph of my article, make it a real interesting start and then move into asking to write the article. I would have done a basic outline before - which is maybe 4 points of discussion. I list those as the main points and then say why I think the article would be of interest to their readers. I also include links to my online writing. The format changes based on the publication, but it's pretty much standard.
Maybe you could do a search on what it is you write on and then do a search on related publications eg - parenting magazines or woodworking magazines. The right combination of words brings up lots of stuff - some relevant, some not so relevant. Thanks for reading.
posted by
word.smith
on July 18, 2005 at 9:26 AM
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My biggest problem with freelancing is writing the query itself and finding an appropriate market. The column I write, I don't get paid for doing so and because I wanted it so badly, I accepted that. I call it my labor of love and I wouldn't give it up...but I would like to find a venue that would accept my kind of work.
posted by
Bel_
on July 18, 2005 at 9:12 AM
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great advice!!
thanks:)
posted by
mmm-w
on July 18, 2005 at 8:42 AM
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Mmm-w,
I have only been trying my hand at it for little more than a year and not on a full-time basis, so my experience is very limited. What I did was to read lots of material before I did anything. I did searches on freelancing, submissions, query letters, building a resume, you name it, I read it. There is oodles of free information on the net.
Once I thought I had a clue as to what I was doing, I looked at calls for submissions to writing e-zines and got my first break and moved on from there. The best piece of advice I think I can give is to read voraciously about the particular area in which you are interested. Once you have a grasp of the subject, follow the guidelines for that area, buck up your courage and send out a few submissions.
posted by
word.smith
on July 18, 2005 at 8:38 AM
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very well written...
i admit, i am not a freelancer..... and i never really had an interest, but i blame that on my ignorance in there being much of a market for it..... since coming to blogit i have had an inspired interest in it and yet feel overwhelmed in the knowledge of not knowing how to get started.... any tips???
posted by
mmm-w
on July 18, 2005 at 8:20 AM
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