Tag Archives: writing advice

Oct 10 2011

The 4 Pet Peeves of Freelancers (and How to Tackle Them)

The 4 Pet Peeves of Freelancers (and How to Tackle Them) by Brian A. Klems (via www.writersdigest.com)

We freelance writers tend to think of editors as the ones having all the pet peeves, but we also have plenty of things that drive us crazy. We’ve all dealt with editors who neglect to respond to pitches, sources who don’t show for scheduled interviews, markets that take forever to pay—or all of the above, and then some.

Every business, including writing, has its challenges. But these challenges needn’t hurt your productivity or income—if you know how to handle them. Here’s how to beat four of the most common pitfalls of the freelance life.

PET PEEVE NO. 1: THE AWOL EDITOR
You researched the market, came up with a timely, compelling idea and sent a stellar query. Now weeks have passed and you still haven’t heard from the editor. What do you do next—you know, besides check your e-mail every five minutes?

Follow up. If you hear nothing after a reasonable time (say, four to eight weeks), send a brief e-mail that includes your original pitch, and ask if the editor is interested in the idea. Let her know (politely) that if you don’t hear from her in, say, two weeks, you may market the idea elsewhere. That often triggers a response, and shows you’re serious about your business. But if you don’t hear anything, do cut bait and pitch the
idea elsewhere.

PET PEEVE NO. 2: WRITING IN THE DARK
Sometimes an editor will provide you with a detailed assignment. But what happens when you’re not given much direction at all for your story?

“I’m not interested in hearing, ‘Just start researching and writing and I’ll let you know if you’re on track when I see it,’ ” says freelance writer Kathy Sena, who has written for USA Today, Newsweek and Woman’s Day. “Like every writer, I love a concise, clear assignment letter that spells out exactly what is to be covered, the approximate number and type of sources, word count, etc. If an editor doesn’t provide that, it makes me wonder if he really knows what he wants.”

Her solution to a vague assignment? “If we’ve just talked on the phone or had a brief e-mail or two, and there doesn’t seem to be a detailed assignment letter forthcoming, I’ll write a draft assignment letter myself.” Sena then asks the editor to confirm the details so she can get to work. While expediting the process, this also helps avoid another pet peeve—multiple revision requests—by clarifying the editor’s needs ahead of time.

PET PEEVE NO. 3: THE AWOL SOURCE
You found the perfect source for your piece and arranged a telephone interview a few days before your deadline. But when you called at the scheduled time, the source wasn’t there! Several voice mails and
e-mails later, you still haven’t been able to connect. Now what?

The key is to identify multiple source options from the outset, says freelancer Polly Campbell, a blogger for Psychology Today and ImperfectSpirituality.com. “In most cases, during the preliminary research I come up with two or three sources that could be ideal for the piece, and I always contact at least two,” Campbell says. “Then, if one doesn’t work out, you just keep going down your list.”

Another way to keep this problem from putting dents in your deadline is to pursue interviews as soon as you can (and avoid relying on a single method of contact—always obtain or request both an e-mail address and a phone number). In other words, never wait until right before the piece is due. That will give you some breathing room if something takes longer than expected or falls through.

PET PEEVE NO. 4: CLIENTS THAT PAY LATE
You wrote the story and turned it in on time. You answered a few follow-up questions from your editor and submitted backup material for fact checking. Your work is done—so where’s your check? Not getting paid on time (or at all!) ranks high on the freelance pet-peeve list.

“It’s hard enough to manage a variety of publication styles, editorial personalities, invoice requirements and multiple deadlines, but when you have to put on the account collections hat, things really get difficult,” says freelancer Sharon Miller Cindrich, author of A Smart Girl’s Guide to the Internet and other books.

To stay on top of accounts receivable, Cindrich recommends providing every client with a detailed invoice that includes the pay rate, publication date (if known), due date, projected payment due and contact information. Then follow up as often as necessary.

“If I don’t get paid, I send e-mail reminders with the attached invoice to help the publication’s staff save the time of looking for old e-mails or piles of paperwork for the original,” she says. “I might also pop a hard copy in the mail—sometimes it is easier to drive your point home when someone … has it in their hand.”

Sure, you’ll always face some obstacles as a freelancer. But in many cases, planning ahead and following up (whether on a query or invoice) will help you overcome them, meet your deadlines, and, of course, collect your checks.

Sep 26 2011

How Location Writing Worked for One Author

Location, Location, Location!
By Nick Cato

Although I would later read about it in several books on writing, I discovered “location writing” on my own due to several circumstances at the time.

And the time was 1998.

After years of dabbling with short stories, I had finally plotted my first novel. I banged out the first few chapters in front of my computer, and while I still had the drive to finish the book, something wasn’t right. At first I thought maybe this wasn’t meant to be a novel. Maybe another fifteen chapters and I could shop this thing as a novella. No—that wasn’t it. Then finally, after wasting too much time snacking and staring out the window in contemplation, it simply “hit” me.

I needed to go somewhere to write this thing.

Of course, considering this was a zombie novel, the first place I went was a local cemetery. I had a day off from work so I parked on one of the narrow dirt roads between the tombstones with a mead notebook and Papermate pen. I took in my surroundings (and hoped the maintenance staff wouldn’t bother me) and spent the next six hours writing until my hand told me it was time to rest. Then I grabbed a burger and went back for another hour to re-read everything I had written and made some minor changes.

I managed to get close to eight thousand words done that day, and became a bit too giddy, thinking I had discovered the secret to getting work done. On my next visit to the cemetery a week later, I had spent almost as much time as before, only at the end of the day I had written maybe four thousand words; a good output, but not what I had hoped for.

Not discouraged, I decided to write my next section at the area where my next scene was to take place. So I made sure I had a full bottle of Poland Springs and I pulled into an isolated parking spot at my local shopping mall. And wouldn’t you know it? The words flew out of me like I was on fire. Nine thousand words, much of which I kept in the final draft.

During the writing of my novel, I wrote at about a dozen locations, each one giving me a different feel and a new inspiration. Within eight months I had an eighty-four thousand word novel in my hands, and to this day I continue to write on location as often as possible.
While I wouldn’t sell this novel until 2008 (and after close-to twenty thousand words were chopped off of it), location writing has helped me to complete two other novels and over fifty short stories and two novellas, not to mention countless non-fiction pieces.

Location writing also helped me to develop my first-draft system: to this day I still write 85% of my first drafts the old fashioned way (with pen and paper), my second draft coming into play as I transfer the handwriting to computer. While weather and time off from the day job often dictate the amount of location writing one can do, I’ve found it to be a priceless tool in the war to get words out.

If possible, give the Location Writing Method a shot. Find a location similar to the one you’re currently writing about. Don’t worry what others may think as they see you sitting there, jotting or typing away on the laptop; the busier you get the more the world around you fades out. But don’t let it fade out until you’ve FULLY taken in your new writing surroundings. Take your time looking at every nook and cranny, keep the windows open (if you’re in a car as I often am) and make notes of the smells and sounds. Make notes of as many details as you can. There have been times I’ve filled up both sides of a sheet of paper with minor things I eventually added to the background in certain scenes.

If this works for you—and you fail to reproduce the same amount and/or quality of writing upon your second visit to the same place—simply change locations. Or, with your notes handy, try finishing your current section at home while the memories of a particular location are still fresh in mind.

And let me know if it works for you!