I bet right about now you’re saying, How dare you?! Of course I can read, I’m a writer for crying out loud! (Don’t worry, I’ll address the issue of exclamation points and their place in hackism in a later post because, believe me, it is an issue.) But I’m talking about a different way of reading. You need to read from the standpoint of a professional writer. Look at both past issues as well as the latest copy of your targeted magazine or newspaper and see it as a road map. Because it is a road map, leading you to where you want to ...
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At Helium you can utilize your writing skills to earn money. There are a variety of way you can earn: Pick a title (there are hundreds to choose from) and write an article according to the guidelines given. You earn a share of the advertising according to how many times your article is viewed. You can choose a title from the Helium Marketplace and write an article according to the guidelines given. This is your opportunity to become a freelance writer and have your article published as the titles provided are from a range of publications looking for specific articles. Payments for these are ...
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Too many freelance writers make the excuse for their lack of journalistic skill by hiding behind what I’ve come to call The Gonzo Defense. The Gonzo Defense is when a writer turns in an article that says, basically, nothing. It contains no real information, no interviews or quotes, and has made-up names for people and even events the writer was too lazy to research. When called on the carpet about such hackism, the writer will inevitably say, “It’s my style, it’s the way I write! I’m like Hunter Thompson! It’s Gonzo journalism !” Gonzo journalism, for those of you lucky enough to have no ...
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Peggy Orenstein is a writer of numerous books and articles too many to count. She has also had film work including producing, narrating and consulting. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 35 and had a lumpectomy. She's got a great piece in today's Magazine section of the New York Times about how much we are really able to protect our children. It's a good read as are many of her other works that talk about her life.
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“There is Style and there is style.” from The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage To be published, you don’t have to be a great writer. You don’t even have to be particularly good . But if you can make life easier for an editor, if an editor doesn’t have to go in and “fix” your story to make it work for his or her publication, they’re going to like you. A lot. Part of making life easier for an editor is to make sure you, as a contributor, know the writing style of the publication. What I mean by style has ...
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