Guest Blogger: So You Want to Be a Freelance Writer?

Posted by Catherine on | November 15, 2010 | 2 Comments |

Our guest blogger for November, Cat Misener, shares her tips for fiction writers looking to make money writing magazine articles. Read Cat’s first post here. You can also connect with Cat on Twitter or on her blog, Just Write Cat.

So You Want to Be a Freelance Writer?

You’re writing a novel—maybe your first, maybe your fifth—and dreaming of the day an agent will fall in love with your work. And the day an editor at a publishing house will fall even harder for it. The dream continues with throngs of readers swooning over your characters, clamoring for more. It’s too late to get on Oprah, unless she starts a show dedicated to new writers, so in this dream you ‘settle’ for some other talk show.

It’s a good dream. Maybe even a possible one. Meanwhile, you think to yourself, “with all this writing I’m doing, wouldn’t it be nice if some of it actually made some green?” Because while dreams nourish your soul, they don’t necessarily feed the rest of your family.

Now that thought—it’s not a dream. It’s a realistic and doable goal. It’s called freelance writing. And it’s something you should look into. Why not right now?

Getting Started

There are a couple of ways you can approach living the freelance life. One is to dive right in—start thinking of magazines you’d love to write for, then send out your queries. The other approach, albeit less ‘carpe diem,’ is to plan for it. I’m all about planning (seizing anything makes me nervous, it also makes me think of jail), so that is the method I’ll discuss.

If you’re like me, you don’t need an excuse to visit your local library. But if you do, here it is: to check out as many magazines as you’re allowed to. I suggest starting with those you know, and then branching out lest you get overwhelmed with periodicals. Say four to six magazines that focus on one or two topics/audiences (travel, gardening, parenting, etc.).

Yes, you can go to the bookstore and purchase copies, but that is costly. If you subscribe to some magazines, great—go look for at least six months of back issues. A year of back issues would be ideal.

Your goal here is two-fold. One, to study six to twelve issues of each magazine. I’ll discuss what you’re looking for next, but generally—style, audience, needs. Your other purpose is to brainstorm ideas by reading what’s already out there. As you become familiar with specific magazines, you’ll notice that certain topics come up each year (parenting magazines have an article about birthdays; travel magazines feature holiday celebrations at nearby towns, etc.).

It is crucial to change your mindset somewhat as you review issues. If you’re reading an issue in October, realize that the articles were most likely assigned back in April. I mention this because you’ll have no shortage of ideas for seasonal articles as you go about your day, but if you send those out during the actual season it’s too late (or too early).

Check back next week for Cat’s book recommendations and tips on how to get acquainted with your market.

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