Celebrity guest editing - who needs skillz?

When someone is named Editor at a newspaper or magazine, they've worked hard to prove their mettle. Often that person has worked at the same (or a rival) publication as a reporter, climbing the ranks perhaps to columnist or associate editor, proving competence in writing, copy-editing and making decisions concerning what's newsworthy. For the hard-working journalist, there are few shortcuts – save perhaps receiving a patronage editorship or starting one's own publication and appointing oneself top dog.

Except wait! I'm wrong. There is another route, one that sadly never occurred to me as I slowly built my journalism career over the past 20 years. If you achieve celebrity in another genre, say acting or music, you can satellite in and be named editor with no training, bypassing the tedious years of building by-lines, pitching and proving yourself in story meetings.

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Penny for your thoughts on writing

Last week I met with a grade three class to talk about the joy of writing when a boy surprised me by saying: "I don't care about writing because my dad told me writers don't make any money." I suppressed the urge to reply, "True that," and instead talked about writing for pleasure. It satisfies my curiosity, I explained, to learn new things. And I get to meet interesting people. When I'm lucky, I work hard and do a really good job, I said, I earn a decent living. My message was that it's not easy but it's rewarding. I chose my words carefully. There's nothing cool about lying to children.

As I see it, it's more important to give people the straight goods and let them decide for themselves if want to try to survive on a freelance writer's salary, whether that income comes from writing nonfiction (as mine does) or fiction. It's a lot of pressure if you need to support yourself on this income, and a huge amount of pressure if you need to support others on a writer's salary. But that's not to say it can't be done. A defeatist attitude does not serve any writer well. If you don't think you deserve to be paid decently, and don't demand fair pay, you won't receive it.

I decided to brainstorm some ways self-employed writers can stay above the poverty line and here are some of the ways I've managed. If you have other ideas, please leave a comment so this list can grow. I'm offering the proverbial penny for your thoughts. That I can afford.

1. Be professional. Good, even great writers don't get work if they lack professionalism. Honour your commitments. Meet your deadlines. Write to the word count you were assigned. Return phone calls and emails. Send follow-up notes to sources thanking them for their time and insights. Basically, have manners and use common sense.

2. Know your craft. Write well. This doesn't mean be a show-off. It's more important to be clear, concise and (hopefully) engaging. Find the best sources. Read voraciously. Practice. Don't file your first draft. Rewrite until it's publishable. Read your work aloud to hear how it sounds. Commit to lifelong learning and take the occasional workshop or course. Don't ever be sloppy. Misspellings and typos are inexcusable.

3. Network. Cultivate relationships with editors who pay decently and on time and with writers whom you respect. Social media has opened up a whole new world of on-line networking. You can promote yourself on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and these sites are fantastic forums for bouncing around ideas and engaging in conversations with like-minded professionals and audiences.

4. Specialize and generalize. In most newsrooms writers are assigned a "beat" and develop a network of contacts and an expertise in that subject area. As a freelancer, you have the power to choose your own beat so pick something you find particularly interesting (e.g., music, human rights, feminism, sports, etc.) and immerse yourself in it. Figure out what the writing markets are for that beat and start pitching stories. If you're passionate, that will be apparent and you'll do a great job because you care. You may even land a regular contract as a correspondent or columnist. At the same time, stay open to writing articles in other subject areas and don't be afraid to tackle something new. If you're willing to admit you don't much about a topic but you're willing to ask questions and learn, you'll be fine.

5. Diversify. Depending upon your interests and skill set, consider editing, consulting or teaching. As an editor, you'll still be working with words and may find your own writing improves when you start dissecting other peoples' writing. Consulting or business writing is one of the most lucrative forms of writing so don't be afraid to offer "words for hire." And teaching both children and adults has been a wonderful sideline for me. Not only are keen learners inspirational, they force you to articulate your thoughts and heed your own advice.

This is merely a brief introduction to this subject. There's much more that can and should be said on this subject. I'd love to hear from writers who've received grants or stipends, or have other entrepreneurial ideas to share. Yes, writers struggle but rejecting the notion that to be a writer you must necessarily be poor is a first step toward changing that.



Don't let the homophones get you down

Many lament the deterioration of the English language. I cringe every time I hear: "You're still in the running towards becoming America's next top model." I know, I shouldn't watch crappy t.v. expecting to get anything but crap, but that show has 12 writers listed in the credits – and it's largely unscripted!

Elsewhere it seems that our demands for instant replies and the lightning-paced technology we use breeds rushing and therefore sloppiness. Also big people typing on tiny gadgets make mistakes they just don't bother correcting before hitting send.

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Netiquette: a few DOs and DON’Ts for writers and editors

As etiquette is a code of behaviour that describes expectations for social interaction in face-to-face life, netiquette is a code of behaviour that describes expectations for social interaction in on-line communication. Netiquette sounds like another of those mashed-up, made-up words, because it is, but it’s nonetheless a real phenomenon that deserves  consideration, especially in the writer/editor community where deadlines can force the best among us to rush, often at the expense of good manners.

Netiquette rules aren’t definitive, and how we use the Internet to communicate is evolving too fast to address all the permutations. Given these limitations, I’ll focus only on things I’ve encountered repeatedly or recently regarding blogs, email, Facebook and Twitter. I invite you to add to the list

Blogs

DO let the writer know if you read a blog and enjoy or learn something from it.

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For the love of writing

"I hate writing. I love having written." Dorothy Parker

Were two more perfect sentences ever strung together? This quote captures how I often feel, particularly on days when I'm writing fiction. Creative writing has to be one of the most frustrating and tortuous processes. But when you've met your writing goal—whether it be 1,500 words, a chapter, a short story—and you find yourself actually pleased with what you've written, it's also one of the most satisfying. I suppose it's that which keeps me going when logic otherwise tells me to stop.

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