FFREELANCE REELANCE

WWRITINGRITINGTTricks and ricks and TTipsips

Freelance Freelance Organization of Organization of

Letters and ScholarsLetters and Scholars

SSharpen harpen YYour our PRPR SSkillskills

•EEvery PR professional needs to write very PR professional needs to write anywayanyway

•FFreelance writing forces you to reelance writing forces you to become a quick expertbecome a quick expert

•AAnd who knows? You may just like itnd who knows? You may just like it

• IIt’s an extremely flexible profession – t’s an extremely flexible profession – Make of it what you willMake of it what you will

AAre re YYou a ou a WWriter?riter?

•YYou only do it if you ou only do it if you Can’t Not Do ItCan’t Not Do It

•TThe only proper use of the double he only proper use of the double negativenegative

•WWriters are a stubborn bunchriters are a stubborn bunch

•EExamples of writers who worked for xamples of writers who worked for years until they hityears until they hit

JJohn ohn GGrishamrisham

The Lord of the Flies

Norman Mailer

Zen and the Art of

Motorcycle Maintenance

OOutlets for utlets for FFrustrationrustration

•MMagazine Writingagazine Writing

•TTravel Writingravel Writing

• NNovelsovels

• CChildren’s Bookshildren’s Books

• NNonfictiononfiction

• SScriptwritingcriptwriting

• FFood Writingood Writing

MMagazine agazine WWritingriting

•TThere are so many magazines out therehere are so many magazines out there

•SSome of them pay particularly wellome of them pay particularly well

•TTypes of articlesypes of articles

•HHow do you find out about the ow do you find out about the magazine?magazine?

•DDo they hire freelancers?o they hire freelancers?

•WWhat gets you sold?hat gets you sold?

QQueriesueries

•SSamples of Good Query Letters are amples of Good Query Letters are Available OnlineAvailable Online

•DDo what they wanto what they want

•DDon’t get too cuteon’t get too cute

•EE-mail Queries-mail Queries

SStart tart LLocalocal

•EEverybody has to start somewhereverybody has to start somewhere

•WWrite what you knowrite what you know

•SSell to the publications that you readell to the publications that you read

TTravel ravel WWritingriting

• IIt’s tough to break intot’s tough to break into

•BBut once you’re in, it can be pretty ut once you’re in, it can be pretty greatgreat

•YYou’d better be flexible, and ou’d better be flexible, and comfortable with carrying all of your comfortable with carrying all of your belongings in a backpackbelongings in a backpack

•YYou must have the rightou must have the right

temperamenttemperament

WWriting a riting a NNovelovel

•EEveryone has one good story inside of veryone has one good story inside of themthem

•YYou can only find out by starting to writeou can only find out by starting to write

•PPut yourself on a schedule, and stick to itut yourself on a schedule, and stick to it

•YYou need a plotou need a plot

•YYou need charactersou need characters

•SShould you outline?hould you outline?

CChildren’s hildren’s BBooksooks

• IIt sounds like it’s going to be easyt sounds like it’s going to be easy

•TTry to remember what it was like to ry to remember what it was like to be a kidbe a kid

•CCharacters have to be believableharacters have to be believable

•RRemember that kids don’t just think emember that kids don’t just think with their headswith their heads

•BBe careful with namese careful with names

WWriting riting NNonfictiononfiction

•TThere will always be a needhere will always be a need

•NNarrative Nonfictionarrative Nonfiction

•MMemoiremoir

•RRules for Researchules for Research

•PProposalsroposals

SScriptwritingcriptwriting

•TTo get better, read the good stuff, o get better, read the good stuff, like Woody Allen, or Aaron Sorkin.like Woody Allen, or Aaron Sorkin.

•DDon’t over-explain.on’t over-explain.

•SScripts are all about structure.cripts are all about structure.

•AAudiences love a good story with udiences love a good story with strong characters.strong characters.

•PPersistence does pay off.ersistence does pay off.

RResourcesesources

•BBooks you needooks you need

•EEquipment you needquipment you need

•SSupplies you needupplies you need

CCreating reating OOpportunitiespportunities

•MMaking connectionsaking connections

•WWriting for free – at firstriting for free – at first

•CCharitable organizationsharitable organizations

LLooking for an ooking for an AAgentgent

•DDon’t kid yourself – You’re selling on’t kid yourself – You’re selling yourselfyourself

•LLet your presentation show who you et your presentation show who you areare

•EE-mail, or not e-mail-mail, or not e-mail

•DDo I HAVE to have an agent first?o I HAVE to have an agent first?

LLooking for a ooking for a PPublisherublisher

• IIt’s a bit of a Catch-22t’s a bit of a Catch-22

•PPublishing is a businessublishing is a business

•FFinding the right publisherinding the right publisher

•SSubmitting a manuscript, or a ubmitting a manuscript, or a proposalproposal

RRight ight BBrain/rain/LLeft eft BBrainrain

•YYou’re creativeou’re creative

•BBut you’re a businessperson, toout you’re a businessperson, too

•MMake sure you’re getting paid ake sure you’re getting paid enoughenough

•NNurture your relationshipsurture your relationships

•BBeing creative doesn’t mean you can eing creative doesn’t mean you can be a jerkbe a jerk

CCopyright opyright IInformationnformation• CCopyright law protects the expression of an ideaopyright law protects the expression of an idea• AA copyright generally lasts until 70 years after copyright generally lasts until 70 years after

the author’s deaththe author’s death• AA copyright automatically arises when you put copyright automatically arises when you put

your ideas into tangible formyour ideas into tangible form• YYou can always put “Copyright”, the year, and ou can always put “Copyright”, the year, and

the author’s namethe author’s name• YYou can always Registerou can always Register• FFind out what “rights” you’re signing awayind out what “rights” you’re signing away• TThe “Poor Man’s Copyright”he “Poor Man’s Copyright”

TTaxesaxes

•TTake every deduction you possibly ake every deduction you possibly cancan

•TThe proper formshe proper forms

WWorking with orking with YYour our EEditorditor

• TThere are plenty of others out there that here are plenty of others out there that would love to be in your shoeswould love to be in your shoes

• BBe dependablee dependable•MMeet your deadlineeet your deadline• OOnce you sell it, it’s not really yoursnce you sell it, it’s not really yours anymoreanymore• TThey’ve edited you poorly – shake it offhey’ve edited you poorly – shake it off• DDon’t burn bridges – You’re proving on’t burn bridges – You’re proving

yourself every single timeyourself every single time

GGet et YYour our FFacts acts SStraighttraight

•FFactual Information – “Experts say actual Information – “Experts say that most magazine writers submit that most magazine writers submit drafts containing errors.”drafts containing errors.”

•DDetails etails dodo matter matter

•WWikipedia DOES NOT COUNTikipedia DOES NOT COUNT

•PPlagiarismlagiarism

•QQuoting your sourceuoting your source

SSelling elling YYourselfourself

•SShameless Self-Promotionhameless Self-Promotion

•HHandling your own PRandling your own PR

WWriting from riting from HHomeome

• IIt is possiblet is possible

WWriting from riting from HHomeome

•YYou’re not going to like this – get up ou’re not going to like this – get up earlyearly

•FFind out when your productive time is, ind out when your productive time is, and leave all the chores to another timeand leave all the chores to another time

•YYou deserve a place of your ownou deserve a place of your own

•SSometimes there’s no place like ometimes there’s no place like ANYWHERE BUT homeANYWHERE BUT home

•TThere’s always late, late nighthere’s always late, late night

AAre you any re you any GGood?ood?

•PPut it aside, then read itut it aside, then read it

•CCompare it objectively with what’s ompare it objectively with what’s already out therealready out there

RReading to eading to WWriterite

•RRead in your formatead in your format

•RRead outside your formatead outside your format

•RRead good writing to raise your level ead good writing to raise your level of expertiseof expertise

WWebsitesebsites

•DDo I need one?o I need one?

•HHow expensive?ow expensive?

•WWhat do you really need?hat do you really need?

•HHow much help will you need?ow much help will you need?

•RRegister your domain name.egister your domain name.

• IIt’s NOT Facebook!t’s NOT Facebook!

BBlogginglogging

•TTo blog or not to blog, that is the o blog or not to blog, that is the questionquestion

• IIf you post your blog on your f you post your blog on your website, you have to remember that website, you have to remember that it’s a reflection of youit’s a reflection of you

•RRemember that a simple Google emember that a simple Google search can easily turn up the search can easily turn up the stupidest thing you’ve ever saidstupidest thing you’ve ever said

WWriter’s riter’s GGroupsroups

•AAre they for you?re they for you?

•WWhich ones?hich ones?

WWriting riting SSoftware?oftware?

•SStory development softwaretory development software

•FFormatting softwareormatting software

•UUtility softwaretility software

•BBusiness softwareusiness software

•SSpecialty softwarepecialty software

WWriter’s riter’s BBlocklock

•DDoes it even exist?oes it even exist?

•AAnd even if it doesn’t, what do we nd even if it doesn’t, what do we do about it?do about it?

•SStrange exercisestrange exercises

KKeep at it eep at it !!!!!!!!!!•YYou’ll never know until you tryou’ll never know until you try

• II’m rooting for you!’m rooting for you!