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Welcome to the real world. There are thousands and thousands of writers out there, all of whom are just as good as you and in some cases probably better. If you're sitting there dreaming about negotiating the film rights to your next book, dream on, you're just like all the rest of us. If you're thinking of travelling to exotic locations for a travel magazine, forget it, it's not the glamourous, and if you think you're the next Tom Clancy or Virginia Woolf welcome to the world of writing, you're not that unique. Or perhaps you expect me as a creative writer and editor to hand out all my tips? Not so fast, I have to earn a living with freelance writing too.

If you've gotten this far however, give yourself a pat on the back. You have the ability to read difficult sentences like, unfortunately, while your piece was well written, we couldn't use it in our publication. We wish you all the best in your writing career. Signed X. As I've mentioned writing is a serious business and if you're in it because you want to make a quick buck then take my advice and invest on the stock market, you'll stand more of a chance of getting rich.

So, why read this article? Because that's what writers do, they read, read, read. If it's one thing I can't stress enough it's reading. Study the publications you want to write for, what special feature sections does your daily newspaper have every day? What kind of content? If it's a right wing fundamentalist publication then forget about submitting an article about gay couples living in harmony; it won't get past the front door. Are the paragraphs short and racy or long and involved? Are there pictures? Make a practice of collecting newspapers and magazines. Study the articles and try and rewrite them, you can't publish them, but it's practice and that's the next thing you have to do, write, write, write. Write anything you can, sloppy romance, Wild West adventure, literary fiction, sci-fi, feature articles, press releases, business letters, submissions, documentation; after all, who writes the technical jargon on the program you just loaded. Who writes the FAQ sheets on the Internet? A writer! And while you're reading what you could have written better, you're learning more about the craft of writing. You think you can write this article better than me?

So what is it about writing that interests you? You're creative, right? Okay, so why don't you save this article and go get creative. For those starting out in the writing business, take heart, it's more fun than shooting fish in a barrel. Maybe you've got this idea in your head that you don't have anything to write about? Rubbish! You live in a house don't you? In a neighborhood? You probably have a hundred stories there for a start. Have you been to the old retirement village around the corner?

Just say that maybe you do and while you're there, you meet a man named Tom who's helping out in the kitchen. Once you get past your nervousness you find out that Tom was a CEO for a multinational company but now he's working for free and living off welfare payments. Why? What about the old lady singing in the corner? Was she an opera singer? Why does she play the piano so beautifully? Was she a music teacher? What's her story? What about the couple having a romantic tryst in a café? Are they college students, man and wife or having an affair? And here you come to the fundamental quality of a writer, curiosity. Writers are innately curious about the world around them; they see things on a different level that the majority of the population doesn't notice. We look at a mountain range and see cowboys and Indians fighting in the hills or a beautiful princess trapped by a vicious suitor; most people just see the mountains.

So let's return to our retirement village for a moment. Let's say that our former CEO was part of a company that was downsized. Here you have some possibilities. You can write a story on downsizing at the close of the 20^th century or a piece on what to do when your career takes a turn for the worst; alternatively you could write a personal profile on Tom, or a piece on retirement villages and the volunteers who service them. Do you see the amount of story ideas you can get from one conversation? Tom is like any other human being, he wants to be heard, he has a story to tell and if he thinks you're going to really listen he'll probably talk your ears off.

So, you have your focus, a story on retirement villages. Pick three, don't ask my why it's three but editors seem to like things in threes. Pick your villages and introduce yourself as a freelance writer who's covering retirement villages. Have the story set out on paper and in your head because that's what the management wants to know. They'll ask whom you're writing for. If you already have the go ahead from an editor, you're on your way. If however you don't, at least have the names of a few publications that take your work. Tell them that these are the publications you're hoping to submit to, and leave it at that.

You now have the go ahead so get going. You want to know the basics of what the retirement village offers. This comes in what's called a press release, brochures and promotional material. You've probably walked past them in shops and tourist information centres for years and never noticed them, but brochures are a writer's best friends. I collect them by the hundreds for the reason that they're filled with ideas, phone numbers and pictures, riveting stuff! Now you have to approach Tom and give him the same line you gave the managers of the retirement village. Have a list of questions and a tape recorder but be prepared to let Tom talk, that's what you've asked him to do so shut up and listen! Once you've got his story, go on to the next volunteer and repeat the process. It should keep you busy for a few days at the most but while that may seem like a long time it's getting those creative juices flowing. You're remembering similar stories, experiences and you may have to ring one of the volunteers to ask further questions. Visit your local library. Your local librarian maybe just another face but he/she will become your closest confidante, closer than a partner or family member. Ask to see the collection of daily papers. What about local history archives? Check the Internet and utilise search engines, that's what they're there for, so use them. Think of it as playing the role of your favorite detective, get to it and find them facts.

Eventually however, you have to stop asking questions and go through your notes. Spread the information all over your desk or bed and study them. What's important and what's immaterial? Have piles for the important, the unimportant and the 'maybe it's important' information. Take your list of ideas and story angles, you have made one haven't you?

Now write your first draft on paper. That's right, paper. Shut the computer down, you won't need it for a few hours. Write your first draft on paper; play with opening lines. Do you start with a short description, an experience, a statement, or a quote? How will you back up your statements? Use your sources, they're what you story hangs or falls on, so use them. What other research material will back up your statements. You'll notice I use the word statement. That's because, you, the writer, has an opinion. There's nothing wrong with having an opinion as long as the authorial voice doesn't intrude too much. Many writers are afraid of expressing an opinion, don't be. After all that's why you went to all this trouble in the first place wasn't it? Because you had an opinion, so start writing.

Eventually you'll have your first draft ready and you're ready to start typing. It's time to fire up the old workhorse and get to it. Don't worry about fancy fonts because if your article is accepted it's typed into a page layout program as TEXT ONLY and your fonts are lost, so don't waste time with formatting. No indents, no extra carriage returns except for a new paragraph. Once you've finished, print it out and go onto something more important. Whoa there! Did you just say what I thought you did?

I sure did. Print it out and let it sit for a day or two. You've expended all that creative energy and now it's time to let it all simmer. You'll be tossing it around it in your mind, savouring the words and trying to rework it mentally. Write down your thoughts as you go but try and leave the piece alone. In the meantime, you're going through your collection of publications. Where will it fit? What is the editor's name, it's in the masthead somewhere. How it is spelt? Editors are notoriously precious about the spelling of their names. What's their phone number? Now get busy. Either ring and inquire or write/fax a query. And don't be afraid of editors. An editor is not the cigar-chomping stereotype you saw in Superman. Chances are they're twenty/thirty-something, politely spoken and eager to hear your idea. Don't take liberties with their time however, editors are busy people and don't want to sit for ten minutes on the phone. Some never to be used lines are listed below.

• Boy, have I got a story for you!
• You'll never believe who I was just talking to!
• Excuse me, have you got a minute?
• This is a story about…

Sold. Well, not exactly but in about 30 seconds you've given the editor all the information they need. You can go on to suggest that it may fit their Friday supplement or remind them that they ran a similar story two weeks ago or three months ago. The editor will either tell you to send it in or refuse. If you've been rejected don't be disheartened. The editor will more than likely tell you why, after all, your next submission to him/her could be just the piece they're looking for so they're not about to cut off their nose to spite their face. The editor will almost always ask you whether you've been published before. This isn't a put down line, it's important information and tells them what they may get from you, but you're worried aren't you? After all, you've never been published in a real paper.

Haven't you? What about the campus magazine? Oh, so you weren't paid for it? So what. That doesn't take away from the fact that you are a published writer so stop degrading yourself, there's plenty of people out there who'll degrade you for free, so there's no need for you to help them along. Tell the editor, "I did a piece on child abuse for The XYZ Campus News." That tells the editor that they're dealing with someone who knows how to finish a project. If not, be honest, tell them you believe you can do it and leave it at that. Chances are you'll at least get a sympathetic ear and editors are always looking for fresh talent.

And if you're asked to send it in, great! Find out the copy deadline from the editor, tell them when you'll have the piece, what format it will be in, soft copy, fax or hard copy and STICK TO IT! It may seem obvious but nothing is more tiresome than writers who promise to have an article on the day and don't have it until the following week. Remember, you're building up a relationship here, how would you feel if someone promised to deliver and failed to produce the goods? As an editor myself, I do get annoyed and would probably read your next piece with poison ivy glasses. And last but not least, let the editor know whether you can supply photographs and inquire as to what format they need. I could write a sizable article on photojournalism but keep it simple. If you're not an A - grade photographer don't pretend to be. Editors can smell a con miles away. Your sister won't do either even though she took some nice pics of Ayers Rock or the Grand Canyon. If you can't afford to hire a professional photographer then tell the editor. An editor will either use file footage or contract a photographer if the story is good enough to get past the slush pile.

Now go back and study the supplement it's aimed for, go over it several issues and then tailor your piece accordingly. If the publication favours short paragraphs don't write long ones. If the content is 'essay style' don't write a flashy tabloid piece. It's disrespectful to the editor who after all, takes pride in his/her publication. Check each line in your printed draft, does it fit? Get out a red pen, red for editing and make notes on it. Do as much scribbling as you can, and then retype it under a different filename. Print out every draft and compare it with the last draft. The amount of redrafting will depend on how much time you've given yourself. If it's a week you can redraft to your heart's content, if it's twenty-four hours use the KISS philosophy, Keep It Simple.

In the end however you can only redraft so many times, you've checked your spelling, it's flawless, commas, punctuation, well, maybe. The word length? Here's a word or two about word length. With the word counting features in any word processing program today there is no excuse for accidentally typing 200 extra words. "But it's so good!" you cry. Look at the newspaper again where you precious piece will go. Count the advertisements. That's what pays for your article, not the editor or editor in chief. A layout artist has to fit all your text plus advertisements on the page and as an editor myself, I sympathise with them. I know it sucks but that's the big bad world of publishing. Okay, now the content; it's good. Hey I like it! Okay, now the big step. SEND IT IN. That's right, send it in. What have you got to lose? Make sure and include a query letter anyway even though you got an OK from the editor. You may have rung the editor at 10am, but yours may have been the fifteenth call that morning and it's been a week now. Remind the editor politely of your conversation, explain the story idea, indicate whether you have other material for a breakout and include phone numbers of the people and places who you've used in your article if you haven't managed to take photographs. Let them know your contact details. Do you know how many people forget that minor detail? Too many to count. Contact details are vital for follow-ups.

Okay, what do you do now? You wait. How long? That depends on you. I tend to wait a day or two and then I phone to discuss the story. Let's say you phone and the editor says "I like it but I need more information on this aspect." What do you do? Rant and rave about how misunderstood writers are?

Get off the pity pot, every writer is misunderstood. We had a golden rule when we workshopped stories on campus. The author is dead. You could say whatever you wanted about the piece within reason. The fact that the editor wants more info is great. It means that their creative juices are flowing. They've found another angle to push and that's what you've got to do. Work with the editor, not against them. Go and find the info and rewrite your precious piece.

How many times do you do this?

That once again depends on how badly you want published. If you get your piece continuously sent back then I seriously suggest that either the editor really doesn't know what they're talking about or you need to reassess your writing skills. I'd suspect the latter. But once your piece is rewritten and it's usually only once, (editors don’t have the time to send back work more than once) what do you do?

Wait. Once you've supplied your banking details you wait for your piece to be published. In the meantime of course, I hope you're looking for more story ideas, if you aren't then don't try and call yourself a writer. This is your part-time job now, so get back to work.

You did it! The piece is in the paper, it's changed but you did expect that; after all that's what editors do, they edit. The cheque is in your hand a few days later, you're ecstatic, you've told your family and friends and they're proud of you too. So what do you do now?

Frame it. That's right, frame it. Photocopy your first cheque or payment advice and hang it on the wall alongside your article. That's living proof that you can follow through with an idea from start to finish and come up trumps. Now you're a paid freelance writer.

So what do you do now? Well, don't bother the editor with another piece of the same type unless it's a hot follow up or you seriously believe it's a good idea. If you have ideas however, let your fingers do the walking and let the editor know either by phone or write a courtesy letter. Tell them the ideas you have and when you expect the stories to be produced. Make sure they're topical and be aware of lead times. If it's the end of summer don't suggest a piece on beach attire, it's out of date. Look to autumn or winter. What's happening at Easter in your community? It shows you're thinking. You're interested in the editor's publication and are actively working to produce saleable material. And don't concentrate on one editor; approach other editors. It's a fact of life that editors change papers as often as most of us change our underwear. Your relationship, which you spent months culturing, means nothing to the new editor even though you've been highly recommended. Don't be left high and dry when the tide goes out.

Well, that's it. The definitive guide to writing freelance articles from a writer who's been published and paid. I'm by no means in the same league as full-time writers but I know my trade well enough to talk about it. Your career as a freelancer will go through many highs and lows. There'll be times when you can't sell anything for months but that doesn't mean you're a flash in the pan. Don't forget there are other writers out there just like you. Broaden your reading habits, check the overseas markets and don't forget that your original story on retirement villages can sell interstate or overseas, just let the paper know first.

There are a million and one resources out there and here are a few.

1. Keep an ideas diary, not one of those "my girlfriend/boyfriend left me" diaries but a record of what was going through your mind when you read about the earthquake in Turkey. You won't use all the ideas but it's surprising how a once rejected idea takes on a life of its own after a while.
2. The Internet is an extremely valuable resource, use it. Get onto news groups and discussion groups and download anything you feel may be important. Search directories for interesting subjects. Join writers groups on the Internet and like me, set up your own homepage.
3. Libraries are a valuable source of information, your local librarian should become your next best friend. Libraries have racks of magazines and shelves of books. It's also a very cost-effective way of reading back copies of magazines. Most if not all libraries also have Internet access and CD-ROM.
4. The YellowPages here in Melbourne has over a million entries, that's about five to ten million story ideas in my opinion. What is a Probus group? What do pet sitters do? Ring these numbers and find out. Most people are only too happy to help.
5. Join a local writers group, you're in contact with other writers just like you who would love to hear your opinions about their work just as much as you need their input. Writers are solitary people by nature and need a social life.
6. Scour the bookstores for books on writing especially those that list potential markets.
7. Newspapers and magazines tell you what's in vogue and what's not. Keep clippings of articles and advertisements for special events.
8. Your local community events diary will keep you informed as to what's happening. Approach your local charity groups and papers. Do they need a writer, proofreader, and editor? It's voluntary work but the experience gained is second to none. Do you really think that the editors of national newspapers were born with editing skills. Like you, they probably started at the bottom.

Word count: approximately 3,690 (But after all, I am the editor of this ezine)

26/12/1999 ©

Written by Alastair Rosie

Take me home please!