A blog for aspiring freelancers

Anyone interested in travel writing or freelance writing may want to take a look at the blog I've created to publicize my workshops. 

The writer's mind-set

"The curse of being a songwriter is that you no longer listen to music, you deconstruct it. You take it apart to see why it succeeds or fails."

So says Ellis Paul, an American singer-songwriter born 1965. His thinking is exactly the same as many writers, including myself. Whatever we read, we're wondering what we can learn about the way it was written, and how we can use those tricks in our own writing.  

Getting ideas for articles I

Museums are always stimulating places; every time I visit one, I come away with ideas for articles. In this newish museum, I discovered that Taiwan's first public bus service was launched in January 1913. Guess what subject I'll be pitching to editors shortly, as they begin to make plans for the end of this year and the beginning of next year?

It's said that anniversaries make for lazy journalists. It's true, in a way - but editors and readers seem to like anniversaries, so make a point of what happened in history 100 or even 500 years ago.

Good interview questions I

Last year I interviewed two collectors who are quite well known here in Taiwan. One, a Dutch businessman, collects old European maps and books featuring Taiwan. The other, a Taiwanese engineering professor, collects ancient Chinese locks. I asked identical questions:

What prompted you to begin collecting?

Tell me about your first purchase.

What are the criteria for your collection? Why did you choose these things? Has your focus evolved over time?

Which item in your collection do you prize most? Why?

Which item in your collection was especially difficult to obtain?

What does your collection lack?

Do you regard other collectors as competitors or comrades?

Are you still collecting? If you've stopped, why?

Has your collection or any part of it gone on public display?

What do you plan to do with your collection in the future?

Interviewing for research purposes

As I keep saying, you should be on the constant look-out for stories, and using any spare moments to research fresh angles. It's a good idea to contact public relations executives in large organizations, even if you don't have a firm story idea or a commission. After all, such people are paid to influence media coverage, and almost all are more than happy to point journalists in what - for them and their masters - is the right direction.

This is how I approach PR people:

Dear Ms. Wilson,

My name is John Jones. I am a contributing writer for WESTERN WIDGETS, a monthly magazine that follows trends in the widget industry in Canada's West.

Alan Roberts, the magazine's editor (tel: 123-456-789; dondavis@westernwidgetsmag.com) has asked me to suggest ideas for articles, and as your company is an industry leader, I am hoping you can share with me your expectations and predictions for 2012.

I can be reached at this email address, or by telephone (98-654-321).

Yours sincerely,

John Jones

Editing work: A crutch for writers, or a distraction?

A crutch, for sure.

Sometimes writers ask me whether I think taking on editing work is a good idea. The answer - unless you're making a lot of money from your own writing - is a resounding "Yes."

Researching and writing an article is almost always more satisfying than polishing another person's work. Producing a book is better still. Nevertheless, there are good reasons – over and above any desire to pay bills and put food on the table – why you should accept editing assignments.

Each year for the last eight, I've devoted a good part of the late autumn and winter to a well-paid but awfully dull editing job. Doing lots of editing has taught me some useful skills. I've learned how to say the same thing in a dozen different ways. I've gotten much better at spotting phrases which, while not bad English, could be made more elegant. I can pare any text without losing substance. As I've said before, any kind of language work will make you a better writer.

Also, editing sometimes leads to article ideas. Even if, in terms of subject matter, there's almost no overlap between the editing cases you get and what you like to write about, you're sure to have a number of “I didn't know that” moments. When you start to think like a writer, ideas will come thick and fast.

A Veteran's Advice VI

Writing is a way of life

Anything and everything you see as you go about your daily business can become, in Bill Vossler's words, “fodder for some writing.” For me, this constant awareness takes the form of a mental readiness to capture ideas that can be spun into articles.

Here's an example. A few years back, I was watching a children's TV program with my son here in Taiwan. The presenter was touring a new library in Taipei which had been designed to be exceptionally energy-efficient. The program was fascinating; I grabbed a pen and paper and started taking notes. Since then I've been writing about sustainable architecture in Taiwan, and I continue to delve into this field, which I find both intellectually engrossing and, in terms of article sales, quite lucrative.

A Veteran's Advice V

Read, read, read

I'm with Vossler on this one, too. As he puts it, “Read for pleasure, yes, but study what you read.” This is closely related to the mimicking habit mentioned above. Of course, not everything you enjoy reading will be applicable to the writing you're trying to sell. For example, I adore the novels of Martis Amis, but his pessimistic-comedic view of modern English life simply isn't relevant to my feature articles about Taiwan.

Read with a notebook close at hand, and not just to jot down new words (learned just the other day: muniment) and endearing phrases (recently I added “float your boat” to my palette; it's far more elegant than “yank your chain”). Reading will help you generate story ideas. Example: I've been reading about peak oil, and I'm starting to wonder what Taiwan is doing in the way of contingency planning.

The Smoking Pen

Why 'The Smoking Pen'?

It's a nickname given to me by an old friend, and recognition that I'm a productive member of my profession.

I make a living as a writer and editor. I've had three books published since 2001; I've sold more than 700 articles to magazines, newspapers and websites over the past 15 years; and I've edited thousands of booklets, articles and documents for clients which include government agencies. In the past two years, I've helped two previously-published writers improve their work and attain greater success.

So you want to be a writer?

I'm launching this blog because aspiring writers sometimes ask for my help. Through the blog I'm going to share some of what I learned along the way, but not everything. Whether you're a new writer trying to make your first sale, or already have a track record, I can offer tailor-made online tutoring as well as editing services. I can share my research methods, and teach you how to generate ideas and pitch them to editors.

To find out more, contact me at stevencolincrook (one word, no periods, no underscores) (at) gmail (dot) com.