Comments on: A week of journalism: How to be a freelancer without starving http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/ Advice at the intersection of work and life Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:27:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Brian J. D'Souza http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-148610 Brian J. D'Souza Sun, 08 Jun 2008 10:38:45 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-148610 "What I’m saying here is that the stuff you’re writing isn’t so precious that the editor can’t rip it to shreds and rewrite it in his voice." For most people, especially inexperienced or untalented writers, this might be the case. If you're an expert in your subject area, have a strong writers voice, are dealing with a sensitive subject matter and/or know exactly what you're doing, you have to stand your ground. Above and beyond that, it is your name going on the work. You have to live with it. Your blanket statement doesn't apply to everyone. “What I’m saying here is that the stuff you’re writing isn’t so precious that the editor can’t rip it to shreds and rewrite it in his voice.”

For most people, especially inexperienced or untalented writers, this might be the case. If you’re an expert in your subject area, have a strong writers voice, are dealing with a sensitive subject matter and/or know exactly what you’re doing, you have to stand your ground.

Above and beyond that, it is your name going on the work. You have to live with it. Your blanket statement doesn’t apply to everyone.

]]> By: mary speranza http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-146692 mary speranza Thu, 01 May 2008 13:09:53 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-146692 speaking of entrepneur----i am trying to get mss to read at home; for pay, not for free. no one has answered me. is it that you think my request laughable and you're still laughing? i know that that service is out there; i just don't know how to connect with it. i am a senior citizen and love to read. i'm basically shut in----but don't want to spend my time "doing nothing" i also am a published author myself. so someone get back to me, okay? it shouldn't take long out of your day. just an email to write to, or a person to call on the phone! i would post here and thank you publically. please take this request seriously. mary speranza speaking of entrepneur—-i am trying to get mss to read at home; for pay, not for free. no one has answered me. is it that you think my request laughable and you’re still laughing? i know that that service is out there; i just don’t know how to connect with it.
i am a senior citizen and love to read. i’m basically shut in—-but don’t want to spend my time “doing nothing” i also am a published author myself.
so someone get back to me, okay? it shouldn’t take long out of your day. just an email to write to, or a person to call on the phone! i would post here and thank you publically.
please take this request seriously.
mary speranza

]]> By: Barbara Saunders http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-146286 Barbara Saunders Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:57:37 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-146286 Having worked as both a writer and an editor who is also a dyslexic, I have some empathy for Penelope's proofreading deficiencies! The inner editor says: It's easier to copyedit the work of someone who has interesting ideas than to make something interesting out of unoriginal thought that happens to be rendered in polished text. The inner writer says: It is very, very difficult to proofread one's own work. Having worked as both a writer and an editor who is also a dyslexic, I have some empathy for Penelope’s proofreading deficiencies!

The inner editor says: It’s easier to copyedit the work of someone who has interesting ideas than to make something interesting out of unoriginal thought that happens to be rendered in polished text.

The inner writer says: It is very, very difficult to proofread one’s own work.

]]> By: Tim Kern http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-107373 Tim Kern Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:10:29 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-107373 Hi, Anne. When you say, "...I always had a husband with a job who paid the bills," you're not really giving advice about how to have freelancing pay the bills. On the other hand, I'll concede you are answering the question: "How to be a freelancer without starving." I guess that, if someone else's work can finance your life, you can be anything you want to be. It's tough, though, for us (those who make livings as freelancers) to compete against such subsidized talent. No offense; if I could do it that way, I would, too. Best of everything to you! Hi, Anne. When you say, “…I always had a husband with a job who paid the bills,” you’re not really giving advice about how to have freelancing pay the bills.
On the other hand, I’ll concede you are answering the question: “How to be a freelancer without starving.” I guess that, if someone else’s work can finance your life, you can be anything you want to be.
It’s tough, though, for us (those who make livings as freelancers) to compete against such subsidized talent. No offense; if I could do it that way, I would, too. Best of everything to you!

]]> By: Anne Hart http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-106697 Anne Hart Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:24:21 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-106697 What a wonderful article. I've been freelance since June 17, 1959 and have enjoyed doing this fulltime. I've written 81 books and am proud to have had a career now that I'm retired...as a full-time freelance writer of novels and nonfiction books as well as magazine articles. I still write freelance for magazines when I want to. It is a wonderful life....as a freelancer....and I thank all the intelligence in each parallel universe and beyond that I always had a husband with a job who paid the bills. Amen. What a wonderful article. I’ve been freelance since June 17, 1959 and have enjoyed doing this fulltime. I’ve written 81 books and am proud to have had a career now that I’m retired…as a full-time freelance writer of novels and nonfiction books as well as magazine articles. I still write freelance for magazines when I want to. It is a wonderful life….as a freelancer….and I thank all the intelligence in each parallel universe and beyond that I always had a husband with a job who paid the bills. Amen.

]]> By: Tim Kern http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-91887 Tim Kern Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:42:41 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-91887 Oops -- that's "literally thousands." It's over ten thousand, but probably not "tens of thousands." I'm a better writer than mathematician. Oops — that’s “literally thousands.” It’s over ten thousand, but probably not “tens of thousands.” I’m a better writer than mathematician.

]]> By: Tim Kern http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-91885 Tim Kern Tue, 19 Jun 2007 00:39:58 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-91885 There's a lot of good in this post and in the comments. One more point worthy of inclusion is that, once you accept an assignment, you should not be late, even if you have a "good excuse." Editors hate filling blank pages at the last minute, and they'll do one of two things to the slow writer: either they'll look for a replacement, or they'll give you silly lead times and phony deadlines. Neither of these is as good a result as if you delivered on time. Editors know that things come up, and they'll work with you, but not all the time; and when the opportunity to get a sub comes along, that's what they'll do. I get a lot of short-lead-time assignments that way, so on a personal level, I should be grateful. Nobody (even an editor) likes hassles; nobody likes to be dismissed. Late submissions get you put on a short, bad list. I'm a freelancer. I have written for sixteen magazines in the past year, many more than once and some as a columnist. Only when an assignment has changed mid-stream have I asked for an extension, and that happened once in over 200 published articles in the past four years or so. As for editing, I've edited literally tens of thousands of pieces (10-20 per day, 6 days a week, for over three years), and I feel that I'm typical when I agree with Lea that I consider sloppy writing (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) to be a trait symptomatic of laziness. Unlike Lea, I don't care that my writers are lazy; I care that they're supplying the message the readers want. (Most readers, too, can't spell or punctuate.) Where I have trouble with these sloppy writers is that this kind of writing takes MY time as an editor, and I'm as lazy as the next guy. So, if you want to be successful, deliver good quality, on time. That's infinitely better than delivering Ring Lardner a day after the press run closed. There’s a lot of good in this post and in the comments. One more point worthy of inclusion is that, once you accept an assignment, you should not be late, even if you have a “good excuse.”

Editors hate filling blank pages at the last minute, and they’ll do one of two things to the slow writer: either they’ll look for a replacement, or they’ll give you silly lead times and phony deadlines. Neither of these is as good a result as if you delivered on time. Editors know that things come up, and they’ll work with you, but not all the time; and when the opportunity to get a sub comes along, that’s what they’ll do. I get a lot of short-lead-time assignments that way, so on a personal level, I should be grateful.

Nobody (even an editor) likes hassles; nobody likes to be dismissed. Late submissions get you put on a short, bad list.

I’m a freelancer. I have written for sixteen magazines in the past year, many more than once and some as a columnist. Only when an assignment has changed mid-stream have I asked for an extension, and that happened once in over 200 published articles in the past four years or so.

As for editing, I’ve edited literally tens of thousands of pieces (10-20 per day, 6 days a week, for over three years), and I feel that I’m typical when I agree with Lea that I consider sloppy writing (spelling, grammar, and punctuation) to be a trait symptomatic of laziness. Unlike Lea, I don’t care that my writers are lazy; I care that they’re supplying the message the readers want. (Most readers, too, can’t spell or punctuate.) Where I have trouble with these sloppy writers is that this kind of writing takes MY time as an editor, and I’m as lazy as the next guy.

So, if you want to be successful, deliver good quality, on time. That’s infinitely better than delivering Ring Lardner a day after the press run closed.

]]> By: Neale Bayly http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-69707 Neale Bayly Fri, 11 May 2007 17:17:26 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-69707 Love this topic. Having left school at 15 years of age with some scrappy education here and there since my grammer is not too hot. That hasn't stopped me from making my living as a freelance writer for nearly a decade now. I have always thought copy editors did what they did because they aren't writers, and it is nice to see a successful journalist with the same thought process. I employ a copy editor to check my stuff so I can spend more time being creative with my words. Hopefully I will learn something too. I am lucky, I get to write about my passion so it makes it easy. Enjoyed the comments here. Love this topic. Having left school at 15 years of age with some scrappy education here and there since my grammer is not too hot. That hasn’t stopped me from making my living as a freelance writer for nearly a decade now. I have always thought copy editors did what they did because they aren’t writers, and it is nice to see a successful journalist with the same thought process. I employ a copy editor to check my stuff so I can spend more time being creative with my words. Hopefully I will learn something too. I am lucky, I get to write about my passion so it makes it easy. Enjoyed the comments here.

]]> By: A week of journalism: How to move between print and online » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-60202 A week of journalism: How to move between print and online » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:59:52 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-60202 [...] How to be a freelance writer without starving [...] […] How to be a freelance writer without starving […]

]]> By: A week of journalism: Why journalists misquote everyone…or do they? » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-60196 A week of journalism: Why journalists misquote everyone…or do they? » Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk Sun, 22 Apr 2007 13:50:00 +0000 http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/04/16/how-to-be-a-freelancer-without-starving/#comment-60196 [...] How to be a freelance writer without starving [...] […] How to be a freelance writer without starving […]

]]>