Do you write only on assignment?

[felipe]

Do you write articles only when you know they will be published? Or do you write what your inspiration tells you and then you try to sell it somewhere? What happens if you did not sell it and it becomes obsolete? Thanks.

[popbunny]

I only write on assignment. If I have a great idea, I write a killer query and start sending it out - if it doesn't sells, I don't write the article. I might try to resurrect it a few years later if appropriate, but unless it sells, it makes no sense for me to waste that time. I can use those hours to brainstorm new queries, write them, and send them out instead.

[felipe]

Thanks popbunny

And I guess it is very time consuming to send the query out, do you have a list of contacts that you always use, or do you pick new ones depending on the subject?

How do you do this?

[felipe]

Also, do you write books or articles, like for magazines and blogs?

[inkkognito]

I am a writing 'ho. I do assignment work that is generated by editors and also like to have plenty of queries out and about. In the meantime, I do some spec work on topics that I know very well so I don't have to put in too much effort. I also have a couple pubs. where I send spec pieces because I know the chance of acceptance is nearly 100 percent since I work with them regularly.

[felipe]

Thanks inkkognito

[DaddyCat]

I do a mix of both, writing on assignment and writing (well, drafting really) on topics of my own with an eye to querying them later. It does affect the type of research I'll do - for instance, I don't usually bother anyone for interviews for pieces that haven't sold.

[jeffo]

I dream of writing on assignment. That's one of my long-term goals. Right now almost 100% of my writing is on-spec: I send the query and if they like it, I write the article. That's different than places like on demand and associated content, where I only write things that they ask for, but the same thing.

If you just want to write because you want to write a story, go ahead and do it. It's just unlikely that you can make a living selling that writing. :)

[felipe]

Thanks DaddyCat and jeffo

That's different than places like on demand and associated content, where I only write things that they ask for, but the same thing.

What are this places? or Where are them?

[inkkognito]

www.demandstudios.com (http://www.demandstudios.com)

I love 'em!

[felipe]

Thanks, I am reading about it. I also found other similar sites.

Have you used them for a long time now?

[inkkognito]

Yes, I've been writing for them for several months. The trick is to grab a lot of the $15 assignments. I made over $800 that way last month. You have to watch for when new titles are released and claim as many as you are allowed in order to maximize your earnings.

[felipe]

Sounds like a smart way to go, I suppose that those are also easier to finish.
When you claim it, is it yours? Or do you need approval?

[inkkognito]

It has to be approved. They have formats to follow, and you catch on pretty quickly. They can bounce an article bck to you, but when I've had that happen it has generally been for something minor (like to add an example) or because I misunderstood the topic. If you blow the rewrite, you "lose" the topic and have to try to reclaim it.

[popbunny]

I write for the local daily newspaper, local magazines, and national parenting magazines. I like the local daily best as it's easiest and I make the most money for my time.

I have an excel spreadsheet that covers all the publications I have worked with, and want to work with. I input which queries I've sent where, which stories I wrote for whom, new editors, past editors, anything that might be relevant (i.e. if an editor said they're looking for stories on budgeting, fashion, etc.).

Most of my assignment work is advertorial writing for the paper for their special topic inserts, like insert mags on condo living, cosmetic surgery, that kind of thing. If a publication has on staff writers, they generally won't pay to assign out stories unless it's the kind of work their writers don't like to do - paid advertorials. I just let those special section editors know I'm available for those projects.

[WildScribe]

I write more and more just on assignment. I never write and try to submit unless it is a humor piece or a filler, both of which sort of stand on their own. I also query and write a lot on spec, but mostly that stuff sells for me, so I don't sweat it.

[scottVee]

Hi. I try to write when I am inspired to do so. If I had to wait for a query to go out and for someone to care, why, by then it will just be a chore again.

Kudos to the people who can do it that way, though. It sounds more reasonable.

[Nefertiti Baker]

I write and find someplace for it, whether it be CC, my blog, AC, or whatever. I'm going to start querying places this month (a big move for me!).

[felipe]

Thanks for the clarification inkkognito.

Popbunny, that sounds like a really organized work. So, you do something similar to the on demand work, but not through a website, are there many editors that work like this, they contact you and tell you what the publishers want?

WildScribe, where do you get the assignments, and editor too?

[felipe]

I write and find someplace for it, whether it be CC, my blog, AC, or whatever. I'm going to start querying places this month (a big move for me!).

Thanks Nefertiti, but what is CC and AC

And congrats on your move :)

[Nefertiti Baker]

Thanks Nefertiti, but what is CC and AC

And congrats on your move :)

Thanks!

CC= Constant Content
AC= Associated Content

[felipe]

Thanks, but I will have to ask again :) I am really new to all this.

CC and AC are like those places where a lot of writers send their articles and they republish them for you? I think I found a couple of websites like this when I was reading about the on demand topic a while back.

[popbunny]

Popbunny, that sounds like a really organized work. So, you do something similar to the on demand work, but not through a website, are there many editors that work like this, they contact you and tell you what the publishers want?


Kinda. I write mainly for my local daily newspaper (city of 1 million). It's the loftier paper (not the one with the girls in bikinis type). The first way is that I send them a query and they assign me the feature.

The second way is that I let the editor of the special sections (usually magazine type inserts) know that I'm available to write advertorials. They assign those pieces. They might email me with a list of 7 or 8 topics and a word count and exactly who I have to interview, and I take as many as I can handle.

Are you in a major market with a couple of magazines and newspapers? You can call and ask how they accept freelance queries (newspapers) or request their writer's guidelines (magazines). You can usually tell if they use freelancers or not fairly easily. Most newspapers have a byline for the article and the writer's name is listed and nothing else if they're a staff writer. Freelancers usually have "Sarah White for the Tribune" or something like that to show the writer is not a staff writer. In mags, you can check the Contributers column against the staff writers list on the masthead page.

[felipe]

Where I live there is only one or two major newspapers that control most of the rest of the market and magazines, but I know that they take contributors, I have a friend who writes for the art section.

Those are all great pointers, I still have to work on my writer's skills, but I will keep all of those tips in mind and start asking around. I do have some friends that work there and might be able to answer those questions.

Thanks for the advice.

[zoomusic]

I have an excel spreadsheet that covers all the publications I have worked with, and want to work with. I input which queries I've sent where, which stories I wrote for whom, new editors, past editors, anything that might be relevant (i.e. if an editor said they're looking for stories on budgeting, fashion, etc.)

Thanks for saying this! I'm hearing 'excel spreadsheet' come up more and more as a way of organizing this kind of stuff...

For short stories, I've always used old fashioned index-cards in a wooden index box...simple, but maybe I need to consider updating the system for this sort of work :)

[RedStringSoul]

I tend to write whenever the urge strikes. I may leave a half finished draft languishing on my drive to be looked at again to use or at least cannibalize if I need to for a future assignment.