School’s back – time to get back to business

feature articles freelance articles freelance writing Writing Tips

The holidays are over and it’s time to officially knuckle down and get on with business, not an easy task after spending last week soaking up the sun on the wonderful beaches at Binnalong Bay on the east coast of Tasmania.  The good thing is I do feel as if I’ve had a break and I’m quite excited about the opportunities the next few months are going to bring. 

Amongst other things, I’ll be editing a publishing catalogue for the Bologna Book Fair, creating a new website for a business coach and writing articles for Jane’s Airport Review.  

When I checked my emails yesterday, I noticed I’d been paid for an article I wrote for Jane’s before going to Tassie which meant that it had been published.  I always like to check how much of my original content had been used in the finished piece and was pleased to see that nearly all of it had.  If you would like to receive a copy of the article, send me an email ruth@purplechameleon.com.au.

Freelance writing doesn’t pay terribly well and you really have to know your stuff, have a good list of contacts and be able to do your research and write quickly and succintly to make it worth your while.  I get paid by the word, which is quite common, and have developed a good understanding of the industry I write about which makes writing for Jane’s more cost effective now than when I first started.

Here are some of the skills you need to be a successful non-fiction writer (the type of writing I do for Jane’s Airport Review):-

• read widely and develop a respect and love for language
• take detailed notes
• write tightly, actively and with a sense of purpose
• engage in thorough, accurate and fast research
• communciate effectively with a wide range of people
• structure a story to suit the market you are writing about
• act ethically and with integrity
• conduct interviews
• meet tight deadlines

If you have any questions on feature writing, why not send me an email ruth@purplechameleon.com.au?  Don’t forget to sign up to Purple Chameleon News from my homepage.  The first issue for 2010 will be out soon.