Moira Allen reports:
"If you're just breaking into the writing business, you may be wondering if you should start by offering your work to nonpaying markets. Do new writers need to serve some sort of 'apprenticeship' in such markets before moving on to those that pay? Are nonpaying markets the only way for a new writer to break in? Sadly, some writers don't ask this question at all, assuming (for various reasons) that the answer must be '[Y]es.' Too many talented writers end up wasting considerable time writing for free, unable (or refusing) to believe that they could be paid for their material. At the heart of this issue are two misperceptions. The first is the assumption that one must somehow pay one's dues, 'crawl before one can walk,' in the writing business -- and that this involves working for no money. The second is the phrasing of the question itself. Instead of asking[,] 'Should I write for nonpaying markets?'[,] many writers should be asking[,] 'When should I write for nonpaying markets?'...Many writers believe that one's career must begin with nonpaying markets. Many articles extol the value of such markets for building clips, enabling one (theoretically) to move on to paying publications. Writers often assume that without a history of publication, no paying market will consider their work -- and thus, that they have no real choice. It isn't true. My own experience offers a good example: In the beginning of my career, I wrote exactly three 'unpaid' articles. The first (my first-ever publication) was for a monthly community paper. The second and third were for a weekly newspaper -- and these were based on the editor's promise that he would pay me once he had a freelance budget. By my fourth article, he did, and I was earning a whopping $15 per feature! Did those unpaid articles help me break into better markets? No...All you need are a good idea, the ability to turn that idea into a well-written article, and the confidence to send that article to an editor. If you can do all of the above, many editors truly do not care whether you've been published before or not. In short, if you have a choice between offering your material to a paying or a nonpaying market, there is no logical reason to choose the latter. The nonpaying market will always be there if you fail to sell the piece -- but it need not be your first choice, or even your second or third. If your goal is to become a paid professional, it's far better to exhaust all possibilities of payment before turning to markets that don't pay (rather than the other way around). After all, you only have to 'break in' once to be considered a paid author!...Sometimes you may want to write something for the sheer enjoyment of it -- whether it's likely to find a paying market or not. (After all, someone must be writing all those variations on 'how to bathe your cat' that circulate on the Internet!)...Instead of contributing money to organizations or issues you believe in, you may choose to donate your writing skills instead. Your 'payment' is often simply the knowledge that you are increasing awareness of an important issue. If you already have a 'name,' lending it to your chosen cause can be an important contribution in itself...You may enjoy contributing an occasional piece to your company, community, or church newsletter. Be careful, however: Once such organizations realize that you can write, you may be flooded with requests for more freebies. Before you say '[Y]es' the first time, be sure you will feel comfortable saying '[N]o' later...Many unpaid markets can be career-builders -- including your own website. Writing FAQs for your own site (or others), contributing articles to professional newsletters, or writing for professional journals can be good ways to build your reputation. They may also help you develop contacts that can lead to more lucrative work later...At a certain point in their careers, many writers (and others) feel an urge to 'give back' some of what they have learned over time. You may decide to write about 'what you know' as a way to mentor others in your field, or perhaps as a way to repay the mentoring you yourself received at one time. Sharing information may not make you rich, but it can be exhilarating...Seeing your byline is a thrilling experience -- but don't assume that the only way to get it is to give your work away. If you have a well-written story or article, why not send it to a paying market first? If it's accepted, you'll experience a double thrill: [t]hat of seeing your name in print, and of seeing it on a paycheck...Nonpaying markets are not a good place to test your abilities. Many such markets are stuck with whatever they can get (i.e., whatever unpaid writers will give them), which means that they often don't have the luxury of 'rejecting' mediocre writing. Getting published in such a market, therefore, is no true test of your marketability. A better test is to submit to paying markets; if your work is accepted, you have your answer, and if it is rejected, you can explore ways to improve your material. (Keep in mind that a single rejection is no indication of quality; some articles never sell, no matter how good they are. Test the market with more than one article, and test more than one market with the same article, if you're rejected by the first.)...To be blunt, if you don't think your material is worth publishing, why submit it to anyone? Nonpaying markets don't appreciate being dumping grounds for mediocre material. If you want to polish your work, do so through a class or critique group. Otherwise, send out your work -- and use the feedback you receive to identify areas where you may need improvement. 'Polishing' is a lifelong task; since it's never finished, you might as well start selling at the same time!...Loyalty is a wonderful thing, and it can be difficult to abandon an editor or publication who accepted your work when no one else would. It's also hard to say ['N]o['] to someone who has learned to count on you. However, recipients of such loyalty can sometimes misuse it: Editors of nonpaying publications would often prefer to hold on to a writer 'in the hand' (you) [rather] than seek out new sources. Don't let such a relationship interfere with your ability to move on to new markets...I've known too many writers who produced excellent material -- but felt that they weren't 'ready' to send that material to paying markets. This often involves issues of self-esteem, fear of rejection, fear of failure, or even fear of success. Most often, writers who make this excuse doubt themselves or even their 'right' to call themselves 'writers.'...Writing for free is simply an option, never a necessity. The bottom line is that if your writing isn't good (and you know it), your energies are best spent seeking ways to improve it. If your writing is good, and you believe in it, don't sell yourself short by failing to sell yourself at all!" Michael Elkins reports:
"Performing fire drills is an important part of emergency preparedness, and it is sometimes required by law. Through repetition of the drill, the involved parties will become accustomed to the disaster routine, knowing which exits to take and where to meet after they have fled the building. By recording your drills in a fire drill log, you will have proof of how often you performed the procedure, who was involved, how long the training took, and any concerns that came up during the process...Create a template using a word processing program or other productivity software to record your fire drills. Once the template is completed, save a master copy and print 'Use' copies to be completed at the time of the drill. Include blanks for the drill conductor's name, the date, and the times started and completed. Create a section for the names and signatures of the involved parties. Have everyone print and sign his or her name. Leave a notes section where you can record information about the drill, including concerns...Perform fire drills as often as required, or at least once every three months. Change the days and times of your drills." Anne Pyburn Craig reports:
"Soft news might be a story about a school program, a profile of a notable person or organization, or a human interest piece giving local insight into a social issue, but it may often be more relevant to readers' lives than a story about an accident or the arrest of an accused criminal. Unlike a hard news story, in which the first paragraph must contain the who, what, where, when, and why, a soft news story can begin with a paragraph crafted to hook the reader and draw him in...Your opening can be more literary or conversational, but within the first three paragraphs you want to include a 'nut graf' that gets the reader up to speed on the five basic Ws: 'The Visitor's Center, which held its ribbon-cutting last week, is located in the former Armory building at 235 Broadway. Four days a week, from Thursday through Sunday, an all-volunteer staff will be on hand to answer visitors' every question. The center is being managed by Mayor Jones' office, and is funded by the Community Development Corporation.'...Hard news is written in a very specific style, sticking strictly to the facts and avoiding poetic language or metaphor. Soft news allows the writer more room for creativity. Start by asking yourself what someone with no knowledge about your topic needs to know, and be certain to include that information. Make sure everything in your story is absolutely factual, but don't be afraid to use anecdotes, look for quirky angles to highlight[,] and include detail that brings your story to vivid life. Find out who is doing what, the forces that drive them, and how the situation feels, sounds, looks[,] and smells on the ground. Take the reader on a voyage of discovery...Wrap the essential information into a tidy package for your reader. You can use a more literary form here too, with an anecdote or quote...Make sure your reader has the information she needs and knows where to access more on the subject. This can often be done with an italicized sentence following the end of your story, rather than within it: 'The Visitor's Center is open Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. For more information, call (xxx)xxx-xxxx or visit www.website.org.'" Christopher Carter reports:
"A customer profile is an important part of your business plan. It should indicate thorough knowledge of your target market and who your potential customers are. A well-constructed customer profile helps a company spend advertising funds in a more efficient manner. Creating a customer profile allows your company to target all marketing resources at a particular segment of the population. Your company's target market must be large enough to sustain your business. All marketing efforts must be measurable...Identify your target market. You should have a thorough understanding of why customers would want to buy your product or service. This is based on the perceived features and benefits of your product or service. Your service or product should stress benefits to the customer. Benefits are the motivation that causes consumers to buy. This will lead to you understanding common characteristics of your customers...Break down your target market. There may be a temptation to try to sell to everyone you can. This approach will lead to failure. By focusing your attention on a specific group, your marketing materials can speak directly to the core desires and emotions of your customers. In addition, you'll ensure your company's marketing dollars are being spent where they will convert the highest number of sales. In your customer profile, you may choose to segment your target market according to gender, location or behavior...Include psychographic information in your customer profile. This provides a glimpse of the beliefs, values and emotions of your target market. Psychographic variables demonstrate the factors that motivate your customers to buy your product or service...Study the buying habits of your target market. If you understand the behavior and buying patterns of members of your target market, you'll have a better chance of selling your products or services to them. Identify...the most important benefits of your product or service to your customer...Use reference tools to research your target market. Using U.S. Census, county and city data will help provide you with valuable information about customers in your target market. Age, income, marital status and education are examples of information that should be included in your customer profile." Kathryn Hatter reports:
"When you use a personal car for business purposes, the Internal Revenue Service allows you to write off the business-related miles on your income tax return. To deduct this mileage from your taxes, you must keep careful records of the miles you drive each time you use your car for business reasons...Record your odometer reading on Jan. 1 of the new tax year. Keep track of this number for tax purposes...Record the date each time you get behind the wheel for a business-related matter. Note what the business driving was for -- going to an appointment to show a house, for example, if you are a real estate agent. Record the odometer reading before departing for business driving...Record the final odometer reading when your business driving has concluded for the day...Repeat this process each day that you use your car for business matters...Add up your business mileage at the end of each week and keep track of the weekly totals...Record your odometer reading again on Dec. 31, at the conclusion of the tax year. Subtract your initial Jan. 1 odometer reading from the final odometer reading to determine the total miles you drove your car for the entire tax year...Add up all your weekly mileage totals at the end of the year. This is your total annual business mileage...Transfer the business mileage information to IRS Form 2106 Part 2. Enter the total miles you drove your vehicle during the tax year on line 12, and enter the business miles on line 13. Complete the remainder of the form by following the line-by-line instructions...Do not include commuting miles in your mileage. The only miles you can include are business miles you drive to perform your job. If you drive directly between two jobs, you can include this mileage in your business mileage. If you drive a combination of business and personal miles on the same day, keep track of the different mileage for each and subtract the personal miles from the business miles to keep accurate accounting of the business miles only." Margaret Kay reports:
"Each different type font contains a different personality. In choosing an appropriate type font for a report, you must consider the readability of the font and the formality of the project in which it is used. The two basic type fonts, serif and sans-serif, can both be used depending on the nature of the report...If your report is informal, you can simply use the fonts that look the best. According to the Microsoft Office website, a sans-serif font is considered less formal than serif fonts and...perhaps more appropriate for more casual situations. However, if any part of your report contains large blocks of text, a serif font such as Times New Roman may be more readable. Use a sans-serif font such as Helvetica or a more artistic font such as Comic Sans MS for titles, headlines, and bullet points...Use a serif font if your report is formal. One of the most common fonts used for formal reports in academic, scientific, and media fields alike is Time[s] New Roman. If you're conducting a report as a part of an academic assignment, check with your instructor to see if there is a particular font requirement. It is often the case that professors and tutors require students to use a Times font in their reports. Other serif fonts that work well for formal reports are Georgia and Century...Use a serif font for a written report. Serif fonts have small lines sometimes called 'strokes,' 'feet'[,] or 'hooks' on the end of each letter. According to the Microsoft Office website, serif fonts are considered easier to read for large blocks of text. Serif fonts are used for most newspapers and books as each contain[s] a large amount of small text. Some commonly used serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, Palintino[,] and Century...Use sans-serif fonts if your report takes the form of a visual presentation, such as a PowerPoint slide show or a poster board display. Sans-serif fonts do not have the little 'feet' on the ends of letters and are often considered to look less formal or serious than serif fonts. Sans-serif fonts are commonly used for headlines and titles, with serif fonts used underneath to make up the 'body' of the text. If your report does not use large blocks of texts, but merely headlines, titles, and bullet points, sans-serif may be the better option. Some sans-serif fonts include Veranda, Helvetica[,] and Ariel." Mary Jane reports:
"A safety report is constructed and written by companies in various industries. It is commonly written by companies that deal with machinery, equipment of various types and items that require manual maintenance to ensure a safe environment for workers. When you write a safety report, you not only need to outline each piece of machinery or equipment that can be a hazard to workers, but you also need to create a maintenance schedule with tasks. Write an introduction [that] outlines the purpose of the safety report...Write a list of each piece of equipment or machinery you want to cover in the safety report. You should also provide a brief description of each item, including its purpose, what products it creates and how it is maintained to ensure it is functioning in a safe manner. Identify the equipment or machinery that serves more than one purpose...You need to outline each task and provide a list of how each task is performed. This can teach employees how to use the equipment in the safest manner possible. Outline the basic maintenance procedures for each piece of equipment. You should outline the responsibilities of the employees and what tasks are completed by an outside source, if applicable. It is important that workers know their responsibilities when it comes to safety maintenance of equipment. Make a schedule of the annual checks or tests that need to run on the equipment, particularly if it is the responsibility of the employees. Write a section outlining the basic repairs or faults that have been present in the past or are common for specific types of machinery. If possible, provide a troubleshooting list of things to do, should the equipment fail or need repairs. Have a manager or supervisor look over the report to see if all of the equipment in the facility or business has been covered." Kristie Lorette reports:
"Payroll plays a starring role in your business when you have employees you have to pay. If you’re relinquishing the payroll reins to an employee or hiring someone to take over payroll responsibilities, writing down the payroll procedures can shorten the learning curve. Writing payroll procedures also ensures the same outcome each time the payroll is processed—accurate and timely employee paychecks...Describe how employees document and submit time. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, an employer can use any timekeeping system it wishes...Write down how employees submit the time worked for the payroll period and how often payroll checks are cut...Go through the actions as you write. The best way to make sure that you include all of the steps necessary to process payroll is to write the steps as you go through the actions of doing the payroll...Write how to calculate employee wages...Discuss how to make payment adjustments. Describe the procedures the employee needs to take to make adjustments to the wages paid to the employees...List payment schedule. Include a description of the frequency payroll checks are cut (weekly, biweekly or monthly)...Describe how to print checks or submit payroll information to the payroll servicer. After the employee enters the payroll information into the computer software or time tracking system, describe how to print the payroll checks or submit the payroll records to the payroll service that prints the checks for the business...Maintain the records. The Internal Revenue Service suggests maintaining employee payment records, such as W-2s, timecards, tax statements and other payroll records for at least three years. Describe where these records are stored and how the employee should handle filing these records or saving these records (electronically and/or in hard copy form)...Ask an employee to test the rough-draft instructions. Once the first draft of the steps [is] written, ask an employee to follow the instructions to see if they process the payroll correctly. Allow the employee to provide feedback on areas of the instructions that didn’t make sense or they had problems doing...Write final steps. Using the feedback from the employee, refine and adjust the payroll procedures into a final format." Sara Heins reports:
"'About Us' descriptions – they help customers know what the heck your facility offers while, at the same time, letting Google, Bing and Yahoo index your page. So that means there are two very important audiences you need to impress: potential tenants and search engines...Indexing is when search engines take note of certain words and phrases you have on your page; they then rank your site when someone searches. They're more likely to crawl your pages, and then index them, as you add more content; think of writing new, unique pages as a beacon, signaling Google to stop by and check out what you've been up to lately...Don't just copy and paste a generic description across the board – it doesn't help your renters to diversify your facilities and the search engines look down on it as well...You need to incorporate the words your target market is looking for, and the sooner you mention them in your description, the better...Try to include your city, [state and] other storage related words, like 'self storage' or 'storage facility' in your very first sentence, along with the name of your property...List your city's 'landmarks,' whatever they may be. A landmark doesn't have to be something as famous as Mt Rushmore, either. Just think about what's important to your community's businesses and residents. Are you in a small town located near the only Walmart in the area? Perfect! Include that in your first paragraph. Other distinctive markers could be parks, military bases, elementary schools, intersections or whatever businesses you're around...Who else could benefit from your storage facility's services? Think of all the surrounding areas that may have potential tenants, and make sure to mention those cities in your description as well. If you don't mention a nearby city in your description, you're not going to rank for it, and you've just lost those customers. Back to our ideal location – if you're looking to rank in Honolulu, be sure to include Waikiki and Kalihi-Palama as well...Providing directions to your facility is not only helpful to your potential customers, but it's [also] a great chance for… more original content! Google Maps doesn't always get it right, either, so in order to provide the most accurate and useful directions to tenants, it's always best to write your own. Include the best way to reach your location from as many ways as possible; the more the better...Of course reaching one of the top positions on the front page of Google is important, but if future customers reach your site and it's filled with spammy garbage, you can bet they're going to hit the back button on their browser and start looking at your competitors' sites instead. That being said, it's important to find the fine balance between search engine optimization and the sweet spot of lead conversion. How can you accomplish this?
Barbara Weddle reports:
"Road-trip articles are two- to three-page features that outline a single- or multi-day journey taken by car, RV, or bike, describing things to do and see along a particular route. They can be as ordinary as a Sunday drive near home or as extraordinary as a weeks-long drive in some distant land. They can be a themed round-up of the best antique stores along Florida's I-95 coast or a mish-mash of unrelated things to do and see. They can be as short as an eleven-mile loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or as long as a nearly-fifteen-hundred-mile drive along the Alaska Highway. In all instances, however, a good road-trip article lures a traveler to the open road. Who can write one? Anyone who has a love for the open road and has decent grammar and writing skills...Start with a road trip that is familiar to you. You must have some first-hand knowledge of the featured area or route you intend to write about. This doesn't mean that you have to drive the route on a daily basis; obviously, if you're featuring a road trip you took in Sierra Leone, you very likely will never drive it again (unless, of course, you live there). Having driven your proposed road-trip-article route at least once, however, gives you a feel for it that you'd not have otherwise. Also, choose a route that appeals to you personally; if you find a particular route awe-inspiring, educational or just plain fun, it is likely that others will also...Choose a particular magazine to write for. Using as a guide one or more of the road-trip articles therein, pick them apart paragraph by paragraph, sentence by sentence, word by word, paying special attention to the magazine's tone, style, audience, mission and editorial priorities. For example, are stories told through itinerary alone, or does the magazine require a little of the local culture also? Ask yourself what makes that particular magazine's articles work. Apply those strategies to your own article, modifying it here, molding it there, to fit your own particular style. A great idea is to obtain brochures, road maps, visitors' guides, historical information, etc. from the visitors' centers or chambers of commerce of the area in which your road trip takes place. These will supply you with added information that you may not have discovered during your online research or your actual drive. Study the printed materials thoroughly, concentrating on those places that fit into your route, particularly those you intend to use in your article. Keep in mind, however, that it's the little-known facts and destinations, found only by your physical presence, that takes your article beyond just a 'good' road-trip article...[A road-trip article] must first inform travelers how to get to the place of origin...Anchoring the start of your trip with an interesting town or city, especially one with much to offer in the way of things to see and do, is a good way to begin your road trip. A good road-trip article must have authenticity. The article must not only show that the writer is thoroughly familiar with the itinerary, but [also] that he is alert to its subtle nuances and those of the people along the route. An author must hold the traveler's hand. An eye for strong images and the ability to commit those images to paper is also essential. Tell the reader how long a particular road trip is, both in mileage and [in] days; if the trip will take longer than one day, suggest what hotel in what town [travelers] might spend the night or nights so as to break up the trip into workable chunks. The article must give step-by-step or mile-by-mile directions in which you highlight points of interest, eateries, shopping options, hotels or B&Bs and other attractions or amenities along the route, all woven seamlessly into the article along with evocative descriptions of scenery and tidbits of local culture and history (all depending upon the particular requirements of the publication you're writing for, of course)...A basically lineal road-trip route is the norm; however, it may occasionally digress slightly so that travelers can check out something especially noteworthy away from the route. Bear in mind, however, that it's best that digressions be within approximately a five-mile radius of the main route, give or take, and that precise instructions for returning to the main route be given. A good road-trip article provides accurate information. All directions and locations must be precise...Times of tours, events, etc. should be coordinated with itineraries so that [travelers] don't miss them. Fees for such events should be given as well as all other pertinent information. Misinformation on the part of the writer can disrupt or even ruin a traveler's trip. Finally, the article must be written clearly so that the traveler will find the itinerary easy to read and understand. Service information (often given as a sidebar) such as a printed map of the route, what is new along the route, emergency information, safety tips, handy apps to take along, tips on where to get money-saving coupons for restaurants, hotels, entertainment, etc., special items you might need to take along for extreme environments, etc. are also essential. Other information such as back roads too narrow and winding for RVs, what type of vehicle to consider for that rough drive in the mountains, warnings or safety precautions such as road conditions, torrential rains, fire danger, steep elevations, etc. are also helpful. The article must inform a traveler where to obtain further information (chambers of commerce, [websites], welcome centers, national- and state-park maps and/or ranger stations, etc.). The article should include suggestions on the best time of year to make the road trip...Tell the reader when a particular location might be extremely hot and humid or bitterly cold, so that the reader can plan travel around personal comfort. What is a travel article without photos? Take copious photos of your road-trip itinerary; photos are usually required, and, in any case, they make your article more salable...Ideally, you should drive your subject route one final time after your article is completed but before you send it in. This is the time for you to verify locations, mileages, directions, etc. Do route numbers, highway [numbers and] names of interstates still match those given in your article? Is that 'down-home' little restaurant still located in that rambling, wood-frame building in Keene, population 80, or has it closed its doors? Highway construction or natural disturbances may have altered routes...If re-visiting your proposed road-trip route is not possible, the skilled teams at the local visitor's centers and chambers of commerce will be more than glad to assist you in your verification process. Finally, keep copies of all your research and printed materials, references, sources, [notes and] quotes. An editor may ask you for verification of something during the magazine's fact-checking process." |
Writing and editing can be pretty rigorous processes if you want to do them well, but that's what this page is here for. Check out the latest tips here. Archives
April 2024
CategoriesJ.D. Parsons
Author SEO Writer Proofreader Editor Internet Researcher |
Proudly powered by Weebly