Avoiding Pitching Pitfalls

Pitching ideas to editors is the lifeblood for every freelancer. And for me, if an editor says, "Send me your ideas," it's my opportunity to prove that I have the researching ability to handle any topic. It also gets my foot in the door, because once an idea is accepted, it opens opportunities for more stories to be eventually assigned.

But sometimes I actually choose not to send ideas to an editor, based on the initial email response from them.

The only comparison I can make to this is dating: I sift through a lot of people, and I have eliminated men based on what they may or may not say to me ... not in person, but in an email.

In person, everybody is putting their best foot forward and uses non-verbal communication to their advantage. But in an email, people have a tendency to say what they really think. I'm not sure why or how this happens, but a computer screen automatically tears down a psychological barrier to people saying things they otherwise may not say in person. For example, I lean strongly to one political argument. On a date, if a man tells a political joke, he'd pick up my non verbal cues on whether I agreed with the joke. But in an email, he can send a joke freely and not fully anticipate my response. Why on earth would anyone send out a political joke in an email when they can't predict how the other person will react, I can't tell you, but it happens to me a lot. And if I know that a person is on the opposite polar spectrum of a political issue, chances are we're not going to agree on other meaningful areas in life. I don't have to waste anyone's time or money on a date.

So. How does this relate to shopping for editors?

Let's look at what happened to me yesterday.


I'm on vacation, which may or may not have set up my frame of mind to reject this editor, but suffice it to say, I'm glad I had the presence to walk away.

I sent an introductory email to an editor at a trade magazine for theaters -- not the kind where you see movies, but where you'd go for live, dramatic productions. I'd written for this magazine from 2001-2003, but the pay was low, and I'd move on. But I took a renewed look at its Web site and thought I'd test the waters to see if pay had risen in 10 years. I enjoyed writing for the former editor, so I sent the new editor an offer to come up with a list of ideas.

Yesterday morning in my hotel room, he got back to me ... and it was clear from his email that he thought he was doing me a favor. You know how this works if you're on a date, especially if you're a woman. Think of it as a guy taking you out for dinner and overtly checking out every other woman in the restaurant.

So this editor says, "Go ahead and send me a list of your ideas. And I only work with writers who have experience in the theater, so tell me why you're qualified to write these stories."

Well, I picked up a hint of snobbery. Let's look at our dating analogy. It's like a guy saying, "I'll take you out to dinner, but be aware that I'll be looking at other women the entire time we're out. And I only date blonds, so if you're a brunette, no chance, but let me know why you think we'd be a good match, anyway."

But I wanted to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. So I responded that I had 24 years of reporting experience on many subjects and easily adapt to writing about any area. I've written about everything from rocket scientists at NASA to window treatments in pizza restaurants ... and, point in fact, I'd also written for his magazine about theaters. I explained to him that I didn't want to waste time for both of us -- mine to research story ideas, or his if he was going to dismiss me for not currently working in theater.

Here's the way I saw this situation: An editor who understands how experienced reporters work understands that they are chameleons and have no problem at all researching and presenting stories for the targeted professional audience. But an editor who is a little too puffed up with self-importance would make things difficult for even a producer at "60 Minutes." It's just not worth the time and effort to try to please someone like that. The hint is that these types of editors will insist on people who only work in their industry. And, of course I see that as short-sighted, because they are missing out on an opportunity to work with someone who can give stories a fresh and objective eye, while digging thoroughly to uncover an insightful storyline.

I sent this editor my email and then left on the second part of my trip -- a six-hour drive to Charleston, SC.

This morning, as I got ready for a day at the Isle of Palms, I pulled up my email and saw that the editor had responded, unfortunately in the way I had predicted he would.

He agreed that it would be a waste of time for me to send him ideas, because he would not work with me if I didn't have theatrical experience. BUT, he said, "If you come across a burning story that needs to be told, let me know!"

And that's all I needed to know that if I'd submitted my ideas, not only would he have rejected me as a contributor, but he more than likely would have taken those ideas and given them to one of his "theatrically experienced" writers.

I could draw another dating comparison here for you, but let's keep this blog at "Rated PG."

Bottom line here is ... don't waste time coming up with ideas for a potential editor if you haven't screened them for whether they really are interested in using you. If I'd jumped at putting ideas together for this guy, I would have used precious time during my vacation, only to be told that I lacked his desired "experience."

And now ... I'm off to sand and palm trees ... I may not have an assignment in hand, but I'm glad I'll be spending today in the surf rather than at my laptop, churning work for a person that never would have validated my efforts in the first place.

Freelancing & Thinking Outside the Box for New Clients

I've been freelancing since 2001, and I consistently receive the question:

"How do you find your clients?"

Right now I'm shaking up my apple cart and thought this would be a good time to address it.

The first thing, right off the bat, is a no-brainer:

You have to make cold calls. And I'm not talking about a few. The percentage of return is 1. So for every 100 cold calls you make, expect one client. This is not for the faint of heart, but if you want to make it in this business and this economy, this is required. Set aside a few days in ONE week to do NOTHING but COLD CALLS, and you'll find that business starts to pick up.

But let's drill this down a little further: How do I decide WHICH type of magazines to call?

This is where I get creative, because if I don't think outside the box, I will never survive. I do NOT hit the magazines that you'll see in the supermarket stands: the Ladies' Home Journals or the Maxims. Yes, these pay a lot of money, and they'd be a plum in the pudding. But there's too much competition to get into those, and frankly, it's a waste of my time to pitch them when the odds are too high at getting a "yes."

I fly under the radar and hit the magazines that no one considers: the trade publications.

I look at it this way: 1) At this stage in my career, I don't need the ego boost of a byline in a five-star publication. At age 29, I hit my career goal, which was to land a job with The Associated Press. I successfully wrote for the AP until age 33, and after that, I was done with the ego trip. So the only reason I'd pitch the big magazines is for my ego ... and frankly, I have bills to pay, and the ego sits on the shelf. It's a matter of survival. and 2) I don't need to go after magazines that feature celebrities. I have no interest in doing interviews with celebrities. The reason is simple: I really enjoy movies, and that's an area of my life that I consider "play time." I don't want to mix work and play, and if I covered celebrities, the line would be crossed, and "play time" would no longer be fun for me. It's the same reason I'd never try to do a feature story on a Pittsburgh Steeler, either, because I've been a fan since age 10. It's too weird for me to cross those two worlds.

OK. So now we come to the question ... how do I choose my trade magazines?

I look under my nose.

What I mean by that is, think about what is governing your life -- not just your personal interests, but the day-to-day things that affect you.

Let me give you an example from my own life:

I have a child who has Asperger's Syndrome and is on a highly-functional scale of autism. "Aspies," as we call them within our community, usually have strong fixations on one particular subject and exhaust their knowledge on it. In my child's case, he loves Sonic the Hedgehog and has fixated on this gaming character since age 5. As he has matured, this fixation has morphed into a concentration on computers, software programs, gaming, you name it.

Now last night we went to a movie theater and saw a preview for a new film where a bad character in a video game wants to become good. My child has talked non-stop about this ever since then.

That got me thinking.

I went to his book shelf and pulled out a magazine that heretofore I have ignored, "Game Informer."

Would you find "Game Informer" on a supermarket shelf? I haven't seen it. We get it, because we have a GameStop membership. This publication reviews games and cross compares hardware for gaming systems and how different games play on different system apps. My kid loves it, even though it's largely written for the adult audience (another aspect of his Asperger's is that he has the reasoning ability of a 17 1/2 year-old, even though he is 9).

Now truthfully, I don't think I have enough industry knowledge to write for "Game Informer."

But this is what I'm going to do:

I'm going to go to writersmarket.com and search trade magazines on video gaming. I'm going to search magazines devoted to autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, ADD and gifted children. I'm going to search magazines devoted to parenting. AND I'm going to search children's market magazines -- those whose audience is children, not adults.

This is a new genre for me, because my current magazines focus on real estate sales, entrepreneurship, information technology and engineering, diversity in the workplace, the military, job hunting -- and I also write for one university's alumni magazine for graduates of its business school.

You can see that I don't focus on one particular area or issue in my client list. That's because in this economy, to survive, you have to be diversified. When one area falls off (real estate, for example), another area needs me to do more writing (the military, for example).

I write for eight different trade magazines.

Now I'm going to take my little Aspergers/Sonic the Hedgehog/gaming brainstorm and spin that out and see if I can land a client in one of these related fields.

And I can tell you for certain that if I stick with my 1 percent rule, I will find at least one new client.

Will there be 100 publications on these topics? Most likely, NOT. That's why I don't stop there. I keep looking "under my nose" to see what OTHER areas in my life might lead to OTHER magazines. This was just one example of how I do it.

Hope it helps you, and if you have any questions, feel free to post here or ping me on Twitter! I usually stick with my "play time" on Twitter by chatting with people about movies. But I'm happy to answer any questions there, too, at https://twitter.com/lovemrthornton. (And if you want to know who "Mr Thornton" is, you'll just have to watch a little-known British film called, "North and South." :-)

And now I'm off to write up four stories due next week ... and then, to find any magazines that deal with Sonic the Hedgehog.

Good luck in your own hunt!

The Most Obvious Secret in the World: Changing Your Byline

Now we come to the topic that male journalists never have to face:

A name change.

I was married in 2001, and at the time, changing my name and my byline was a no-brainer. I'm a traditional girl at heart, and I actually enjoyed explaining to people why my name was different. After all, a wedding is a happy affair.

Fast forward to this year, when my divorce was finalized after a 2-year separation ... and I had a tough choice to make.

For a lot of women, the question of returning to a maiden name usually involves the emotions and well-being of their children from a marriage ... and beyond that, you have the hassle of changing the name on everything from the water bill, to voting records, to the Social Security card.

For a woman journalist, whose byline advertises her "body of work," especially now on the Internet, that name change comes with a much larger price.

I ran the whole thing by a few friends in the business, and one person who represents celebrities in LA as a publicist warded me off of changing anything. "You'll have to explain yourself to people," he said. "It's information they don't need to know."

I chewed on my lip for a few weeks after that, considering it.

In the end, I decided that my name represented more than what was on a mailing label -- or even what was printed over articles I'd written.

It went to the core of who I was before I was married ... and that I have returned to that same "person" today. When all was said and done, I wanted people to know me or remember me by the last name with which I was born, not the one that tied me to a memory of a failed marriage.



Changing a name is a very individualized decision. For sure, this one created a lot of confusion! But in the end, I'm really glad I went this route. I tell people, "My friends call me, 'Heidi,' but my closest friends -- those who know the details of my life -- call me, 'Russell.'" Since I was a teenager, "Russell" was more than a last name. It was a warm nickname. In it is tied up the feisty, mischievous and devil-may-care person who first decided she wanted to break balls in a newsroom. I still get a charge every time one of my confidants calls me on the phone and says, "Hey, Russell, what trouble are you causing today?" I still love to hear from someone who will say gleefully, "I'm so glad you went back to your old name!"

Yes, it may confuse people when they search, "Heidi Lynn Russell" and only find a handful of articles on Google. It may have been better for my own credibility to keep the moniker, "Heidi Russell Rafferty" as my official byline, because if you search that name, you'll find far more than you want to see.


That's okay.

Because Heidi Lynn Russell really isn't the same person that Heidi Russell Rafferty was.

And with that small change, even though I may not get the recognition for the volume of work that exists under the married name, I'm back to the person I was before, except stronger, better ... and wiser.

A Journalist's Life: The Observer on the Fringes

Recently a friend of mine decided to try her hand stringing for a paper and covering a local school board.

The problem was that the editor had assigned her to the school district where her children attend. A busing controversy was on the table for discussion. My friend covered the meeting and quoted parents who were against the initiative.

And if you're a journalist, you can probably guess what happened next: The people who were quoted said they never said what they said.

(We've heard that before, haven't we?)

Luckily, my friend had the backing of witnesses and also a recording. In fact, she'd quoted the folks accurately, and as you already know, they were just angry that they were spotlighted as the jackasses they really are.

Now you'd think it would stop there, but it heats up a little: These people also were my friend's friends. So right on the heels of this story, there was a birthday party ... and then following that, there were other social events .... and if you've ever covered a nasty story where everyone is throwing rocks at each other, you know the result: My friend has been dealing with some pretty nasty comments, gossip and ostracism.

As a stringer who had no experience covering local stories, it's understandable how someone could find themselves in this position. And as I've been talking to her about how to deal with it, it has brought up some introspection and revelation about myself and my career.

I discovered that I've always been an observer of life on the fringes. I started my career at age 23 and am now 47. That's 24 years of watching people. Even after I left newsrooms 12 years ago to go full-time freelancing, I never really jumped full-force into the pool of society. Maybe it was out of habit. Maybe it was out of fear. Maybe it was from cynicism that I knew people were not as they portrayed themselves. Maybe it was from simple lack of social skill development! After all, I've kept the rest of society at bay purposely.

The bottom line here is that as journalists, we can't afford the luxury of being in the world like everybody else. If you're going to cover a story, you have to remain objective. That's impossible to do if you're friends with those involved with the subject matter. Kudos to you if you've pulled this off, but face it. We're all human. Eventually, someone is going to get to you.

You may be skeptical that I have kept up this mantra for two-and-a-half decades.

But after I thought about my friend's scenario, I realized that I really have. My closest friends are those who worked alongside me in newsrooms -- or were friends of those newsroom friends. Those of you who know me might say, "Well you're a Christian. Certainly you have friends from church." Nope! I had many cases where people within churches didn't want to socialize with me because they knew I was a reporter. I had another scenario where I questioned the finances of one church where I'd gotten heavily involved and was attacked on the Internet by those members.

Whether it's by personality or the constricts of the journalist's job .... If you're thinking of getting into this profession, please know this right up front: You will see people as they are, and you are not going to be popular. If you're not okay with that, find another profession, for your own peace of mind.

And if you are ... welcome to the brotherhood that we call, "Journalist."

Why Did that Reporter Stand Me Up?

Part  2 of this series ...


The next question on Twitter about journalists' bad habits and manners surprised me a little, because I thought the answer was self-evident. But then I realized that during my 12 years of covering events for four newspapers and The Associated Press, I had indeed heard this complaint numerous times:


"I ask you for a loc. agreement or release form to cover an event. You ignore & cover anyway. Or worse. You commit to covering an event, only to not show up! No explanation, email, nothing."




Well, the first part of that question is easy. If you want a reporter to be at an event, don't make them go through the added hassle of filling out paperwork to cover it. You run the chance that you'll annoy them so that they'll skip it, or, just like this question says, they'll show up without walking through your process first. Why? 


The answer is simple: Time. Understand that a reporter is ruled by the clock. We don't have time to fill out paperwork or get permission to do things. If you want us there, then it's incumbent on you to make it as easy as possible for us to cover your event. This isn't a garden party. This is a news event. You don't issue invitations and expect people to R.S.V.P. Those social niceties don't apply. You want coverage so that your client can get maximum public exposure. So it's up to you, as the host, to grease the skids as much as possible so that the reporter can get in, get the information, and get out as quickly as possible. They don't care about pleasantries or paperwork or asking for permission. They just want the information. Call it rudeness, but they're not concerned about that. 


Have you ever fed a cat in the morning? What does the cat do? Does the cat sit blandly in the window and wait patiently for you to serve up the kittles? No way. That cat badgers you and jumps in your face if you're still sleeping to wake you up. That cat winds around your legs and cries and cries while you open the bag or can of food. That cat doesn't look up when you place the food in front of it. It just shoves its face into the plate and eats as if you haven't fed it in 2 weeks.


OK.


The journalist is your cat. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but ... if you want the attention from the cat later, then give the cat what it wants, and don't necessarily expect a thank you in return. Your thanks is the news coverage. That's it.


As for the second part of the question ... why do reporters stand you up?


Answer:


Follow the smoke, Sherlock.


It's not personal. It has nothing to do with whether you're waltzing into the newsroom like Grace Kelly and charming the pants off of the metro desk with home-baked brownies. (Yes, I've seen PR people do that.)


Plain and simple, a bigger story came up.


A building blew up.


The governor had an affair.


A school bus crashed.


A courtroom defendant just pulled out a gun and mowed down the jury.


You get the idea.


You may have planned the best PR event in the world, with the New York City Rockettes to kick it off. Literally.


But if hard news shows up? You're getting kicked to the curb, and no one -- no one -- is going to take five minutes to pick up the phone and apologize to you. Remember the cat analogy. They're on to the next bright shiny object. If that object is shining more brightly than yours, take a back seat.


Is there a way to avoid something like this from happening? Sometimes. You can plan your event for a slow news day -- a Saturday or the day after Christmas, for example. I can tell you from personal experiences that reporters are just begging for a story on those days. And you may even make a friend for the future. 


You also can make sure there's enough incentive so that if a hard news story does come along, you won't get bumped. How? Make sure your event or person ties into an issue or addresses an ongoing story that's taking place locally. If your story advances another news story, then when the reporter is told by Psycho Editor to cover the fire, they can say, "Well, we have this kitten sale at the elementary school on the calendar, and it's important to cover, because they're going to be addressing the PTA President's embezzlement at a press conference beforehand."


At that point, the editor says, "Oh, right, yeah, that's important. I'll get Joe Schmuck to cover the fire instead."


The bottom line is this: You are the suitor. The reporter is Paris Hilton. You want Paris Hilton, but she has a million things going on, and she isn't going to stop to apologize to you if she can't make it. She also isn't going to fill out paperwork to spend time with you.


So make sure you create an event that will keep her interested enough to show up, no matter what.


And if she doesn't show up?


Don't complain to her. Because no one likes a whiner. 


As for Paris? She just won't care.

Why is That Reporter Rude?

So on Twitter yesterday, some PR professionals weighed in on relationships with journalists. One in particular had some valid concerns about the unprofessional way in which he'd been treated. 


If you're in PR, or, a "Flak" as we "journos" sometimes disparagingly call you, this blog entry is for you. And thanks to my new friend Eric Bryant at http://gnosisarts.com/home/Internet_PR for bringing up these questions. 


Today, we tackle the first:


"You wouldn't think that journos were PR's best friends. I can count on 1 hand the # of journos who have been courteous to me." 


So .... why the lack of courtesy? 


A few things are going on behind the scenes, if you're calling a journalist who is working at a daily newspaper, television station, radio station or AP wire service:


1) They're on deadline. I don't know if you've ever tried to write a 10-inch story in 15 minutes or less, but when something breaks and you have that amount of time to finish your phone calls and then crank out accurate, creative, tight copy, you're just not in the frame of mind for a pleasant phone conversation. As a PR professional, your best bet for an adequate chat is to find out when the newsroom is in full deadline mode. Then don't call during that window of time, unless you have a breaking story or quote to offer on one. If you do call, expect a curt and abrupt reception.


2) They're dealing with a psychotic editor.  Let me put this as plainly as I can: the editor sets the tone for the stress level in the newsroom. I've worked with lovely editors who were stand-up individuals and who understood that encouraging reporters was the most effective way to generate the best articles. 


But forgive me if I sound bitter when I say that the industry we know as daily journalism is highly dysfunctional. A lot (a lot!) of emotional abuse takes place behind the closed doors of a newsroom. I've had editors who riddled me with so many obscenities it was as if their mouths were machine guns. One used to throw a pencil at my head when he didn't like my leads. I had another who sexually harassed me. Another slept with my male colleagues and sang their praises to the AP national desk in New York while she pummeled the copy of the female reporters. Another one usually reeked of alcohol from the night before.


OK.


You get the idea.


Now this reporter, who is dealing with a living character out of a Stephen King novel, gets a chirpy phone call from YOU. Forgive me for saying this, but if you get two words out of that person, then consider that person to be polite, because it's amazing they can put two words together at all.


Want to know why a reporter doesn't show up for your news event? Tune in tomorrow.

The Power of Music in Your Writing

I'm about to reveal something very strange:

I dream music.

That's right. Occasionally, I'll have a dream that involves nothing but the sound of music. And these aren't songs I know ... these are compositions that my mind creates ... while I sleep.

Don't get too excited -- I'm no Mozart. I can't actually put the stuff down on paper. I just wake up, hearing the music I've just dreamed in my head, and I usually hum it through the day. (Would that I could compose it, but that's a gift that eludes me).

Even though I can't write the music I'm hearing, I use it as a vehicle for more creating. It sparks me internally, gives me that heave-ho I need to put words down on paper (or in this case, the computer screen) and bathes my mind in the peace it needs to compose the lyrical structure of prose.

What do I do when I'm not dreaming music?

Well, today is a perfect example. I'm writing up stories for a technology magazine. These aren't always the types of stories that inspire one to create a blissful scene or dialogue. However, if I'm writing to the backdrop of music from "The Lord of the Rings" or "Prince of Persia," suddenly, my mind is alive again. I'm able to fully engage my copy, as if it were a long-lost, elusive love.

So here's what I want you to do ... dig deep and think about the music that inspires you.

Then, when you really want to punch out the prose ... play it. Sing it. Hum it. Blast it.

And maybe you'll even dream it.

Music has power. Harness it, love it ... and believe me, baby, it'll love you right back.

My Evelyn Salt Inspiration

Don't ever think of the beginning of your story as the "lead." That's such a clinical, sanitary term for something that ought to be a boisterous shout or poetic whisper of an introduction to your prose.


I like to think of the opening paragraph as my "nugget" -- a gleaming jewel of information that catches sunlight and reflects a dazzling prism.


But how to unearth it?


I have a perfect example from yesterday.


Once every six weeks, I write about technological or engineering corporations or government agencies. Sometimes, these stories completely numb my mind, especially if I'm trying to cobble them together on a Saturday afternoon. (And especially if I'd rather be sitting at a pool than in my tomb of a living room on a hot summer day.)


This story was no different. It was about the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, otherwise known as the DTRA. To be frank with you, when I see acronyms in my notes -- even in the first sentence of my notes -- I get completely zombie-fied.


I was so deadened to the prospect of writing this story that I fell asleep sitting up. I'm not making this up.


After my short cat nap, I decided that rather than try to force the piece, I'd watch a movie. So I plucked up "SALT" on my Netflix account and gave it a whirl. If you've seen the movie, you know it's filled with espionage and big boom-booms and lots of high-speed scenes.


Voila!


There, on the screen, was a scene right out of my notes -- a description of the IT professionals doing their jobs for national security as they tried to track down Angelina Jolie, aka Evelyn Salt.


Suddenly ... I was inspired. I watched the movie to the end, and then I came up with this nugget:


"These are the people who stand between you and disaster: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA/Fort Belvoir, VA). The DTRA’s mission sounds like the backdrop for an action-thriller film: It’s the Department of Defense’s official Combat Support Agency that counters weapons of mass destruction."



Sometimes, discovering the nugget in the story isn't as dreary as my task of yesterday. Your source may give you the gem of a quote, or during the reporting of the piece, you may have stumbled into a scene that stayed fixed in your mind. (I once covered an apartment house fire, and the firemen were shooting so much water into the structure that it gushed out of four windows. My "nugget" described the windows as "gaping like astonished mouths.")


Other times, as it was for me yesterday, you just need to give your brain the R&R it needs to give the Muse entree.


Don't actively seek the nugget. If you're stuck, do as I did and take a break. When your brain is ready for it, the nugget will jump out at you like a Jack-in-the-Box.


When it does, that's when you'll get your "Evelyn Salt Inspiration." Then grab onto that inspiration like you would Angelina Jolie on the top of an oil tanker ... and give the readers the ride they deserve.

Bread-and-Butter Writing vs. Bliss Writing

Writers often bemoan that they can't get paid to do the type of writing they love to do.

So I have a solution.

Do both.

I call this, "Bread-and-Butter Writing vs. Bliss Writing."

Here's how it works for me: I write for trade magazines. Those stories are my "Bread-and-Butter Writing." Sometimes, the topics I'm covering are less than interesting to the average bear. And that puts the onus on me to make them sparkle as much as possible.

How do I do it?

I do it with my "Bliss Writing."

Besides this blog, I have two others that focus on my Christian faith. In those, I do the research and writing that I love to do. I don't get paid for these blogs, mostly because I feel that if I'm sharing my faith or information about God, I shouldn't make people pay for that.

In addition, I'm working on a novel. Research for that will require travel to Turkey. While I'm researching the novel and studying the Turkish language, I'm also coming up with story lines and the way in which I want to spin my tale.

Now suppose I'm in the middle of a HORRIBLE Bread-and-Butter assignment. I mean, mind-numbing awful. You know the types of stories I'm talking about, right?

Even if I'm on a deadline, I will take a break from my suffering with my Bliss Writing. I'll head over to one of my blogs, or I'll dig up some more novel research. You may think that this takes away valuable time from the matter at hand. But it actually has an opposite effect.

When I focus on the writing I love to do, something happens creatively with me. Truthfully, I don't know if anyone has done a scientific study of this (and if they haven't, they should). But when I dive into the creative story ... suddenly the Bread-and-Butter story takes shape in my mind. Suddenly, I have my lead, my focus, my structure. Suddenly, the words just FLY.

Does it matter that I get paid for my Bliss Writing? I won't lie -- I would love to see my novel published and on book shelves in Barnes & Noble. But life is short! Why not dig into what I love while I also use that same skill to make my livelihood?

We'd all love to write the things we love to write AND get paid for them. But if you want a life where ... say ... you make enough money to travel to Turkey to interview people and research a novel in archaeological digs for a splendorous work of art ... then take the Bread-and-Butter assignments.

Be grateful for them.

And then let your Bliss Writing fuel your Muse. Because I guarantee you, that Muse WILL awaken. The Bread-and-Butter Writing will no longer seem a chore ... but actually, you might be surprised when it transforms into Bliss.

The Power of Positive People on Your Freelancing Business

During the past couple of days, I've been engaging in an online freelance writers' forum. The person who posted the discussion topic was frustrated with people who would write for a nickel a word.

What poured out from that was a deluge of negativity. People discussed how the economy had affected their ability to land assignments paying a decent wage.

I was surprised by the responses. I've been freelancing solo for 10 years (June is my decade anniversary). I've never been without clients, and I've never worked for anyone who paid me the pittance that was described in that writers' forum.

As I reflected on this last night, I realized the reason I've succeeded:

From the get-go, I surrounded myself with positive people.

These people were writers, journalists, editors ... but they also were friends who were solo entrepreneurs. One is a public speaker, for example. (Denise Ryan of Firestar speaking is a dynamo! To see what I'm talking about, check out her positive site at www.firestarspeaking.com)

And, I made a habit in those early days of attending a local coffee group of entrepreneurs. We were all in different businesses -- from real estate to masseuse professionals. But we all had one thing in common. We were positive that our efforts would succeed. We shared tips on how we grabbed the cream of the customers, while our competition lagged behind with the dregs.

Those people infused me with so much energy and optimism! Back then, I think I realized something without even knowing it -- that successful people will always see the gold in the clouds, while everyone else sees the rain.

Yes, we are in a dire economic period.

But let me tell you some of the things I've survived during the past decade:

Three months after I launched my business, the Twin Towers fell. Talk about a bad time to start!

My former husband was sent to war 3 times.

I had a horrific pregnancy in which I was told 4 times that my child was dead. (He was born healthy.) And 3 weeks after a C-section, I bid adieu to my husband as he crossed the sea to Iraq for several months.

I've gone through four moves since I started my business.

I've had five surgeries in a 7-year period.

Last year, I had to leave my marriage ... for reasons I really can't state here. Suffice it to say, the past 12 months have been nothing short of hell.

OK ... the reason I tell you all of this:

I have never gone for one month without business.

I have the best editors in the world.

I have the best paying-people in the world.

I am surrounded by kind, positive and compassionate professionals.

I talk to people globally for my stories.

I'm able to balance my crazy single-mom-hood status with a full plate of stories. Every month. Every month. Every month.

And on average, I'm paid $1 a word.

Now.

If you listen to people in chat rooms and forums, if you drag yourself into their negativity, guess what? You will be convinced that they're right.

Surround yourself with positive individuals. No, I'm not a Pollyanna. I am a realist. And I am realistically telling you: If you give yourself the gift of positive influence, you will thrive as a freelancer.

Feel free to contact me if you need a boost of energy!

Mastering the Motivated Interviewee

Part 4 of this series ...

If someone approaches you and asks you to do a certain story about them, their issue or the person they're representing, it's important that you examine their motive.

Sometimes this type of interview is really quite innocuous. You're covering the local school district, and the PR person requests a story about a kindergarten class that is learning Spanish by emailing pen pals in Peru. Puff pieces like that are no-brainers. Of course, the motive is to garner public support, but the copy is good filler for your publication and a fun story to write at that.

But what I'm talking about are those stories where the motive is a little more fuzzy and where ascertaining it is akin to snatching at vapor.

In those cases, you actually have to work at the article for a while before you really find out what lies beneath the story request. Sometimes, the person does have a valid reason for approaching you: A social injustice has been done, or they really are in the midst of a personal plight that needs to be exposed.

On the other hand ... beware of the glad-hander, the enthusiastic smooth-talker. If you've been a journalist for a while, you know the type of person to which I'm referring. But if you're a novice, the best advice I can give you is to trust your gut when you meet a person like this.

OK, so ... let's look at one example.

When I was at the AP, I covered the state House in Pennsylvania. A politician who was known for his family values platform and was generally well-regarded came into my newsroom one day, personally looking for me. Now this was a red flag. For a politician to seek out a reporter openly? They were hard up to get press. Usually they had "people" to do that for them.

Anyway, this guy was launching an "investigative committee" into organizations that had in the past received strong support from the Legislature.

I have to admit that I was intrigued. Anyone who tosses around the word, "investigative" is either a pit bull looking to expose wrongs -- or someone with a hidden motive to use their power for personal gain.

I started covering these "hearings" and discovered that the "investigation" was on groups like The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. As I listened to more and more of the testimony, it became very clear that this was a Republican legislator who was bent on pursuing his own agenda and using his party's political strength to harass legitimate groups with whom he disagreed.

So I continued to cover the hearings, but behind the scenes I did interviews with those who had been targeted -- and with legislators who disagreed on the premise behind the "investigative committee."

After I wrote up my story, the committee was disbanded.

Now ... was I duplicitous? Yes, I admit it. I was. When interviewing someone who comes to you for a story, sometimes it is necessary to keep your own questions to yourself and mask your skepticism. If you start barraging them with things like, "Why are you doing this?" or, "This smacks of impropriety," you're not going to get anywhere in finding out the truth.

So here's my advice on mastering the Motivated Interviewee:

Play along.

Cover the story.

Don't commit to writing the story, though. Just cover it. See what's going on. Allow the person to lead you through it. If they have people they want you to interview, interview them. Give everyone as much face time as possible. Be enthusiastic when talking to them. Let them go on about whatever it is for as long as they like. You know the phrase about giving someone enough rope to hang themselves? In this case, unfortunately, it applies.


And then ... go find the people who don't agree with what's going on. Find out from them the reason behind the story request.

Always be vigilant about hidden motives. Sometimes, the Motivated Interviewee will be extremely convincing about the justness of their cause. If you're a novice reporter, make sure you discuss all of this with your editors before diving in.

Then trust your gut.

You got into this business for a reason, and if you're like me, it was probably to unearth untruths.

So listen to your instinct.

If, after interviewing the naysayers, you decide this is a worthy cause after all, then pursue it with rigor.

But 9 times out of 10?

You'll discover that the Motivated Interviewee is after one thing:

Personal gain.

And after that, the story will look nothing like the one you thought you were getting.

Mastering the Hard-News Story Interviewee

Part 3 of this series ...

When you're sent out on a tough news story, of course you're going to encounter people who don't want to talk to you.

At all.

So how do you get information from them? Keep in mind these are people who hate to see you coming. They could be politicians hiding something ... victims of a crime or tragedy ... or lawyers or police who are guarding information about their case. You get the idea.

These interviews are not for the faint of heart, and what it comes down to is a psychological war. You, the interviewer, need information. They, the interviewees, are not about to give it to you.

But it can be gotten.

You may think some of these tips are over-the-top simplistic, but believe it or not, this is what worked for me when I was an Associated Press Newswoman:

1) Dress like you mean business. I know, I know, I see the eye rolling right now. But you wouldn't believe how many reporters show up to a story in a pair of jeans and expect people to take them seriously. Whether I was working as a cub reporter and only making $13,000 for the year or was at the top of my game at the AP in Center City Philadelphia ... I dressed to the nines. And it ALWAYS had the desired effect. People want to talk to a professional over a slouch. So be professional. If you're male, wear a tie. Yes. Wear. A. Tie. If you're a woman, get your groove on with those nylons and skirts. Yes. Nylons. And. Skirts. (and heels.)
Listen, I know you think you need to wear that devil-may-care-I'm-a-hot-reporter attitude on your shirt sleeve (literally). But other people just see that as hubris. Get over yourself and dress professionally. Then be surprised at how people will treat you differently when you show up for a quote.

2) Be sincere. I once was assigned a story about the murder of a teenage girl at the hands of her father in the back of their mini van. I'd driven 3 hours to the story in the middle of Nowhere, Pennsylvania, and I didn't even have the house number on the street where it happened. I spent an hour knocking on doors. Finally, a neighbor pointed out the house. As I turned my head, I saw an elderly woman walking down the street with a policeman, and I ran over. I explained I was from the AP and asked for an interview. The woman hesitated and was near tears.

"Listen," I told her. "I'm very sorry for your pain, and I can't imagine what you've endured. You don't have to talk to me."

She stared back into my eyes. "Thank you," she said.

Now if you're an editor reading this, you're thinking, "I'd never hire that girl!"

But that's not the end of the story.

I got into my little car, and because the house was on a dead-end street, I drove to the intersection and parked. And I waited for the police cruiser to leave the house. About 15 minutes later, his black-and-white sedan pulled up to the stop sign. I jumped out of my car and ran into the middle of the intersection, palms up, telling him to stop.

He rolled down the window.

"I need this story," I told him. "I NEED it. Can you help me?"

He smiled at me. "In all of my years as a cop, I've never seen a reporter with compassion like you showed that lady. Here's what I'm going to do. Get your notebook out. I'll give you the names of everyone in town who knew that girl and their phone numbers and where they're located."

He then gave me the goldmine of all goldmines -- each and every person who painted a story that I never would have received ... if I had not been sincere.


3) Be a pain in the ... okay, you know the rest. It's true that you get more bees with honey. But when the honey pot is dry, you have no other choice than to pull out the vinegar bottle. Yes. I could be (and still can be) such a pain that people will beg me to take the information so that I'll leave them alone. How do you accomplish it?

First -- this is assuming that you've already tried the honey route. Always try the honey route first. When you're working the story in "sweet" mode, you are able to glean information, even if it's just bits and pieces. Take those mosaics and start getting your picture together, even if it's not complete. As you work the story throughout the day, you'll find that you'll get some tidbits that hint at impropriety ... or that have a clear-cut window opening to evidence that you know someone doesn't want you to have.

This is where it gets dicey, because now it's time to bluff and bluster.

Suppose you have an interviewee who isn't budging at all on the information you need. After you've assembled these picture pieces and you see your glaring holes, go back to the person.

Tell them: "This is what I know. This is what people have been willing to tell me on the record. We can do this one of two ways. You can fill in the missing pieces for me, and we'll have an accurate story. Or you can withhold from me, and I can print a story that has the following information. (Then tell them what you know.) This information may not paint the story correctly, but I can trust and verify that it's correct. It's up to you on how we tell the story from here on out."

Watch the alarm register on the face.

You'll find that after that, people would rather give you what you're missing than have you print a story where the public derives inferences from what you've independently gathered.

One caveat: In order for this tactic to work, you really do need your ducks in order. You must have verifiable sources, and you must know for a fact that the "mosaic pieces" are definitely connected to the missing pieces. Otherwise, you'll be laughed out of the person's office. However, if you've adequately done your reporting, you'll be seen as a force with which to be reckoned. It may result in getting the missing story pieces off the record. But you can work with that. The point is to get the information you're lacking so that you can unearth the very foundation of your story.

Now what happens if a source approaches you and ASKS you to do a story? Sometimes you need to be careful with that. It's all about ascertaining the motive. Tune in for part 4.

Cold Calls: The Bane of the Freelancer's Existence

So if you think that being a freelance writer entails a life of sitting by the fire with a steaming English teapot while you craft brilliant prose by channeling your Muse ...

OK.

That's part of it.

That's the delicious part of it.

But, to get to that point, you also have to be willing to do the unthinkable.

Cold Calls.

You heard me right.

I see the shudders now through my computer screen.

Listen. Cold calls, when all is said and done, are the only way to go when you're trying to beat your competition. Don't sit there and tell me, "But I have a great query idea!" If you want to pay your mortgage and your bills ... if you want to feed your children and put clothes on everyone's back ... if you want to collect so much business that there's plenty left over for that trip to Yosemite, or better yet, a cruise or a flight to Paris ... you have to be willing to make cold calls.

When I started freelancing 10 years ago, I read this little tip in a book and thought, "You ARE kidding me." But then I decided to carve out just one week to do nothing but cold calls.

I won't kid you.

It's not for the faint of heart, and I hate every single blasted second of it.

And you may not think the results are that great. Expect a 1 percent return. That's right. For every 100 calls you make, expect one to turn into a client.

Here's the thing, though: I've had those clients (2 of them) for 10 years. Now let's do the math. If each of those clients gives me an average of six to eight stories per year, averaging $1,000 per story ... over 10 years ... do you see the income we're generating here?

If you just block out one week -- ONE WEEK -- for cold calls, yes, you will hear a lot of "Nos." But the YESes far outweigh them.

And just think -- if one of those out of 100 pays you $1 per word and hires you again and again, wouldn't you say that week spent of eating crow and begging for work over the phone was worth it?

You betcha.

So tomorrow ... I am going to suck it up and do the unthinkable.

I am going to embrace the cold call. And you can bet that instead of focusing on the rejections, I'm going to be dialing with dollar signs in my eyes.

Because I WILL land that one client who will make it all worth it.

My Secret Weapon: Profnet

I interview people all over the world for my articles.

People ask me, "How on earth do you find them?"

I'm going to tell you my little secret, one that may cause you to scoff, but it's absolutely a gold mine for source digging:

PROFNET.

This is a service I used when I was a newswoman at The Associated Press in Harrisburg, PA. Initially, it was a resource for us when we needed to quote an expert -- or a professor -- to analyze a breaking news story.

Today, it's a massive database, filled with all types of experts to quote, including leaders of major corporations, politicians, military members, small business people -- you name it, they've got it.

If you haven't used the service (which is free, by the way), this is what you do:

Go to https://profnet.prnewswire.com/ProfNetHome.aspx and fill out a membership application. From there, you can search the Profnet database for the expertise you need. Not only that, you can put out a direct query, stating your story, your deadline, your qualifications on who can be quoted ... and voila. Watch your Inbox fill with the most fascinating people!

I know I sound like an advertisement, and believe me when I say I am NOT being paid for this blog entry. I just wanted to share with you that this is a fantastic resource, and it'll make your life SOOOOOOOOOOOO easy.

--Heidi Rafferty

A Message from the National Writers Union

Freelance writers: Let's get our game face on! Check this out from the National Writers Union. If you're not a member, consider joining. I'm totally covered for any and all legal situations related to my work ... plus there's great power in being part of an organization like this when you deal with publishers. (Let's not say much about that, but those of you who are experienced know what I'm talking about.)

Take a look at the letter, and then go to www.nwu.org to join!

--Heidi Rafferty

Dear NWU At-Large Member:

It has been a few months since being in touch with you. As Chair of the At Large Chapter, I was elected in 2009 to assist you while making sure you have the tools and resources to stand as a team player with the union as well as becoming a progressing writer in your field.

The At Large Chapter is representing members from many regions as well as overseas, so there are advantages and disadvantages to our Chapter structure. One of the negatives is that we are at a distant, which doesn't offer regular fellowship among us. One of the positives is that we have the opportunity to make contact with writers in other areas of the U.S., and abroad, which is helpful in being a good writer.

You can trust me when I say that, for the first time, our moment will come to work together to form an annual event of food, fun, entertainment, plus host a large gathering of At Large Members and attendees from other NWU Chapters. This is our Chapter goal for the next term! We will achieve it!

I advise you to network with At Large and other Chapter members by web, email, phone, etc. There are webgroups to help with networking, and can be found by going to www.NWU.org.

I want to remind you that our membership is dropping, and that is partly to blame on all members, including Officers and myself, for not making recruitment our top priority in today's economic climate. Any union's strength is in numbers, and I ask for your help in passing our name along to other writers (published or unpublished), and tell them that the National Writers Union is here to serve and help writers advance in their field.

As you take a pledge to become more active and pro-active with the NWU, I am asking that you connect with me. You tell me what your needs are as a writer, and I will engage National to make it happen. You tell me your concerns, your expectations, and your destinations....this is your writing career and your movement!

I am wishing you the best success as a writer. Make the pledge to go to www.NWU.org at least once a week to explore its valuable information. Stay connected with other members and invite other writers to join NWU. And, most of all, you tell me the future of the At Large Chapter through our participation in being a large community of writers.

Let's build a working relationship by discussing the state of our union and its affairs. My number: 256-262-9052. Feel free to call Monday thru Saturday between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (CST). If I'm not available, please leave a message.

I look forward in talking with you soon and, hopefully, serving you as Co-Chair this upcoming term.


James Sandefur, III Publisher
The Writer's Regime Publishing
P.O. Box 1770
Athens, Alabama 35612

Office: (256) 714-1099
Fax: (256) 262-9053
www.1wp.com/go/TheRegime

My Guest Blog at EBaumer Consulting

EB is a great friend I met on Twitter, and she has a remarkable knack for calling things as she sees them. Recently, she asked me to guest-write a blog entry for her about working from home.

Truth be told, I feel that I learn so much more from EB than the other way around, but I was honored  to participate!

Here's the link to the entry ... and while you're there, peruse EB's advice and other blog entries. You'll be so glad you did!

http://ebaumerconsulting.com/eblog/?s=Heidi

--Heidi Russell Rafferty

Americans Still Love Their Magazines

Writers ... you can freelance and make a great living at it -- and magazines still provide healthy income, even in this digital age.

I just found this GREAT write-up in April 2010's Better Homes and Gardens magazine and wanted to share this with you. It's awesome news for us!

"Media continue to proliferate. Attention spans continue to shrink. And free content is available everywhere, from the Internet to the insides of elevators.

"Why then are 93 percent of American adults still so attached to magazines? Why do so many people, young and old, spend so much time with a medium that's paper and ink, a medium you actually have to pay for in order to read?

"In a word, engagement. Reading a magazine remains a uniquely intimate and immersive experience. Not only is magazine readership up, readers spend an average of 43 minutes per issue.

"Further, those 43 minutes of attention are typically undivided. Among all media, digital or analog, magazine readers are least likely to engage in another activity while reading.

Advertisers, take note."

AND WRITERS, TAKE NOTE. YOUR FUTURE IS BRIGHT. STAY AHEAD OF THE RECESSION. MARKET HARD.

Heidi's Recent Work

Check out the following links to see what I've been working on.

http://www.shrm.org/hrdisciplines/technology/Articles/Pages/JobBoards.aspx   

http://www.floridarealtors.org/FLRealtorMagazine/2008/November/1108RichNiches.cfm# 


http://cinchouse.com/MyCareer/Education/tabid/87/ID/896/MyCAA_Cutbacks_Leave_Families_Scrambling.aspx


Stay busy. Stay ahead of the competition. This Recession only affects you if you convince yourself it will.