interviews

17 Super-Useful Posts About Story Ideas, Article Writing, Interviews, and Editors

story ideas equal money Ever wondered why article writers often get paid more than bloggers?

Well, here’s something interesting that just happened to me that explains why I keep encouraging writers to learn reporting: I did a Google search on a term, and got some results…and then a section of results labeled “In-depth Articles.”

Article writing is the future. More businesses will be paying for it, online magazines are springing up — the lucrative opportunities for writers who can develop a great idea, do a sharp interview, and weave it into a compelling story are growing like mad.

We’ve also got article writing on the brain around here because of an upcoming writing class I’ll be teaching with Linda Formichelli — we’re giving out some free article-writing trainings to celebrate that right now, if you haven’t seen.

For more article-writing help, I thought I’d help you ring in the New Year with a roundup of the most useful posts ever seen on this blog about article writing. Enjoy!

One Writer’s Fear-Busting Journey to $1,500 a Month in Blogging Gigs

Posted by: Editor — 49 Comments ↓

freelance writer walks a tightrope to better pay

As a new mom trying to juggle a toddler and run a household, I blamed the busyness of life for my lackluster freelance writing success.

But that was a total cop-out.

Fear was the true culprit. It stifled my creativity, filling my head with “what ifs” the way only a failure mentality can.

I’d like to say I faced those fears strategically, or that I faced them head-on. But in my case, it was more of a happy accident. But that accident netted me $1,500 a month in new blogging gigs. Here’s how:

The Trick to Writing Business Profiles So They Aren’t Sleazy PR

Posted by: Carol Tice — 20 Comments ↓

One well-paid niche many freelance writers aspire to get into is writing business profiles. But often, when writers try this niche, they discover a problem.

The piece reads more like a press release for the company. This business owner is awesome! Their product is amazing!

One writer recently asked me:

“I’m interviewing a local businesswoman tomorrow that I pitched to my editor. This piece will appear in the business section of the newspaper. The editor asked that I not make the story too advertorial. My question is, what should I ask to help balance the story?”–Janet

Great question. Because too many writers turn in pieces that end up getting killed because they aren’t balanced, hard-hitting business profiles — they’re more like “puff” pieces or thinly disguised PR work.

The editor might start to wonder if you’re secretly on that business’s payroll and just posing as a journalist. That’s why badly done business profiles die.

How can you please business editors with your profile? Here are my tips:

When Your Interview Source is a Total Blowhard: 5 Survival Tips

Posted by: Carol Tice — 26 Comments ↓

If you write articles and interview people, sooner or later, it’s going to happen: You’ll get an expert on the phone, and they’re a gabber. You ask a question, and off they tear on some odd tangent that has nothing …

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Tagged with: 4-Week Journalism School, article writing, interview tips, interviews

Never Run Out of Story Ideas by Asking This Quick Question

Posted by: Carol Tice — 24 Comments ↓

Are good story ideas hard to find? When you open up your favorite magazines, it can seem like other writers are always beating you to the interesting angles on a piece of news. However, it’s not really true. If you …

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Tagged with: 4-Week Journalism School, interviews, query letter, story ideas

Are You An Ethical Article Writer? Not If You Do These 4 Things

Posted by: Carol Tice — 27 Comments ↓

By Linda Formichelli You’re an ethical writer — right? You don’t rip off other writers, you charge fair rates, and you deliver what you promise. Surprise: If you you’re an article writer for magazines and newspapers, there’s more — way …

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Tagged with: 4-Week Journalism School, article writing, editors, ethics, interview tips, interviews, journalism