Articles in the Knowledge and Research Category

I may be overly sensitive to “hard topics”. I remember getting scolded by my high school newspaper advisor for using the headline “Death of a Writer”, when a bestselling author died. “You always use the person’s name, his age, and the verb ‘dies.’ That’s it. Don’t be clever. Someone died, it’s solemn and serious.”

Got that? As a timid tenth grader looking to absorb every bit of news writing knowledge I could, I sure did.

Most writers face a circumstance where they have to write a difficult piece. Whether it’s coverage of a national or international disaster, an obituary for a loved one, or a local tragedy for your hometown paper, these assignments are never easy. But they are only as hard as we decide they have to be.

I recently covered a fire that ravaged one of the elementary schools where my husband works, burning the school to the ground. This made me think about the editorial I wrote for a school music education publication shortly after 9-11. The obituaries I’ve written. My story featuring the Columbine High School band director after the shooting.

How did I handle all of these? I don’t think the stories were particularly challenging, but they required tact and grace and, perhaps even more so than other topics, the right words. What else should you keep in mind when you write about tragic topics?

Reach for the heart with storytelling and details. Facts are fine, but tragic stories give us rich opportunities to really reach our readers’ hearts. If you can find the perfect anecdote, share it. Don’t be afraid to get personal, as long as you do so with tact, grace and sensitivity.

Use humor tactfully. One anecdote from the weeks following September 11, 2001, stands out in my mind. I went to the local Starbucks with my editorial assistant a few days after the towers fell, and we got in line behind a woman who was complaining loudly that she wanted a refund. She was giving the barrista a hard time and — being regulars there — our hearts went out to him. Her problem? Her latte didn’t have enough foam. For those who know coffee, cappuccino has plentiful foam. A latte does not. The story struck me and my friend as so funny, I used it as the basis for my editorial, to segue into talking about what is really important in life.

Get the facts right. People are hypersensitive in times of tragedy (just think about latte lady). They will notice if you write a beautiful story but get a fact or two wrong. Additionally, rumors and misinformation fly during disasters. Check to make sure names are spelled correctly and take nothing for granted. Fact check everything.

Make sure you have something to say. After the hurricanes in Haiti, a lot of bloggers capitalized on the popularity of the keyword with articles that loosely tied into the hurricanes. If you have something significant and unique to say about a global or local tragedy, write about it. But don’t look for a tie-in just to capitalize on keyword searches. It’s the cyber-equivalent of going to a funeral to pick up girls.

Use the opportunity to do good. When I covered the fire at South Bay Elementary School for Long Island Exchange, I wanted to spotlight local businesses who were helping. I also wanted to do what I could myself by spreading the word but, as the business and technology columnist, I had to find the right angle. Long Island Exchange is a locally-targeted website, and the fire has been big news for more than a week here on Long Island. I wanted to make sure the story had relevance for my readers and I felt it was important to include a call to action. The school is collecting donations of books, school supplies and, most importantly, cash or gift cards, to help their re-building efforts and to continue teaching in the interim. That was the point I wanted to make.

All the “hard” stories I’ve written have had a specific purpose — a statement that aimed to change people’s perspectives or to help them in a similar situation. When I wrote about September 11, I wanted people to slow down and appreciate what they had (even if all they had was a latte with no foam). When I wrote about Columbine, I did so with the clear intention of showing music teachers their role in helping students get through difficult times. When I write obituaries, I aim to evoke good memories about the deceased.

Knowing why you’re covering a topic is the key. When your intentions are pure, your passion and sincerity shows. As the Bible notes, our words can move mountains. Use them –and choose them — with care.

I’ll leave you with two quotes that are good to remember when you tackle tough topics.

South Bay Elementary School fire photograph by T.J. Allcot
Visiting Grave photograph by Marcus Lindström

With the new year upon us the fiscal year comes to a close. As a business owner, December and January is where all profits and losses are carefully examined in preparation for taxes in April. The hours of sorting receipts, tracking expenses and riffling though payments leaves misery to hold. If you are a wise one, you’ve kept great records and have a mature filing system for such items. Life sometimes happens and playing catch-up is necessary. Now is the time to begin that process.

While preparing a financial report of your freelancing business, consider this your time to evaluate what has worked, what has brought in successful funds and what has left you pinching pennies. As you track good months and bad, pull out your business plan and see where changes can be made, ensuring you have more good months in 2010. If you haven’t taken the time to write out a business plan, that time is now!

In examining the financial backbone of your business, take note of companies that brought in more financially and the type of work you performed. Pull up your old assignments. Recall the process of that work. Weigh the payment received with the time spent. Was your overall hourly wage in your targeted ballpark? Did you fall short by more than one or two dollars?

While surfing through those details, also pay attention to clients bringing in regular work.

Make a list of those clients and be sure to send a short note, thanking them for the opportunity to work with them, for them and beside them. This is a great opportunity to also bring your name to the front of a client’s mind. In the new year, businesses begin a strong drive to achieve success. Along side a new-found ambition, work loads are increased and freelancers have the exciting chance to make a jump towards their financial goals.

As you look through your clients and the genre’s of work performed, ask yourself if one niche market better serves you than others. Do you have clients that fell short of your hourly rate that you would like to continue working with? If so, ask for more pay per assignment. A pay increase as minuscule as three cents per word could make your financial goals.

Take your time, but act fast! 2009 is already behind us and 2010 offers you more opportunity as an entrepreneur. What are you going to do for yourself and your business in 2010?

Many writers today find everything they need on the Internet to put together an article. But expert sources add validity to your points and professionalism to your story. If I find myself stuck on beginning an article, it’s often because I don’t know enough about the topic, or I don’t have enough information in front of me to find that perfect lead or –if it’s a longer article — to outline the story from beginning to end.

How do professional freelance writers find expert sources? Several ways.

Find experts.

Social networking makes it easier than ever before to find expert sources. Peter Shankman’s popular “HARO” network connects reporters to PR people who can connect you with experts or even experts themselves. Tweeting a query on Twitter will also connect you with people, or try Facebook. Perhaps a friend of a friend is an expert in the area you need.

You can find experts on message boards and forums, but spend some time lurking on the forum, learn the rules of the land, and connect with the regulars before asking questions as people may be turned off if you just sign in announcing that you’re a writer seeking answers. How long does this take? There’s no rule. You should know when you feel comfortable enough to start approaching members with questions for your article. You might do this through private messaging or, if you feel comfortable enough, start a thread asking for comments.

Finally, you can often find experts by doing a Google search on your topic and looking over the more popular blogs. Contact experts who write blogs via e-mail if you can’t find a phone number. Again, it helps to become an active member of their community, by reading and commenting on their blog, but chances are good they will want the positive publicity a reporter can offer, so they might be more than happy to speak with you even if you are a new reader.

Collect experts.

Keep a file in your computer, listing the names of different expert sources. As this file grows, you may want to break it up into several categories—public officials, technical directors, teachers, historians, or whatever categories best suit your needs.

List the person’s name, when you first spoke to them, and regarding what, their area of expertise, and any personal details that will help jog your memory so you can connect with them on a personal level. You may want to add a JPG to their file, too, because some editors request head-shots of interview subjects.

Ping your sources.

As your writing experience grows, so will your file. Keep in touch with your expert sources on a regular basis, asking them what’s new in their industry. Soon, you’ll be the first one to hear about ground breaking news. “Pings” don’t take long. Simple notes on Twitter, Facebook or an e-mail once a month works. Some people prefer phone calls. Make a note in their file of each expert’s preferred contact method so you don’t intrude. You can also include special notes about the best times to reach them, like “always reachable by cell,” or “works from home Mondays and Wednesdays.”

HARO

Peter Shankman’s website, HelpAReporterOut.com lets you post queries that go out to thousands of PR reps and professionals. With a well-targeted question, you could get hundreds of sources all willing to help you. Or maybe just a handful with exactly the information you need. I’ve come to rely on this almost too frequently, as it’s making me lazy about using my other techniques!

Of course, these are just the basics. If you trust in synchronicity and the law of attraction, experts will come your way when you need them. These tips help that process along.

Writers: What’s the oddest way you ever found an expert source for an article?

The Web is an effective tool for learning. In fact, recent studies show that 96% of internet users surf the Web, at least part of the time, with the intention of learning. 89% spend net time on research and 79% want to be kept informed. (According to the Ruder Finn Intent Index) Information is the primary resource this Super Highway provides but how effective is it really?

What information did you search for online today? What did you learn from blogs or articles? Where did you find these websites and what drew you to the websites you found today?

I have spent hours, today, trying to make my twitter use more effective. I’ve held a twitter account for several months but tend to tweet in bursts of sporadic activity. I tweet new blog posts and, when I remember, I’ll browse my timeline and respond or retweet. Effectively labeled links (those that have descriptive text – usually the post heading – included in the tweet) leap out at me and I click to read.

Today, I discovered Tweetdeck and it’s “mark as seen” feature. The “mark as seen” feature meant I could effectively save linking tweets that leap out at me, so I could read them later. And more links, and more links, and more links!!!

INFORMATION OVERWHELM!

There is an abundance of information online. Every moment the available content grows exponentially. In just a few hours of monitored twitter stream I discovered it is impossible to keep up with every piece of ‘interesting’ information. In my 290+ current followers alone there were days worth of reading time being passed back and forth, tweeted and retweeted.

As an eager sponge for information I had to face reality. It is impossible to read everything. The difficulty now is in trying to decide what I should let go and what I absolutely must read. Do I let the timeline return to wheeling past me and snag only those snippets I happen to capture in rare moments of twitter frenzy? Do I harvest all the great looking links and bookmark them to return to, someday? Do I subscribe to yet more blogs to fill my already overflowing RSS reader?

How do you deal with information overwhelm online? Have you discovered any effective ways to filter the interesting from the must know? How do you ensure you don’t while away all of your web hours reading fantastic content instead of writing your own?

Originally posted at A Book Thing. Republished with permission.

Writers are constantly learning and improving on our craft and business skills. Continued growth as a human being and writer is vital if we want to advance our careers. This means we have to take an active roll in our future and step toward opportunities to learn and experience.

There are many ways to approach continued learning. What works for you may not work for others.

Groups and Forums
You’ll often be able to find information about local writer’s groups at your nearby library, family center, college or school. There are also some wonderful groups available online. Finding a group that suits your needs and personal interests can be challenging but all groups offer an opportunity to learn and grow.

There are also a number of writing forums available online. These bring together a collection of writers of various experiences who share their expertise and advice. One of my favorites is the Absolute Write Water cooler. Do you know of others?

Classes, Courses and Workshops
Every year there are a multitude of classes, courses and workshops scheduled to educate writers. Some writers may choose to attend a college, take a night course, or go online to follow a detailed curriculum.

Coaches, Mentors and Friends
For a more one-on-one approach to your continued learning you might prefer to find a writing coach or mentor. Design Your Writing Life and Working Writers Coach both offer online coaching that focuses on you and what you need to advance your career.

We can also learn a great deal from friends and colleagues. Maintain relationships and converse with others. Invite fellow writers out for coffee or talk to your loved ones about your goals and dreams. We learn a great deal by sharing perspectives with others.

Articles, Blogs and Books
Another approach to learning is to read, voraciously. Absorb words around you. Read books on style, technique and structure. Read memoirs of other writers. Read blogs about writing and the lives of writers. Read articles on querying, plotting, freelancing, fiction, etc. Read simply for the joy of reading. Read fiction and non-fiction. Read with an eye for detail and skill. Read.

Writing and Exercises
Finally, despite all of the above opportunities to learn we will not grow as writers without putting everything we come to understand into practice. We will not advance without writing. The core of a writer is the words they put on the page. Write articles, stories, novels, outlines, shopping lists, dialogue, description, action, fiction and non-fiction. Use writing exercises to stretch your skills. Write, every day.

What did you do in 2007 to aid your education and experience? What plans can you make now to advance your education in 2008? What would you like to learn more about in the coming year?

We absorb so much from the community around us and the greats of the past. As writers we tend to explore and admire the artists who rose to the top of their profession (often posthumously) and have been remembered and revered across generations. Our work is shaped and formed by what we’ve read and sometimes it’s easy to lose ourselves in the voices of others.

I was wandering around writing.com yesterday in search of some intriguing insights into the strange cycles of a writer’s life and stumbled across a few essays by Phil1861. It looks like Phil wrote these essays in very dark times, when nothing would come and he felt, as most (perhaps all) of us do from time to time, that we would forever labor a meaningless existence. I enjoyed reading his thoughts, so many of them echoing my own, and his poetic, if rather convoluted, tone.

One particular essay captured my imagination and inspired me to consider the depth of involvement we have when we read others works. Insight and amazing clarity showed through this piece and he captured a remarkable truth.

“In Their Shadows” by Phil1861

I am destined to always wonder if I will ever cast a shadow as long as Tolstoy, Whitman, Joyce, or Hemmingway.

… the shadows [] teach; they help me reach where I could not reach before. They help me hone my own skills and imagination. Yet the shadows are lonely places, dark and without the sunlight. The shadows are filled with the voices of others, crying out in the darkness and seeking the light for their own shadows. The shadows of the greats prevent our own shadows from being, from existing. It is a place that I cannot stay for long periods of time, as I begin to fall into melancholy and wonder where the sun is…

What I found most profound from the metaphor in this snippet of Phil’s essay is that Phil realized, while in the shadow of others he could cast none of his own.

We must step away from mentors and masters; step out of their shadow and into the harsh sun of reality. Ultimately, it is only when we’ve stepped away from the guides that shape us, when we feel the glare of criticism and risk baring ourselves in the light that we have the opportunity to cast the shadows of our own souls, our own words, perhaps to offer the guiding shade for those who come behind.

In whose shadow do you linger? Whose do you return to for comfort and a burst of refreshing shade?

The world is washed in shadows and while they serve an important purpose on our paths of life there comes a point where we all must step into the sunlight. If only it didn’t feel so much safer in the shade…