Melissa Mayntz won second prize in the Ultimate Renegade contest for her essay on writing what you don’t know. Melissa will receive all sorts of goodies from our publisher Marion Street Press, including a free set of books for journalists, signed copies of the two Renegade Writer books, and free entry into my 8-week e-course on breaking into magazines. Here’s her winning entry.

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A Renegade’s Freedom
By Melissa Mayntz

In the three years I’ve been freelancing, I’ve read dozens of books on writing, grammar, publication, networking, and other aspects of the craft. From those tomes I’ve gleaned several rules for a successful career, including the sage advice: write what you know. Another gem: specialize to become a recognized expert on one or two topics.

The best thing I’ve learned, however, has come from the smallest pieces of writing I’ve read: my name on the paychecks.

With more than 200 published articles, I’ve written on dozens of topics. I enjoy cruising, and have written a number of cruise-related travel articles. I’m a former high school teacher, and I’ve written several pieces on schools and teaching methods. So far, the advice of those writing books seems true.

But what about the twenty articles I’ve written on wedding planning, reception sites, flower choices, and church ceremonies? I eloped.

My portfolio includes two dozen clips on baby names, announcing a pregnancy, baby shower gifts, childproofing, and children’s parties. I have no children.

Several of my highest paying pieces have been profiling realtors and showcasing million dollar homes. Then there are the landscaping clips, the open house advice article, and the how-to about cleaning out rain gutters and summer lawn watering tips. I live in an apartment.

More than a dozen of my clips involve sports, including golf, billiards, fishing, and football. I’ve never played sports, do not watch sports, and in fact have never held a fishing pole in my life.

Undoubtedly, many experts would read my portfolio and cringe. Where’s the focus? Where’s the specialization? Where’s the prior knowledge? Instead of a specific topic, I’ve become a renegade and an expert at the “free” part of freelancing.

I’m free to research topics that interest me, free to explore subjects I’ve never encountered before, and free to choose unique material I might not otherwise glance at. Most importantly, I’m free to be paid for all of it. My name wouldn’t be on those checks if I were scared of breaking writing rules.

I’ve been paid to write about pets I don’t have, gifts I’d never give,
and events I’d never host. Some topics have been exceptionally unique: recycling phone books into bed pan liners and how to wear cowboy boots with wedding tuxedos, for example. Some topics are more prosaic, such as cleaning jewelry and cake baking. But I’ve been free to break the rules with each one, and that freedom keeps me writing every day.

[LF]

If you liked that post, you might also like:

• The Ultimate Guide to Succeeding as a Freelancer in 2012
• What would you like to see on this blog?
• You Ask, I Answer: Does a Blog Post Count as a Previously Published Piece?
• Clips 101: What They Are (and Aren’t), How to Get Them, and How to Make The Most of Your Clips
• Results of the Renegade Writer Survey: Here’s What You Wished For!