Why it pays to become an idea machine
If you’ve ever heard me speak at a conference, you know that I freely admit that I find writing articles to be a struggle. It’s not that I’m a bad writer, but I’m a slow writer and I’m tormented that what ends up on the screen is not the beautiful story I’ve created between my ears.
What I love about freelancing is pitching story ideas. And if there’s a bright side to this, it’s that editors love freelancers who can generate good story ideas for their magazines. Why? Because editors sit in cubicles, tending a constant flow of poorly executed, ill-targeted, and totally inappropriate story pitches from freelancers. And when they’re not tending this flow, these editors are wracking their brains coming up with ideas to fill their editorial pages. So when some freelancer shows up on their doorstep with a handful of good ideas (and a solid grasp of English), that excites them. Because I like to pitch stories — and editors seem to dig my ideas — I’ve got a bit of a competitive advantage over most writers, because there are very few writers I’ve met who like to pitch. Most professional writers long for the day when editors call them with assignments. And frankly, it can take years to develop that kind of reputation with editors. I’d much rather get the more frequent calls from editors who tell me, “Di, we’re desperate here. Got any good ideas for the November issue?” You bet I do.
If you want to be this kind of writer, the one editors turn to when they have empty pages in need of good ideas, help is available. I’m teaching a 3-week course called Become an Idea Machine, and now I’m offering it with e-mail support ($149). You’ll learn how to generate dozens — even hundreds — of possible story ideas that you can sell to editors, no matter where you are in your career. I’ll show you how to take the raw material of your ideas and shape them into stories that are timely and interesting. And I’ll give you advice on how to make sure your ideas hit the right editors at the right markets: You can have a great idea, but it won’t do you a lot of good if you send it to the wrong markets.
I’m in the middle of teaching my May class and I’m so impressed with my students. They’re busting their tushies and they’ve come up with a lot of raw material that’s gone beyond my expectations: I’m seeing some interesting stories, and I’m confident they can place them in national magazines … even the students who don’t have a lot of clips! Right now, I’m accepting signups for my June 14 class. I’m still debating whether or not to offer the class in July and August due to vacation schedules, so if you want to hit your editors with some fantastic pitches come September, you might want to consider signing up for my June class. The Premium level (e-mail support) is limited to 10 students, and I’ve already got several signups for these spaces.
I’m crossing my fingers that you do decide to offer the class in July or August, since I’d have to miss one of the June dates. Pretty please!
Debbie, I’ll try to figure it out in the next couple weeks … I hate to disappoint!
[...] bug bear that prevented my persevering – whether it was a lack of confidence in my own skills, or a lack of ideas or a lack, indeed, of preciousprecious time, there’s always someone there to show you that it [...]