Query That Rocked for Women’s Health: “Worried Sick”
This is a query I wrote for Women’s Health. I called it “Re-Tox Your Life,” and the editor changed it to the much better “Worried Sick.”
I had written for Women’s Health a few times before but not for this editor, so I included a credentials paragraph that mentioned my WH articles plus a few other relevant publications I’ve written for.
Notice how I used my personal experience to spin off a reported essay idea. Is there something that’s bugging you? Did you recently go through a harrowing/interesting/exciting experience? If so, turn it into an article idea!
The article ran in the April 2011 issue of Women’s Health and then was picked up by MSN.
Dear Jill:
Every magazine these days seems to have articles on detoxing: Detoxing your home, your kitchen, your food, your body, your kids. “Detoxing is a trendy aspect of our culture,” says Gerard E. Mullin, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
I actually went on a detoxing kick myself until I realized that I couldn’t possibly keep up with the contradictory advice I was reading: Common house dust is loaded with toxic particles and allergenic dead bug bits, but the cleaning solution you use to wipe it up can cause, well, every disease known to mankind. There’s invisible fecal matter crawling with germs on our sheets and clothes, but the only thing that will kill it is bleach, which can lead to respiratory problems.
Sure, says Mullin, for people who have severe allergies or are sensitive to chemicals, it makes sense to launch an all-out assault against dust, bleach, and so on. And it’s easy and healthful to quaff from a stainless steel water bottle in lieu of plastic to avoid ingesting BPA. But if detoxing is causing you anxiety, or you become so phobic about BPA that you’d rather be dehydrated than drink out of a plastic water bottle, you’ve probably gone too far.
In my reported essay “Re-Tox Your Life,” I’ll talk about my addiction to detoxing and how I broke it (the final straw was when I read an article on eliminating dangerous electromagnetic frequencies from the home — and cried when I realized we were keeping a cancer-spewing wifi modem in our toddler’s bedroom). I’ll also speak to experts about how much detoxing is really necessary, and how to know when you’ve gone overboard.
I can also offer a sidebar on detox diets and detoxing procedures like colon cleansings: Should you go on a detox or undergo a coffee enema to purge your body of “impurities” — or let your body’s processes run their own course?
I’ve written for Women’s Health (I wrote the reported essay on self-help addiction plus a short called “Dojo Mojo”) and have also written on health for Health, Redbook, Men’s Fitness, WebMD, Oxygen, Clean Eating, Cleveland Clinic Magazine, and Muscle & Performance. May I write “Re-Tox Your Life” for you?
Thanks so much, and I look forward to your reply!
Cheers,
Linda
If you liked that post, you might also like:
Feb 16, 2012 Query letters
I can really relate to this topic — I am a reformed detoxer, and never been healthier. I am not familiar with the term “reported essay.” Can you elaborate?
Good question! A reported essay is an article that’s done in the first person like an essay but that includes service in the form of expert advice, quotes, etc. Check out the article I link to in this post and you’ll see what I mean.
I love that you post your own queries on your site, Linda. It gives us an overview of what query letters should sound like, and how we can play around with it.
Thanks, Josh, I’m glad you liked it!
[...] Query That Rocked for Women’s Health: “Worried Sick” – Linda Formichelli at The Renegade Writer [...]
This is so helpful! “Getting Started in Magazine Writing with Lina Formichelli” brought me here and it’s so encouraging to read about your story and examples of inquiries. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for posting your query! It is very helpful and a great way to see what works with editors.