How to Be an Editor's First ChoiceWritten by Mridu Khullar
.How to Be an Editor's First Choice By Mridu KhullarThere are writers who editors like, and those they’d bet their careers on. How can you be that writer who editor will call on every time she needs an important assignment to be done? Are you a hot favorite or a pass-on-for-another-freelancer who keeps querying but receives no response? Here are qualities that will endear you to an editor. 1. Giving more than you promise When an editor asks for two samples, give her three. If she trusts you with an assignment, don’t wait for final deadline, but send it in a day in advance. If she’s asked you to provide notes, make sure you give her everything she needs so that she doesn’t have to ask for anything more. If you make an editor’s job easier, she’ll love you for it. And she’ll be willing to trust you again with more assignments. 2. Constantly coming up with fresh slants There may not be too many new topics (unless you’re writing about technology; then you just can’t complain), but there can always be new slants. An editor likes writers who can reduce her brainwork, and make her look good in front of her superiors by coming up consistently with great ideas. 3. Having all answers It’s important to know about your subject. That’s why so many well-paid writers advise you to specialize. So, if an editor calls you to discuss your query, and poses follow-up questions, you better have answers. Because an editor’s never going to trust you with an assignment unless she’s sure you know what you’re doing. And not having answers to her questions is a sure-shot sign that you don’t. 4. Coming up with clever titles, and great sidebars The most important thing I’ve learnt so far is to visualize your article. See how it appears on page. Granted, it’s usually not going to come out like you’d imagined it, but for a minute forget that you’re a writer, and think like a designer. See beautiful fonts and shaded box on side? That’s how editor sees your article. Now it’s your job to bring that visual to life with your words.
| | Ten Quick Tips for Inexperienced WritersWritten by V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D.
One of biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is simply knowing how to get started. If you’ve unsure of your writing skills, then here are some quick tips to help you get started.1.Get yourself a thesaurus—or better yet, two of them. These can be tremendously helpful tools when you’re struggling to find right word. A thesaurus is no substitute for a solid vocabulary, but it is still helpful in a pinch. 2.Avoid using same word too frequently. This can make one’s work sound repetitive. Again, a good thesaurus can be helpful in this regard. 3.Keep your sentences fairly short, since longer sentences can sound unwieldy. I’ve found that 17 words or fewer is a good guideline. Do remember that this is just a guideline, though. 4.Even as you keep sentences short, make sure that they flow together well. Sometimes, unskilled writers will simply chop longer sentences up into shorter segments that don’t blend together smoothly. If in doubt, try rephrasing sentences or adding proper connective phrases (e.g. “then,” “so,” “as a result”). 5.Get a copy of “The Elements of Style” by Strunk and White. It’s a short book, but incredibly helpful. There is no better reference for aspiring writers.
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