The initial stories were peppered with inaccuracies about town and political scene. Like rest of locals, I was irritated by all errors, and almost stopped reading paper altogether. But then, one day, I noticed little sprites, dancing all over paper. Could those possibly be ... dollar sign$?

I sat down and dashed off a bold letter to editor, proposing a follow-up story with quotes from residents and an interview with political whistleblower -- who just happened to live 2 houses away from me, and often gave me gardening advice. I had no clips at time, unless you count poetry contest I won in 11th grade.

But within 24 hours, I had an assignment.

Weeklies, small dailies and regional tabloids lack cachet of big, metro papers or national glossies; they are often overlooked by freelancers. A working writer can find some golden opportunities with a simple letter of introduction and a few follow- up phone calls.

1. Identify editors of small newspapers, shoppers' guides and local publications in your area who need to produce regular features, news items with a local spin, and home-grown human interest stories. If you live in a very small town, take a look at next county as well.

2. Don't forget about businesses that send out regular newsletters, like tourist bureaus, Rotary Club and local junior college. Someone has to write that copy -- why not you?

Features and Benefits: Which is Which, and Why Do I Need to Know Difference? -- (c)2002 By Linda Elizabeth Alexander

How do you guarantee that your ads, sales letters, web copy and other marketing materials as hard-hitting as possible?

You've heard that when writing promotional copy, you should promote benefits rather than features. Benefits show genuine value of your products to your customers. They go beyond specs of your product to tell customers about all they will lose if they don't buy from you now. How do you distinguish between features and benefits? And once you do, how do you communicate those benefits?

1. Write down features and benefits before you start.