Dear writers,
Welcome to another edition of It’s All Write. It’s nearing the end of an awful year. Are you looking forward to 2021 and are hopeful about it? I am. I think being home, in Goa has made me feel like this. In Bombay, I was just stressed all the time. I missed my family and wasn’t sure when I would see them again. Here, I am still worried about the pandemic, but I am also hopeful things will improve.
Earlier this month, a writing group I am part of, had a discussion about our successes and achievements for the year. It made me realise that, despite the lockdown and the subsequent impact on media across the world, I managed to do better than expected. I had three main goals for the year: make this newsletter paid (check); conduct an event about freelancing (check; there will be one more in Jan); and meet my monthly salary goal at least five times (check). A salary goal - I have discussed this before - is an estimate of how much I want to earn in a given month. I had a fixed amount in mind at the start of the year, and ensured I did enough, and well-paying work, which would help me meet this amount. In times of uncertainty, I just find myself so grateful for the opportunities.
The reason I am talking about goals is because December is the month in which I look back on the year and summarise it. As a freelancer, it is important to set goals and work towards them. It is equally important to allow yourself some slack for not being able to meet them.
This week’s paid edition has a guide to writing a book pitch + an interview with Supriya Nair from the wonderful FiftyTwo.in (I have shared several stories here; shared a sneak peek here) + job links + grants + pitch calls.
To subscribe,
Ready? Let’s begin.
THE BIG INTERVIEW
(A sneak peek)
There are few people in the freelance/writing space who haven’t heard of Supriya Nair (@supriyan twitter). She worked as a staff writer at Verve and Mint Lounge before I became an editor at The Caravan, and then at Brown Paper Bag. She has been a columnist at Mumbai for five years, and her stories have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic and Foreign Policy, among other places. As a reader and a writer, she is interested in politics, sports, books and culture. She is currently editor, Fifty Two and co-founder, All Things Small
In this interview, we discuss journalism, the need for FiftyTwo.in, and how to pitch them. A snippet.
Why should a journalist polish their longform writing skills. Is this an important part of a journalist's arsenal?
Long feature stories do a lot for writers. They allow you to dream bigger, to work harder, and, with the help of good editors, to write better. If you work in a text-based form, I highly recommend setting yourself a big target for your “story of the year” just to challenge yourself and break away from the daily schedule of file-edit-publish, which is incredible training but also limited in some ways.
Having said that, what do long stories do for readers? I’ve been thinking about this for a while and I believe the word “longform” is not useful in the context of journalism as a public service. We must think seriously about what creates value for an audience whose capacity for attention and empathy is under attack from every conceivable avenue in the media today. We have to develop a language that holds the attention of the readers it’s meant for; and we have to honour the information in the story by telling it truthfully and well. Without those things, what is journalism, or even storytelling, for?
What would you say to people who think longform journalism is dead?
Journalism itself is in a moment of crisis. This is our time to figure out what’s working, what’s serving our audiences, how to resist the pandemic of misinformation and falsehood in our public discourse, and how to make a dignified living from the work we do. Facebook and Instagram are not going to help us find the solutions, as anyone who “pivoted to video” two years ago has discovered to their cost.
SUBSCRIBER SPEAK
Natasha Desai says: I’m writing in to say thank you! I got a byline in Firstpost! I didn’t pitch for it (it came to me via a friend). Their deadline was so insanely tight that I almost considered not doing it, but I realised that it would be a great way to show my work and be able to pitch in the future. I had that confidence because of the months I spent reading and occasionally chatting with you. So, thanks, Joanna, I'm ever appreciative of how much you share. Link to her story.
MISCELLANY
(Job, reading guide, and news you can use)
Attend: The Community Library Project Free Library Festival 2020 on December 19 includes workshops of getting published, how to get children to read, scriptwriting, mixed media art, poetry and others. More details, here.
Follow: Aditi Mukund has done a fantastic thread on newsletters to follow/ subscribe to. I am very honoured that she included IAW in this list.
Read: This delightful piece on India’s fascination with PG Wodehouse (I really do enjoy the Jeeves collection).
Read: Annie Zaidi writes on why the rich and powerful invest in literature or theatre or film festivals where non-hegemonic views are invited.
Read: A fascinating look at the evolution of the advice column by Allegra Hobbs.
Before I end, here is something useful. (A kind soul on Twitter shared this wonderful list of links)
Illustrations to make any project interesting: http://undraw.co
Watch Documentaries for Free: http://ihavenotv.com
Convert YouTube videos into Transcript: http://hierogly.ph
Every E-Book for Free: http://b-ok.asia
Voice Dictation to Text Writing - http://dictation.io
Take Screenshot with High Resolution: http://screenshot.guru
Professional Resume maker for Free: http://resumemaker.online
Test/ Improve your typing speed: http://hetypingcat.com
Once again, a reminder to please share your highs and lows, successes and failures so I can add them to this newsletter.
Until next time, then. Stay safe and wash your hands.
Cheers.