Dear writers,
Welcome to your friendly neighbourhood freelancing newsletter.
I write this newsletter still riding the high I got from conducting my second successful freelancing session. The discussion on Sunday focussed on food. We spoke about pitching (the panellists shared successful pitches), how to find ideas, and editors contacts, whether it is possible to separate food from politics, the difference between pitching national and international markets and more. It ran for over two hours and I am happy to note nearly everyone stayed on for the full session.
This session has given me the confidence to host others with more regularity. Do write in with suggestions on what topics you would like to be discussed as part of The Pitch Club.
This week’s paid newsletter, out TOMORROW, will feature an interview with Goya Journal’s co-founder Aysha Tanya. There are job opps, grants and contests, two writing guides (am sharing a sneak peek here), and more.
Note: As of this year, IAW is NO LONGER accepting yearly subscriptions. It will still show up in Substack, but do read the notes underneath. At Rs 399, you will only get two months’ editions. Those who are paying monthly, nothing changes for you. If you would like to discuss three-month or six-month plans, please email me on itsallwrite@outlook.in
Ready? Let’s begin.
GET IT WRITE
(Advice from the experts)
To those of you who did not attend the session on Sunday, I found a useful resource on pitching food stories (what to do and what to avoid) on Serious Eats. I will summarise it here. This is going to sound like repetition to many of you, but it remains useful for any kind of pitch.
In 2014, editor Max Falkowitz wrote:
Do Your Research
Good food writing requires good research, and your first step is knowing about the publication and editor you’re pitching. Doing this advance work will let you anticipate an editor’s questions before she thinks to ask them, and I’ll be frank, there’s nothing more attractive than a writer who already knows what an editor wants. Research means knowing what topics a publication covers, how it covers them, and what they've done on the subject already.
Prove Your Story’s Relevance
You need to prove why your story is relevant, and why it’s urgent someone read it now. As a writer, your job, above all else, is to tell me a story that matters. You need to prove why your story is relevant, and why it’s urgent someone read it now. Many writers fall into the “because it exists” trap. They find news or a topic that they feel qualified to report on, but they don’t ask why the idea deserves reporting.
Demonstrate Your Expertise
Writers fall into the ‘amateur interest’ trap, in which they hope a publication will pay them to explore an idea, even though they just admitted they don’t know much about the topic and have no clear argument or story angle in mind. One of the “why this pitch” questions I ask myself is, “why is this writer the most qualified to do this story?” Does the writer have experience with the topic? Tell me enough about yourself in your pitch so I can see why you're the best person to write this story.
Make Your Pitch as Compelling as Your Writing
Your pitch is your audition tape. It should read as compelling as the rest of your writing. It should communicate your expertise. It should make me care about what you have to say from the very first paragraph. And it should be grammatically correct.
What Not to Include
A resume. No one reads ‘em. Just skip it.
Attachments. The contents of a word doc can be copied and pasted into an email. Photos can be links to an online folder. Large attachments clog inboxes and slow down an editor's workflow.
A rambling introduction broadly describing your interest in a topic—this causes editors’ eyes to glaze over. The main point of your pitch should be in one of the first sentences.
More talk about your general topic than your specific story. Always stay close to your angle to keep it unique.
Check-in etiquette can vary by editor and publication, but sending a polite follow-up two weeks after submitting a pitch isn’t unreasonable, especially if your story is timely.
MISCELLANY
(News you can use)
JOB: Studio Glyph is looking for a junior copywriter. It would be for 3 months, full-time, working remotely. 2+ years of experience in an ad agency or design studio would be ideal. Interested applicants can email jessica@studioglyph.in
JOB: Obvious is hiring Artist Designers (all levels), Woman technologist, Engineers (all levels), Writers/Communications Specialists, and interns. More details, here. Email hiring@obvious.in
JOB: Shoonya is looking for senior Python developers (5-10 years). Exposure to AI/ML is a plus but not required. Must be available to work 40 hrs/week (remotely). Email souvik.basu@shoonya.ca
CONTEST: Sahapedia is inviting people to blog about the Hidden Wonders of India. The blogs should aim to shed light on the lesser-known tangible heritage of our nation: material remnants of the past, present today in the form of archaeological sites, historical monuments, and artefacts. Articles should be written in English, between 300 and 500 words. Deadline: January 22, 2021. One winner will take home a Fastrack Reflex 2.0 watch. Two others will each win an Amazon voucher worth INR 1,000. The top three articles will also be featured on Sahapedia’s India Heritage Walks website. Submit here.
COURSE: Finding myself in My Story is a short course with educator and curator Dasha Lis will explore how to make sense of our own lives. The live, short online course is from Feb 9 to Mar 16, every Tuesday. The six session are 1.5 hours a week, 19.30 pm. Sign up, here.
SURVEY: One Future Collective has initiated a research project that aims to understand the gendered nature of unpaid household and care work in India & how it was impacted during the pandemic. Help them with this survey.
CONTRIBUTE: Dalit Camera is raising ₹12 lakhs this month to help cover expenditure towards new hires, website, technological upgrades for their reporters & editors, travel & communication. Details, here. Contribute here.
READING GUIDE
This personal essay by Elisabeth Sherman that uses food to understand her family's history of colonization.
My panellist from Sunday, the lovely Sharanya Deepak did a story on Goa’s korgut variety of rice and used it to explore the state’s khazan lands. It is a good example of how to use food to talk about a much larger story.
The lovely Meher Mirza wrote this beautiful profile on Thangam Phillip, the grande dame of the Indian catering.
I will end with this useful bit of advice from writer Eugenie Gray on how to turn down unpaid work (if you remember the mantra I keep repeating, DO NOT write for free).
I hope you all have a lovely week.
Adios.