Dear writers,
Welcome to February’s first newsletter. Cupid called to say he’s supporting the farmers’ protests, it isn’t just an internal matter, and that he doesn’t care about our spineless cricketers/ Bollywood stars anymore. Be like Cupid.
How has your freelancing journey been this 2021? I had a slow January — being in Goa was surprisingly more hectic than I imagined — but, am geared up for a busy February. I have a few commissioned stories, a set list of publications, and am making plans for my next freelancing session: it’s a toss-up between Travel Writing and How to Write Personal Essays.
Here’s a thought I had recently: would you be interested in a one-on-one session with me, of about 15-20 minutes, where we discuss anything related to freelancing. It will be paid, but affordable. You could give me a pitch to review or we could discuss and condense a story from an idea, or work on finding the right publication for your story and more. Is this something that would interest you?
The paid edition of this newsletter, out tomorrow, has an interview with Adrija Bose, the features editor of Buzz vertical of News18. She’s also shares an example of a successful pitch. There’s a new section called Pocket Guide (sharing a sneak peek) where I will be sharing useful resources that may or may not be linked to writing + grants + job opps + a reading guide.
This is the free version.
Ready? Let’s begin.
Pocket Guide
This is a new section in which I intend to share useful resources that may be related to writing or have some tenuous link to it. Basically, I just wanted to start another sub-section!
This week, I am going to share a #FF (Follow Friday), a list of people I think are worthy of a follow on Twitter.
Chryselle D’Silva Dias
She is a freelance journalist who runs a music education charity in goa. Since last August, she has been sharing calls for pitches and writing opportunities.
Nilanjana Bhowmick
The writer also shares calls for pitches. She runs a Medium blog, the Nut Graf, where she discusses all things writing and freelancing.
Meher Mirza
Meher isn’t just a fantastic writer — her travel and food stories are examples of great writing — but she also shares writing opportunities and more.
Ranjani Krishnakumar
I interviewed Ranjani in an earlier newsletter. She is a writer, film critic and runs a content consulting firm. She blogs and tweets about her writing process, how to find gig, and the many aspects of content writing on The Whole Works.
MISCELLANY
APPLY: The The Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship gives academic and professional opportunities to non-binary and women journalists committed to human rights and social justice reporting. Anyone can apply, but need to have worked for three years and should be fluent in English. It includes internships with Boston Globe and NYTimes + free classes at MIT. Deadline: Feb 25. Details, here.
NOMINATE: The Courage in Journalism Awards honours the brave women journalists (and photojournalists) who report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths. Nominate someone, here.
RESIDENCY: The Helter Skelter Writing Residency 2021 is a week-long residential workshop in May 2021 that aims to support and educate writers across India. At Bate-Papo, Saligao. They want eight special fiction writers who will be mentored by author Janice Pariat. Cost: Rs 36,000. More details, here. Email residency@helterskelter.in
GRANT: EJN’s Ocean Story Grants are now open for journalists around the world interested in investigating ocean conservation issues. Applications are open to journalists working in any medium (online, print, television, radio). They will award 4-6 grants ranging from $1,000 to $2,000. More details, here. Deadline: Feb 25
READ: The wonderful Vidya Balachander has written a piece for Vittles (a fantastic newsletter you should sign up for) on using chai as a lens to explore the multiple identities of Dubai.
I end with some requests.
If you are interested in viewing recordings of both my sessions of The Pitch Club — (1) the basics of writing a pitch, and (2) how to write/pitch food stories — get in touch. The first one is useful for those just starting out; the second session is for those looking to polish their niche; this one comes with sample pitches and contact details of editors, and the panellists. Both are paid — Rs 500 for session 1, and Rs 900 for session 2 — but we can discuss comped rates.
If you would be interested in a one-on-one session with me on freelancing, holler.
To subscribe to the paid version of the newsletter, hit reply.
Note: As of this year, IAW is NO LONGER accepting yearly subscriptions. It will still show up in Substack, but for Rs 399, you will only get two months’ editions. If you would like to discuss three-month or six-month plans, please email me on itsallwrite@outlook.in
Have questions, feedback, criticism for me or the newsletter? Send it across.
Until next time,
Adios.