Chapter 52
Interview with journalist Krystelle Dsouza + pitch calls
Dear gentle reader,
Happy Diwali! Here’s wishing your year ahead is full of light and happiness (and no crackers!).
My goal when restarting the newsletter was to send it out monthly, but that’s proving difficult. So far, the newsletters seem to be going out at festive times…so hopefully, they add some sweetness to your lives!
This newsletter has an interview with Krystelle Dsouza from The Better India + pitch calls + other opportunities.
Ready? Let’s begin.
THE INTERVIEW
Krystelle Dsouza is a Features Journalist, working at The Better India. We’ve corresponded over social media. I admire her writing, the way she finds the most compelling stories and writes about them with sensitivity.
Interestingly, Krystelle graduated from Biomedical Science but decided she was going to be a journalist as “I want to write about people”. It’s what she called a gut feeling. I enjoy reading her stories because she finds the most unique ideas and people and writes about them with much compassion.
An excerpt from an interview.
How do you seek out story ideas that are new/ unique takes on something that has been written about?
This isn’t a challenge I’ve faced while covering human interest stories — I feel these stories are born out of a very personal conversation between journalist and protagonist; there is no room for distraction. But I will admit to having had to navigate this slippery slope while covering ‘travel’ and ‘food’ beats.
As journalists, we become so intent that our stories reflect our individuality; we often lose sight of the bigger picture. While documenting a story in a way that our authenticity shines through, it is naive to negate the extensive research done by other experienced journalists on the subject in question. You don’t want your article to be such an outlier among its peer articles on the internet that it completely misses the perspective. You want it to stay true to facts while also getting a spot to shine.
Through the years, I’ve learnt that a well-written story is like walking a tightrope between a journalist’s personal take on the subject and the extensive fact-backed research that is readily available. Maintaining a delicate balance is where the secret lies.
What does your research involve? How do you manage to find that balance between providing information and ensuring that the story is inclusive and representative?
Before commencing to write on a topic, I scour the internet for what other credible journalists have written. While it is tempting to rely on articles that paint the topic in a positive light, the aim is to write an unbiased piece. So, it is important to read ‘everything’.
Ironically, while the magnanimity of information proves to be a challenge in travel and food pieces, it is the lack of it that makes a human interest story tough. I can’t deny that it is a pleasant pressure to be writing about someone on whom no one has previously written. Because what we are essentially doing, is painting a preview for the world to see. We need to make it a good one.
What are your suggestions for handling human interest with sensitivity and compassion?
Co-founder of The Better India, Anuradha Parekh, once said something that I think encapsulates my journey with this beat. “For many journalists, the journey with their protagonist ends once the article is published. For Krystelle, the journey begins there. From the moment the article is published, it’s like her and her protagonist’s lives run in parallel.”
As feature journalists, we go from one day to the next, covering stories of different people. It’s a new stranger every day, and the novelty of the job makes it easy to move on from the people we’ve written about, and on to the next person we’re going to write about. But this hasn’t happened to me. I may forget names, cities my protagonists belonged to, their ages and other demographic details. But something that they shared with me during our call always lives on in my memory.
And I think that deep regard for past protagonists is where my compassion for future protagonists stems from. After all, they are sharing a piece of their lives with me. And trusting me to turn their lives into a story. That being said, it is easy, in human interest stories, to veer towards extending sympathy to the protagonist. But the last thing they need is a ‘How sad this happened to you.’ Instead, I tell them, ‘You must be so proud of yourself for how far you’ve come.’ Our articles too must reflect this. Instead of eulogising them, make them the main character of the story; the story that you are being trusted to write.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Through my articles, I attempt to strike a friendship between my reader and the protagonist. At the end of the piece, I want my reader to be rooting for my protagonist. They should want my protagonist to win, just like I do.
People often ask me what are my sources for stories. And I say I don’t find stories. They find me. Almost never has a Google search session, with me attempting to find some good stories to pitch to my editor, yielded in success. The best stories are those that have been pitched to me, assigned to me, or stories that I have discovered via via conversations with people in random places. There is no algorithm at play here. But if I had to put a name to it, I’d call it destiny.
Sharing a link to her stories.
PITCH CALLS
@MailOnline is looking for pitches for news, travel and Femail.
- Email: sophie.carlin@mailonline.co.uki-D’s entertainment editor is commissioning film writing that is interesting, thoughtful and left field ideas – films new or old – unique reflections on what we’re watching. Deep interrogations on the cinema of the past. DM editor, Douglas.
@theipaper culture desk is seeking ideas for sharp culture features.
- Email: emily.bootle@inews.co.uk@IntoTheSpine is open to pitches. Guidelines, here.
- Rates: between $25 to $50 for 150 to 500 words
- Email: pitches@intothespine.comHave a story to tell about your experience as a working writer?
@gigsforwriters is looking for real stories from working writers, particularly personal essays between 500-800 words that shed light on the world of writing for a living. Guidelines, here.
- Rate: $200
- Email: gigsforwriters@gmail.comIf you are queer and have opinions on the television show SEX AND THE CITY?
send a pitch to Girl Dad Press anthology. Submissions due Oct 21. Details, here.
- Rate: $100Religion Unplugged covers religion in public life and in people’s lives. They are currently taking pitches for news feature stories, opinion pieces as well as movie and book reviews. Details here.
- Rate: $200 - $300
- Email: info@themediaproject.orgAsian American Writer’s Workshop’s The Margins is open year-round to pitches and submissions of critical essays on Asian American literature, film, visual art, and culture.
- Email criticism@aaww.org
- Rates: hereThe Reporters’ Collective wants pitches about stories that deal with India’s political economy, social welfare environment, technology & digital security, governance & accountability, public health and much more. Details, here.
- Rate: Rs 40,000 (they also reimburse travel expenses).Thrillist wants travel stories: travel pitches with a point of view. Stories that make a strong, clear argument. Stories that are narrative-driven with a central tension. Pitch All X Everything, destination guides told through the eyes of a specific community by a local/frequent visitor who identifies as a member of said community + your favorite Main Characters of Travel + destination guide pitches for small towns abroad, international airport guides, winter outdoor adventure stories, pop culture and seasonal tie-ins with travel. Details, here.
- Email: pitches@thrillist.com.Positive News is looking for pitches – in print and/or online. Guidelines, here.
- Rate: 30p/word
- Email Lucy: editorial@positive.newsBusiness Insider needs pitches from people who are childless by choice and how that affected relationships, parenting teenagers, and American families who moved abroad.
- Email: cpreti@insider.com@BusinessInsider also wants essays about the generational differences in the workplace. Struggled to connect with a coworker or boss b/c of an age difference? Is your work wife a different gen? Confused by your adult child's remote job?
- Rate: $250
- Email: folito@businessinsider.comWealth of Geeks needs travel writers. Details, here.
- Rate: $250 for 700- 900-word articlesFreethink is looking for talented freelance writers to pitch and contribute feature articles about the intersection of tech, business, and society. Details, here.
- Rate: $1,000 - $2,000 (1k-6k words)Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine is looking for article pitches: Articles that answer questions about pregnancy or parenting (newborns through middle school.)
- Rate: Pay is .03-.08 cents per word
- Email: meagan@pnmag.comMixed Feelings (a newsletter dedicated to exploring the intersecting worlds of mental health, obsessively online culture, and fandom) needs pitches on cultural criticism, fandom, internet subcultures, gaming, etc.
MISCELLANY
SCHOLARSHIP: Bajaj Fellowship is a Post Doctoral Fellowships at Harvard for Indians ($33,800 for 6 month). The Climate Fellowship, on climate change influence, is $50,700 USD for 9 months. Raghunathan Fellowship in humanities & social sciences $67,600 for 12 mon. Details, here. Apply by: Dec 10.
FELLOWSHIP: Global Press is accepting applications for its Shifting Democracies Reporting Fellowship for Women Journalists. Fellows receive up to US$30,000 per year. Deadline: Nov 8. Details, here.
GRANT: Tarbell is offering grants for original reporting on AI and its impacts.
Successful applicants will receive grants up to US$15,000. More details, here.
WEBINAR: Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), in partnership with GlobeScan, is hosting the webinar, Making Sustainable Seafood Choices Irresistible: Closing the Values-Action Gap, on Nov. 14. Details, here.
FELLOWSHIP: Pulitzer Center is offering a reporting fellowship for its Rainforest Investigations Network (RIN). The deadline is Dec 31. Details, here.
CONTEST: Smithsonian magazine is accepting submissions for its annual photo contest. The grand prize consists of US$2,500. Each category winner, along with the readers' choice winner, will receive US$500. Deadline is Dec 2. Details, here.
FELLOWSHIP: The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program, organized by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), aims to enable democratic practitioners, scholars and journalists to deepen their understanding of democracy and enhance their ability to promote democratic change. The extended deadline is Nov 8. Details, here.
SESSION IDEAS: The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is seeking session ideas for the 2025 Global Investigative Journalism Conference (GIJC25), from Nov 20 – 24, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur. The deadline is Dec 20. Details, here.
SUBMISSION: OwlCrate Press needs submissions for its sci-fi/dystopian fiction anthology, ‘Future States of Stars’, a collection of short stories aimed at Upper YA (18+), New Adult, and Adult readers. Deadline: November 30.
JOBS: Tweak India is looking to hire a Features Editor. Full-time job in Mumbai. Details, here. Email your CVs to editors@tweakindia.com
RESOURCE: Journalist ElsaMarie D’Silva shares tips on how to fill a fellowship application.
A reminder: I curate a list of all job openings available in month on LinkedIn.
If anyone has tips on how to get more readers for the newsletter, please share. According to my stats, only 45% of subscribers actually open the newsletter, which makes me think it goes into their spam. Suggestions are welcome.
Until next time, keep writing and keep pitching.
Joanna
Thanks for the Diwali wishes and for the wonderful interview.