Writing Articles

They’re easy and what many writers aspire to, aren’t they? Just sit down at your keyboard, dash a few hundred words off, see it in print a few weeks later and wait for the cheque to arrive. Actually no. But with some careful planning, an understanding of what pictures to provide, some continuous market research and guts to say ‘yes’ sometimes, it is achievable. I know, because I currently write four.

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Continuous market research is the only way. So what if it means you’re now on your newsagents Christmas card list? Studying the magazines, not only enables you to spot who the regular contributors are, but also to identify the regular sections. And there’s the clue. What regular sections does the editor already operate?

It’s then necessary to sell yourself, but not at the expense of others. This is how my regular contribution to Country Walking magazine arose. Its Down Your Way section has a regular team of writers contributing a collection of 27 walking route descriptions and photos across the UK for readers to follow at weekends. I wrote up my own walk description, copying the exact style and enclosed a picture taken on the walk. A picture that highlighted a point of interest. However, in my letter to the editor, I did NOT ask him to consider my article for publication. Instead, I enquired if I could be considered for the section when a vacancy arose. This I believe was important. I wasn’t asking the editor to use me INSTEAD of someone he’d used for years. Diplomatically I was saying that when one of his team move one, (which everyone does from time to time), I would appreciate being considered for the vacancy. This is not a quick win situation. This is long term planning.

You have to be flexible. Two weeks later the editor wrote back advising me that my article was spot on, but unfortunately there were no vacancies. However, if I could advise him which areas of the UK I’d like to cover, they would certainly keep my name on the list. Living on the English / Welsh border, I realised that I had access to three of their areas. So instead of opting for the easy option of covering my nearest home area, I offered to cover three areas. I also enquired which picture format they preferred – transparency or digital.

Six months later (see I told you this was long term planning), I received a letter advising me that they had a vacancy for two of the areas that I’d offered. If I was interested could I provide them with a list of 20 routes spread around the areas for them to consider? This took time, but I achieved it in the two-week deadline they set. Four weeks later they wrote back listing 14 of the walks they wanted me to cover, and the deadline dates for each walk. They also advised that they preferred transparencies for illustrations to digital, even though the picture used to illustrate the walk was less than 2 inches square. I was surprised – but you have to provide the picture format that the editor wants.

Once you’ve got a foot in the door, use that foot to get the rest of your body in elsewhere. A new magazine started up in my area called Country & Border Life. In the issue that I was studying the editor asked any writers in the area to contact her. I submitted an article that I thought suited the magazine, offered a selection of pictures and sold myself to the editor, telling her about the magazines I’ve been published in, with particular emphasis on my regular column for Country Walking magazine. Two days later she rang me, accepting my illustrated article and wanting to know more about the Country Walking column, as she was considering a regular walking slot for her readers. Could I do a route for them, and submit it along with a wide selection of photos from the walk, for her to consider? She knew she was already dealing with a walking route expert. And that’s how the column ‘Country & Border Life Walks with Simon Whaley’ began.

To sell a column, you need to have several ideas. I approached the editor of the newsletter for the National Association of Writers’ Groups with an idea for a column. Since becoming a full time freelance writer, I was keeping a diary which made getting the ideas that much easier. I enquired if he would be interested in a regular column, entitled ‘Diary of a Freelance Writer’ suggesting how I’m developing as a writer over that period. He said yes. It was a new idea of interest to the readers, and I wasn’t stepping on anyone’s toes.

Whatever happens, never say no. The editor at Country & Border Life rang me and asked if I was interested in writing about outdoor clothing for their fashion slot. Like any good writer, I said ‘yes’ and spent several days researching a feature about trousers and skirts for walkers. It was also a steep learning curve regarding the pictures. It took time to build up my list of contacts in the PR departments of the relevant companies, but it was worth it. They all provide me with high quality images to promote their products. The quality is brilliant, and I’ve come to realise that photojournalism doesn’t necessarily mean taking the picture yourself. It means providing the right picture for the feature.

The editor liked my feature and has asked for five more, labelling it as her ‘Practical Fashion with Simon Whaley’ column. It certainly causes laughter when I meet up with friends and I tell them I am now a fashion correspondent, particularly when they always knew me as Marks and Spencer man!

With photojournalism, I’ve realised that it’s necessary to offer editors a wide variety of options. Primarily I take pictures in transparency format, but have a scanner that enables me to take hi-res digital scans so I can offer this format too. But the Practical Fashion column opened my eyes to PR Departments. As a result I wrote a single feature about agricultural shows coming up in the future for a magazine, and found that by contacting the Show’s PR departments to find out what was on, they were also happy to provide images from last year’s show – perfect to accompany my feature. I didn’t get paid for the pictures as I hadn’t taken them, but the pictures sold my article – which I did get paid for.

So to sum up:
- Look for existing columns and see if you can produce something similar.
- Approach editors, demonstrating that you can meet their requirements, and offer yourself as a solution to his/her problem when one of his regular contributors moves on.
- Once you have a regular column, tell everyone you write to that this is the case, even if you’re only submitting a single article.
- Never say no to an editor if they ask you to do something.
- Find suitable pictures to illustrate your feature, and don’t assume that you have to take them yourself.
- Use PR companies / departments to the full. They are willing to supply practically anything!

As I progress further along the path of full time freelancing, I now appreciate that regular columns are not just the preserve of the rich and famous. With the right idea, the right photograph, long term planning and a considerate approach, it’s something that any writer can achieve.