A couple weeks ago, I wrote about possibly taking a sales job in South Florida.
Since then, the principals of the company dropped out of communication, and the job just vanished.
I think it’s for the best. I wasn’t terribly excited about sales work, and there was little opportunity to earn money in the first month on the job.
I have more time now to focus on reporting and finding a job in journalism or another industry.
And I’ve been thinking recently about the importance of assertiveness and self-discipline.
When you are employed, you have a safety net of bosses to guide you and a network of co-workers to support you.
As a freelancer, I lack much of that. I’ve needed to look within myself to find motivation and innovation.
I’m hoping my attempts to inspire and push myself will help me mature in my writing and allow me to find a job.
I’ve created guidelines to focus my efforts. I hope others will find these helpful, as well.
Be your own copy editor- fairly common sense
- You take for granted how much you owe an editor when you answer to one every day. As news organizations shed copy and section editors, however, it’s becomingly increasingly essential for reporters to proofread and double-check the minutiae of their story.
- I’ve always had a problem with proofreading, as I hate reading my own writing. Here are some strategies to fix that :
- Finish stories early to give me time to proofread.
- Take proofreading course at NewsU.
- Print out my stories and read the hard copies before sending to editor.
Be your own assignment and section editor-also fairly common sense
- As a freelancer, it’s tempting and easy to just wait for story assignments. But assignment editors don’t monitor all the news. So I’ve been hunting down stories myself. Here are strategies I use:
- Look for angles and sources other reporters miss and propose follow-ups. Editors usually reward initiative with a story. They’ll tell you if you’re stepping on a staff writer’s toes.
- Latch onto an issue and make it an unofficial “beat.” My assignment editor called me “parks reporter” because I hounded the county Parks and Recreation Director for stories.
Start freelancing for larger outlets
- I’ve started researching specialty magazines that encourage in-depth and feature stories. I’m using my knowledge of the Treasure Coast and its history to pitch a couple ideas.
- I’m going to approach large newspapers I’ve been intimidated by in the past. And I’m going to take more initiative in pursuing freelance contracts to get footholds with the papers.
Market myself
- As someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, my natural inclination is to avoid attention. With a flood of unemployed journalists freelancing and searching for jobs, however, I have to distinguish myself.
- This blog has helped me to get my name out there. I also use Twitter and Facebook to market myself and reach out to colleagues.
- I try to take part in conversations on social networks so I become part of the online community instead of just a promoter.
Refine multimedia reporting techniques
- Neither of the news organizations I freelance for offer much opportunity to use online reporting techniques. So I have to take it under my own initiative to come up with ideas to use my online skills. Here’s how I’m doing that:
- Taking pictures every week with my digital camera. Posting them on Flickr.
- Practicing my audio editing
- Combining the two skills to create SoundSlides.
On that note, this blog will soon host my first big multimedia project. Look for the announcement in the near future.
