The Renegade Writer Blog

A reader has asked about the mechanics of using a pseudonym, and I don’t know the answer. If any of you Renegade readers have written for magazines under a pseudonym, would you mind writing about your experiences in the Comments section? We’d like to know how you worked it out with your editors and your […]

Dinsa asks: I have an FOB idea (a short science news story) that I think will fit right into two magazines — one American one that buys First North American Rights, while the other one from Down Under likes to have All Rights. So, basically, I am planning to submit the pitch simultaneously to both. […]

Okay, this is it: My next 8-week e-course on breaking into magazines starts on Monday, July 30 — that’s this coming Monday. There’s still room, because people always seem to wait until Sunday night or Monday morning to sign up! This will most likely be my final course of the year, as I’m traveling in […]

by Jen A. Miller
Last time I posted an update about my fun fun RW Makeover, I was just about to head to the Philadelphia Phillies home opener. Well, it’s past the all-star break, Chase Utley broke his wrist, and I’m about to throw in the towel on that season.
But the calendar almost turned to August […]

by Jennifer Applin
My friend called me the other day and asked what I was doing. I told her I was working on an article and she said very politely and sincerely that she’d talk to me later. She didn’t want to interrupt my creative process. After we hung up I thought, “My creative what? Creative […]

This month marks the 10th anniversary of when I went full-time freelance. Since then I’ve written for more than 120 magazines (I lost count after that!) ranging from The Federal Credit Union and Multi-Channel Merchant to USA Weekend and Redbook. I’ve co-authored eight books, including The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing […]

Chryselle writes: I’ve just had a feature published in my local paper and the editor in charge of the section has attributed the article to herself!! My 1500 word article was cut into half (of which I had been informed earlier) and the editor in question had emailed me saying that while they could not […]

Caroline asks: Hello! I am new to this whole freelancing thing-a-ma-jig (yes, that it is a made up word), and I have a question about electronic clips. Now, being the good little renegade writer that I am, I have been working on putting together queries that I would like to email. I have several that […]

A pair of students in my last 8-week e-course on breaking into magazines, Wayne and Treba Thompson, wrote a killer query that was accepted by Blue Water Sailing magazine! Their query had a lot of style, with clever use of nautical terms, sharp language, and great quotes from impressive experts. Not to mention that their […]