The Renegade Writer Blog

Denise asks: I’m a full time mommy trying to turn my “hobby” of writing into a real profession. I’ve been stringing for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covering school districts and city halls for the Metro Briefs section. The trouble is that I don’t get a byline unless they deem the subject worth more than a paragraph or two. I’ve only gotten four bylines in the 2 years I’ve been freelancing for them. And one was from an article I pitched to my editor on my own!

I’m setting up a website for my clips and they look a little thin. Before the Post [I] freelanced for a small weekly where I got a few front pages with full color photos. Plus, I was just published in Boy’s Life (my first magazine!) with a nice color clip where I did a brief and photos. Now that I want to move my writing up a notch, I’m wondering how to show off my clips. Should I mention somewhere that I report regularly for the Metro section? Should I just showcase the magazine and the big city newspaper and forget about the weekly? Does a front page from 2005 in an unheard-of weekly even warrant space at all? And what about all the real estate pieces (with photos) that I did for the weekly?

Denise, despite your proclamation that your clips look a little thin, I think you’ve got some good currency to move your career forward. Although you don’t have a lot of bylines for the big city paper, the fact that you string for them is a huge plus. In a pitch letter, I’d say something like, “I’m a stringer for X, where I contribute reporting and writing to an average of 5 stories per month” and skip sending photocopies. As for the real estate pieces you did for the weekly newspaper, are there any stories that showcase your writing, that you’re particularly proud of? Then I’d use those pieces as clips, although they’ll probably be most helpful to you if you’re pitching real estate or business magazines. Otherwise, I’d just list these pieces in my credits.

You didn’t ask, but here’s my .02 on clips: They’re overrated. The only thing a clip (or a link on your website) shows an editor is that you’ve been published. It doesn’t tell them much about how you write — they could be reading great editing — and they don’t prove how professional you are, despite expensive-looking business cards or a professionally designed website. I truly, deeply believe that most editors really don’t care how many clips you have or what magazines you’ve written for if your pitch letter’s pitch perfect: that is, the prose sparkles, the preliminary research is promising, the idea is spot-on for their audience, and you present yourself well in the exchange (”I’ve written for Boy’s Life, and I’m a stringer for X and a former correspondent for Y, where I covered real estate and small business stories.”) There are exceptions: I know of one national women’s magazine where they ask for a stack of national clips to “approve” a writer. Frankly, I think magazines that do this are a tad high-maintenance, but I digress. The majority of editors range from curious about to indifferent to your credits, so don’t let a thin stack of clips stop you from pitching a dream market and moving your career to the next level. [dianaburrell]

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