The Renegade Writer Blog

This article was originally published in Writer’s Digest.
Whenever I ask aspiring magazine writers why they don’t get started writing queries, they say the same thing: “I’m afraid of interviewing people.” And their fears aren’t unfounded — I’ve written for over 100 magazines and have probably interviewed more than 1,000 people in the past seven [...]

“I dread days where I have interviews scheduled.” “I’d rather give myself a root canal than call an editor.” “I’m so much better on paper than I am on the phone.” I’ve heard this, and variations thereof, from dozens of freelancers, many of whom are extremely successful professionals with hundreds of clips to their names.
I [...]

When I get an article assignment, I typically call potential sources, ask if they’d be available for interviews between X and Y dates, have a back-and-forth via e-mail about good dates and times, and then call at the appointed time.
Lately my husband Eric has been taking on rush assignments — articles with deadlines of a [...]