Do generalists have more fun with their writing? Maybe. We certainly enjoy more story variety. Our topics can range anywhere from discussing ChatGPT to exploring why people love Bigfoot.

(Does Good News Sell?)

But are generalist writers in high demand? Probably not as much as experts or niche writers in this increasingly over saturated market.

So, what do I mean by generalist?

I’m referring to a writer or journalist who will cover just about any topic rather than focusing on or specializing in one genre or niche, or in journalistic terms, a beat, such as the environment, tech, science, opinion, health, or politics. A generalist may of course also cover these areas but will be competing with those with expertise and/or more experience and clips.

Most reporters with a geographical beat, freelancers, bloggers, and content creators, can claim the title “generalist.” I’ve always considered myself a generalist. I can’t imagine staying in just one lane for long. There are just too many interesting and diverse stories and formats to explore for me to narrow my scope. And maybe you feel the same way?

But in the past few years, with all the challenges facing the industry, there’s been a push in writing circles, for freelancers especially, to choose a niche or specialty to stay afloat. With AI-generated content and click bait flooding the market, as well as thousands of media job losses, now more than ever we need to find new ways to stand out.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of generalist journalism and nonfiction writing. Is there a middle ground? Can we continue pursuing the stories and topics we love and stick to our preferred formats and genres, while still creating a niche? Maybe you have an unrealized or unrecognized expertise that you can use? You may be a historian, a teacher, a parent. These can all be foundations for a niche that you can build upon (or rebuild).

What does a generalist have to offer?

Generalists must be skillful storytellers, keen observers, and possess the ability to quickly learn and understand the basics of a subject, enough to explain the story to readers, and to seek the right experts and ask them the right questions. They must also be highly adaptable and able to easily shift their focus between vastly different topics.

And it’s not just the topics that define generalists, it’s also the writing genres, style, and formats. Some freelancers tackle all types of writing—features, news, essays, listicles, and Q&A’s, which means they have multiple talents and a variety of clips and bylines.

For instance, in one month, I wrote commerce roundups about telescopes and air conditioning units, researched television veterinarians for a trade magazine feature, and conducted an in-depth interview with a romance writer for a sponsored content piece.  

And generalist journalism is an umbrella term. My full-time journalism and producing roles in both print and television, were “generalist” in different ways. As a weekly newspaper reporter my beat was a geographical area, a rural, coastal, part of Wales, heavily agricultural and famous for its sailing. So, my stories covered these area-specific economies as well as local news in general. In my television roles there were different purviews for my field investigative work and the studio-based discussion shows I produced, although they both came under the banner of current affairs and the stories and topics were bountiful.

But advertising ourselves as just generalists doesn’t always work in our favor. Editors tend to prefer some kind of specialty, whether in a subject area, field, or writing type.

Different types of experts and niches.

Some writers thrive in one area where they can utilize different writing styles and explore several topics, for instance travel writers. Travel writers can tackle different aspects of the industry, such as budget or luxury travel, or the industry itself, looking at the hotel business, the economy, flights, and so on. They can focus on one type of vacation, such as cruises, or stick to a handful of destinations. They can also write different types of articles, features, listicles, and Q&A’s all under their “travel expert” title. This could also apply to lifestyle writers and other niches.

Other writers stick to and develop one journalistic type, such as opinion, essays, or features. This then becomes their niche, but the scope of their topics can still be general.

So, how can we as generalists, balance our need for variety and narrow down our specific skill sets, so we look more desirable?

Even as generalists we also naturally gravitate to certain stories and topics, so there’s a good chance you already have a niche and just don’t realize it. I know writers who love writing about comics, and others who write about health and wellness. These are possible niches.

When I look at my work history, I’ve covered American politics extensively, in the UK and US media and this is a niche I can easily claim, if I wanted to. My other niche is journalism. My whole career revolves around journalism, I’ve worked in several mediums on two continents, have 25+ years in the industry, and I’m now in my fourth year writing a column about journalism. I can safely advertise my expertise in this field, although for some reason it’s taken years for me to fully claim this title.

As writers we all suffer from imposter syndrome to some degree, especially those from older generations, and we must shake off this attitude for good. Claim your niche. It doesn’t have to be through writing, it can come from life experience, a job, career, or hobby. My brother is an expert at designing and building model railways and is sought out by specialty magazines to write articles for them—they pay him well and he’s not even a professional writer.

Maybe you’re an expert knitter, speak seven languages, have lived on five continents, or conversely, lived in the same house and small town all your life and watched the world change from your kitchen window. Whatever it is, find it and use it. Or maybe it’s the type of articles you excel at. Are you good at features? Then claim that as your expertise, while emphasizing that you love tackling a variety of topics.

So, dig into your portfolio and background, see where your writing strengths lie, and what kind of stories you’ve written in the past. Is there some way you can build on this? You may not be an expert yet, but you have a base from which to grow.

Choose what you love to write about the most and do more of that, and soon you’ll have created a niche and you’ll have the clips to prove your expertise.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

The post Creating a Niche as a Generalist Journalist appeared first on Writer's Digest.

The first thing I learned about interviews is to not put my recording device directly on the table. If someone taps on the table, that sound will resonate through the surface. It will be very loud in your recording. 

Who to interview? 

If you’re writing about a specific topic, make a list of experts and/or people with lived experience. Take some time to research who is out there. Who would you like to speak with most? Put them at the top of the list and work down from there. 

Contact people one at a time, or for a bigger piece, maybe in twos or threes. Wait until you get a response before moving on. You don’t want to contact 30 people and end up only interviewing two of them. This wastes your time and theirs. 

Profiles vs. Other Pieces 

A profile focuses on a single person. For instance, I interviewed astronaut Robert Thirsk for a profile piece in INSPIRED 55+. Since the article was mainly about him, I didn’t interview anyone else. 

For something longer or less focused on an individual, you’ll want multiple interlocutors. Try to vary the perspectives you get. 

When I wrote about women in British Columbia who sail their own boats, I cast a wider net to see who might be interested in providing a quote. I included women who sail, of course. I also included comments from people who worked in the marine industry. 

Since my aim was to provide commentary from a variety of people, I didn’t end up interviewing most of my interlocutors in any detail. Think of it like a deep dive versus an overview. 

Balancing Interviews and Other Information 

For the women who sail article, quotations from interviews only made up a small portion of the text. The meat of the piece relied on other research and information. The quotes were there to enliven the story and make it real (Look! These are actual humans!). 

Context for the quotes is key. Introduce the topic first. Then expand on it with some contextual or factual background information. What point are you trying to make? Your quotes should support the point if each paragraph where they appear. 

Here are four tips I’ve gleaned from my interviewing experiences. 

Get a Good Recording 

This might seem obvious, but as I said, things can interfere with your recording that you may never have thought about (like someone gently tapping a table, which sounds like gunshots when you play it back).  

Where should you meet? While a cafe seems neutral and appropriate, they tend to be noise-riddled spaces. Even seemingly quiet cafes might have coffee grinders, or someone’s dog might start barking outside (or inside), or a baby might cry, or there might be that one customer whose voice carries through the whole place above all other conversation. Even if your recording comes out well, you might find yourself distracted throughout the interview. 

A better place to meet is a library study room, an office, or (if appropriate) at someone’s house (unless there is also a risk of barking dog/crying baby, or yard work, or neighbors vacuuming…) 

Outside can be okay if it’s sheltered from traffic noises. And wind. Wind is the worst possible thing for a recording. If you are going to be outside, put a sock or glove over your recording device. There’s a reason those film boom mics have big fuzzy things on them. (Fun fact apropos of nothing: The fuzzy things are called dead-cats.) 

Take Notes as You Go 

Even though you are recording, jot down anything that jumps out at you in the moment. When you’re watching a person speak and hearing their words for the first time, things can resonate in a way that gets lost with just a recording. Especially if it’s only audio, with no visual. 

Taking notes by hand has also been shown to help with memory (see https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-writing-by-hand-is-better-for-memory-and-learning/ ). Actively taking notes during an interview helps you focus. It speeds you through your writing process, because when you sit down to write, you will already retain more of what was said. 

The things you write down can also help you focus your article (book chapter, etc.). These are things that you found significant or meaningful. Maybe it was a particular turn of phrase. Maybe it was a fact that you didn’t know before. Maybe your interlocutor said something that contradicted what they said in a different conversation, or that you read about them. Or maybe there’s something you want to follow up on later, but you don’t want to interrupt them in the moment. 

Don’t Transcribe Everything, Just What You Need 

Once you have your recording, you’ll want to go back over it. Transcription takes way longer than you think (unless you’ve done a lot of transcription, in which case you know why professional transcribers charge so much). Instead of trying to capture every word, just play back the recording and transcribe the passages you will actually use. If you need general information instead of exact quotes, then you can take notes like you would in a lecture. Except you can pause the speaker (which would have been helpful when I was in university). 

Even better, if you’re recording the meeting on a video call service, turn on captions. This will automatically generate a transcript of your conversation. Sure, the transcript will contain some minor errors, but that’s what the recording is for. Anyway, you’ll only end up using a few pieces.  

Which leads me to the next point. 

Identify the Most Fitting Quotes 

In my experience, you will inevitably end up with more than you can use. Unless you’ve conducted an extremely focused and specific interview, you won’t be able to use it all. Anthropologists have boxes of unused notes and data in their attics (or digital boxes in their dusty digital basements). You can never use it all. 

When I interviewed puppeteer Tim Gosley for Inspired 55+, we spoke for about an hour. The article was 800 words. For comparison, this article you are currently reading is about 1,000 words. 

In that contained space, I had to introduce Tim, give some information about his life, patch in a few quotes, give some more information, describe him a little, and detail some of his work. In 800 words. So yeah. Most of what we talked about, no matter how fascinating, never saw the light of day. 

This limitation is actually helpful though. Once you pull a few quotes, you can think about how they connect. What is the theme of your project? Where is the focus? Do you want readers to know what it feels like to be in this person’s presence? Are you more interested in facts about their childhood? Do you want to convey their voice and follow the topics that they emphasized themselves? 

For me, this process is iterative. I pull some quotes, I write a few lines about the person or the topic, then I see what quotes might fit with that, or how I will get to the next segment or subtopic. Even when I pull interesting quotes, I end up with more than I can use. 

At least in your early drafts you don’t need to worry too much about word count. Write a little more than what you need. Then pare it down to its clean essentials. Don’t be afraid to make a mess. It’s a bit like collage. The picture will gradually emerge as you tame it. 

The more interviews you incorporate into your work, the smoother this process will become for you. One final tip though: Interviews are exhausting. They can be brilliant and fun, or (rarely) tedious and boring, but they are always tiring. Don’t schedule more than two on the same day. Really you should only do one a day, if you can help it. That way, it’ll stay fresh in your mind. 

Interviews can add depth and polyvocality to your nonfiction writing. Get a solid recording and integrate the right quotes to support what you’re trying to say. Then send your work out into the world and figure out who you’ll interview next! 

The post How to Use Interviews in Your Nonfiction Prose appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How Does Clickbait Affect Online Journalism?)

While often disparaged as ‘lazy journalism,’ when done well the listicle format is nevertheless a useful tool for conveying interesting and important information. I would place listicles in the same category as light features or call it soft journalism, but again, it depends on the content and subject matter. Some listicles do tackle serious and heavy topics.

So, What Is a Listicle?

A listicle is simply an article structured as a list of tips, facts, or examples, based on a particular theme, such as, “The 10 Best Christmas Movies of All Time” or “Top Summer Beach Reads.” They always have a catchy headline to lure you in and the format is straightforward—a short introductory paragraph explaining the reason for the article, followed by the list, either numbered or bulleted, with a sub-heading and a brief explanation for each example. Listicle is a ‘portmanteau,’ or a blend of the words list and article.

Although there’s been a proliferation of listicles online, it’s nothing new, as any serious women’s magazine readers well know. Publications like Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and others have been using this format for decades. How many times have you seen lists on magazine covers that caught your eye? Even men’s print publications like Men’s Health have been using this format effectively.

One of my first regular online freelance gigs was writing for a listicle site. I wrote politics and entertainment pieces, with topics ranging from “How to Stay Married” and “Top 10 Best Zombie Movies” to “The 10 Poorest Countries in the World” and “10 Facts about Human Trafficking.”

The above examples prove that you can use this format to tackle serious issues as well as the lighter subjects. As freelancers we often lack the budget and resource for an in-depth piece requiring months of research, interviews, and possibly travel expenses, unless our pitch is accepted by a major publication. But with a listicle we can offer the very basic facts and statistics by researching freely available online resources such as the US State Department trafficking in Persons Report or the US Census Bureau.

We could call it a gateway article, to give the reader an easy-to-read summary of, or an introduction to, a topic that may compel them to explore further. It also gives writers a chance to experiment with more serious topics and turn them into content.

Listicles can also provide useful advice and tips on anything from dating to cooking a turkey.

5 Tips for Writing Better Listicles!

While relatively easy to write, listicles do require research, most of which can be conducted online. They also demand accuracy and proofreading (by a human). The beauty of listicles is that they can cover just about any topic, and they’re a great way to break into online or print publications as a freelancer. I’ve written two pieces for Scout Life magazine (previously Boys’ Life) and both were listicles. My second piece for WritersDigest.com was a listicle and I often use the format for this monthly column.

That being said, here are 5 tips for writing better listicles!

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Check your facts and avoid using AI to write your piece! Here’s why …

In 2023 Microsoft allegedly published, and then retracted an AI-generated article, “Headed to Ottawa? Here’s what you shouldn’t miss!” which among other attractions, recommended tourists visit an Ottawa food bank on “an empty stomach.” Click here for the story.

The Chicago Sun-Times experienced an equally embarrassing AI gaffe when they published a summer reading list produced by a third-party company, including books that don’t exist. They were made up by AI. The writer admitted he used AI for the piece and that he failed to fact check. Click here for more information.

While humorous, these are embarrassing mistakes with severe consequences for the writers and publications involved.  

Pick a number!

If you’re going to use numbered lists, the best performing numbers are 5, 7, and 10. 15 and 29 are also great for more in-depth pieces. Major publications like “Rolling Stone” can get away with using 100 examples, such as The 100 Best Albums of 2024.

As for word count, it can vary with each piece, but the range is usually 800 to 1,500 words. A listicle can essentially be as long as you like, but whether readers will get to number 72 on your list of 150 is anyone’s guess. The introduction should be concise and can be as short as 60 words if strongly written but can also sit comfortably around 100-150 words. Each numbered example requires a strong paragraph or two, again around 100-150 words, depending on the complexity of the topic.

Write what you love.

Pick topics that you either love or want to explore, as this makes the process easier and much more fun. After watching my friends get on the fastest zip line in the world in my home country Wales, I was compelled to research zip lines. I had the fastest, so where was the highest, the longest, and scariest zip line? It quickly morphed into a lucrative, easy-to-write listicle for a national magazine that paid well.

Offer value to your readers.

Don’t shortchange readers with huge promises in your headline. Provide valuable and useful information they can and will use. If you live in a touristy spot why not write some listicles about the best things to do and see in your area? These don’t have to be restaurants and museums. Think outside the box about people’s needs. How about best walks? Best places to fish? Best spots to see wildlife? 7 places to sleep in your car for free along the Pacific Coast Highway, you get the gist.

The beauty of listicles is that they can be about practically any subject matter and topic, and again they’re easy to produce. They just need to be useful. As journalists, we’re providing a service, sharing facts we’ve researched and verified, that will help others make informed decisions.

Use an image for each item on the list.

These can be public domain or Creative Commons photos, and you can even use your own as I often do. You can also use Canva, Unsplash, or any number of sites, just search for royalty free images. I would suggest crediting each photo and/or citing the source even if they’re free, just for courtesy.

If your list is about movies or best songs, you can include a link or embed the movie trailer or song in your piece from sites like YouTube. This is great if you’re writing on Medium in particular. In fact, most of my Medium articles are listicles!

Just one more thing…

Listicles are being overused and it’s undeniable that many are AI written and churned out by content creators trying to make easy money. As we saw in the examples above, journalists are also using AI without fact-checking, and the results can be disastrous.

*****

However as professional writers we can save the reputation of this very useful article format by ensuring all our work is of the highest quality, while we endeavor to inform, educate, delight, and entertain our readers. We also have the knowledge, skills, and experience to engage our audience and provide real value, through integrity, accuracy, and diligence, which are some of the principles of ethical journalism.

And to answer the initial question, are listicles considered ‘real’ journalism? Yes, when done well and responsibly. Clickbait listicles are not journalism and it’s easy to differentiate between the two.

Listicles are a form of journalism just as much as opinion pieces, personal essays and features. It’s just a different presentation of facts. Readers, especially online, appreciate well presented, actionable information that’s easy to skim and digest, with quick answers to their questions and needs, whether health related or for entertainment. The structure of listicles is logical, formulaic, and simple, helping our brains to easily organize, evaluate and process the information. These are just some reasons why listicles continue to succeed, especially online.

Click to continue.

The post What Are Listicles, and Are They Considered “Real” Journalism? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Writing Small Stories With a Big Impact.)

Those who spend considerable time online are familiar with clickbait yet fall for it consistently. (Guilty!) It’s a technique that works very well as it triggers emotional reactions and arouses our natural curiosity. Many of us click before thinking, then kick ourselves when we realize it’s junk. Cha-ching. The website just made money and too bad if it wasted your time. Sucker.

While we’ve come to expect such a gimmick from content marketers, unfortunately clickbait tactics are also commonly used in online journalism, especially digital first outlets.

So, what exactly is clickbait and why is it so prevalent?

“Clickbait” is a term used to describe online content—a headline, title, or thumbnail, that persuades or rather tricks readers into clicking through to the full article or video. These headlines are designed to evoke an emotional reaction or appeal to our curiosity. They often make sensational claims or controversial statements, using hyperbolic language and various gimmicks to lure readers in. Common clickbait phrases include, “You won’t believe…”, “You Need to See This…”, “What happened next will shock you…”, “The Real Reason why….”

You can find clickbait on websites, social media, and video platforms such as YouTube and TikTok. It’s always accompanied by an eye-catching photo and a juicy headline.

The actual content is often mediocre and misleading, sometimes having very little to do with the title or headline. It’s used to increase advertising revenue through boosting engagement metrics—page views, likes, comments, clicks, and shares. But when promising headlines fail to deliver in this way it leaves the reader feeling used, irritated, and distrustful of any future content.

Clickbait has one clear goal, to make easy money. In this sense it’s not meant for true engagement, to share vital information, advance a promising writing career, or practice thoughtful, ethical journalism. Quantity in this scenario is more important than quality.

Why does clickbait exist?

The concept behind clickbait is nothing new and it mimics the yellow journalism tactics of the past—catchy, sensationalist tabloid headlines and television infomercials. However, the digital landscape is vastly different to legacy media and always evolving. There are no clear standards online when it comes to content creators. The only purpose of clickbait is to get people to click that link and all they get for their time is a lackluster article or video.

When you bought a newspaper, you got the package deal: all the other articles, sports section, classified ads, and obituaries, not to mention a crossword, comic strip, horoscopes, and coupons on Sunday. The articles were typically well researched and written, and most importantly, edited. And you could also use old newspapers to pack the china inherited from grandma when you moved.

But anything goes online. Never has it been so easy to ‘write’ and create content, with no editor or gatekeeper in sight. Regardless of talent and skill, anyone can simply slap something together and toss it out there. All they need is a gimmicky headline and they can make money. And as humans, we’ve never been inundated with so much information and choices in one space.

Online creators are jostling for attention and in the process dumping more piles of content onto the growing digital scrap heap. AI-generated articles and videos just compound the problems, creating more distrust and frustration.  

The practice reduces content creation to a hustle to make money, gain clicks and attention, rather than providing a public service to disseminate important information through articles of value and integrity.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Where does clickbait exist?

Clickbait is prevalent on most social media sites, like Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube. Even sites like Medium have been accused of degenerating into clickbait. Unfortunately, to compete with all the other online content, news outlets also use some of the same tactics. It can add to problems such as the spreading of disinformation and fake news stories.

It’s common on social media sites like Facebook for people to just share the article link without even reading the piece. The headline alone can create havoc in the comments section, facts and nuance be damned.

A 2024 study exploring the features of clickbait journalism and its effectiveness in driving online engagement, revealed that digital-native news outlets like Buzzfeed and Huffington Post were much more likely to use clickbait tactics than legacy outlets. The study, co-authored by UC Davis communication graduate student Salman Khawar, identifies 10 key features of clickbait journalism on social media. It concludes that clickbait does drive engagement in the form of likes and shares on social media.

“Prior research has shown that forms of sensationalism, like clickbait, and a perception of fake news and media mistrust are interconnected, and this has societal relevance,” said Khawar.

Could clickbait be used for good?

But since it’s proven to work very well in gaining attention, can the tactic also be used for good? If the content lives up to the expectations of the title, and the writer truly wants to share an important and relevant message and presents well-researched information, wider readership would be beneficial. The key is to build trust with your readers and viewers, so they’re more likely to keep clicking on posts. A good reputation can go a very long way, especially if clickbait runs its course.

Thankfully traditional media news sites are still bound by journalism ethics and must adhere to established standards. Despite criticisms of bias and lack of objectivity (which are often warranted) at least legacy media journalists are trained professionals, schooled in the principles of journalism.

If there’s no going back to print and broadcast business models, news outlets must somehow learn to survive and thrive online. To compete in the increasingly oversaturated digital space, where attention spans continuously shrink, and in a world where digital natives dominate, is the use of some clickbait a necessary ‘evil’ to get the public’s attention? Can it be used to get people in the door, so you can then surprise them with some real, homecooked, good old-fashioned journalism? Would this work? Is clickbait just yellow journalism on a larger scale?

Maybe the price we pay for online ‘free news’ is clickbait. The key is learning how to spot the worst culprits, ignore their junk, and not feed the beast, then maybe it will starve and fade away. That would make room for some quality, ethical journalism. We can only hope.

Click here for the 10 Features of Clickbait.

The post How Does Clickbait Affect Online Journalism? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Writing Small Stories With a Big Impact.)

Stories involving any kind of crime, violence, scandal, or disaster, always get the breaking coverage and become front-page news. You could argue that the online news space is just one big money-spinning tabloid at this point. And as consumers, we tend to be drawn into all this by our innate curiosity and yes, our penchant for the scandalous and macabre.

A few of these stories a week is palatable, but we’re now inundated with an enormous daily dose of negativity. From wildfires to mass shootings, the news seems to offer an endless diet of disaster. These events need to be covered of course, but there’s a better way to do so. And it’s not just the legacy and independent/citizen journalist news sources, worse still is all the trash online content, disguised as news, that thrives off clickbait.

What kind of effect does this perpetual bad news cycle have on our mental and physical health? And can we as journalists tip the balance by pursuing more positive, or at the very least, less negative stories? Or maybe tackle them in a different way, sans sensationalism? Would anyone read them if we did?

Let’s dig in.

The Power of Sensational Journalism

There is nothing new under the sun, and news outlets have always peddled sensationalist news. The tabloids have thrived on it. “Read all about it,” newsboys would shout, “Headless Body Found in Topless Bar.” Now click bait has taken over the reins and the effect of online fodder is arguably worse. And yes, go right ahead, click on the link there, it was an actual headline in 1983. We’ll wait…

At least back in pre-internet times, when newspapers were the norm, we’d read an article, shake our heads, flip to the comic strip, chuckle, maybe take a go at the crossword, check our horoscopes, then fold up the paper, and get on with our day. No comments section to scroll through, no rabbit holes to tumble down, and no Facebook bickering back then. You’d save that for the pub. The paper would eventually end up lining the parakeet cage anyway, or in 80s Britain, used to wrap your Friday night fish and chips. Yesterday’s news and all that.

And with television nightly news at least, we know the drill by now. It’s all bad news up front, often just one stretched out story if there’s a hurricane. If we’re lucky at the end they’ll throw in a feel good “and finally…” segment about something positive, like a panda giving birth at the zoo. It’s almost like a salve after being battered with distress.

With the digital landscape it’s a very different scenario. We’re constantly bombarded with clickbait headlines whenever we’re online, even when we’re casually checking our social media page bad news pops up uninvited. There’s a term for this; it’s called incidental exposure.

It takes a strong-willed person to resist the urge to click on a juicy, enticing headline. Did you check out that New York Post link yet? You will!

The Power of Negative Journalism

We read the negative story online, but we can’t seem to just leave it right there and go make a cup of tea. Oh no. Instead, there’s the added lure of the comments section. You’ll just take a quick peek, right? See if anyone else agrees with your take on the story. Since “bad news” is designed to trigger strong emotional reactions, the comments section is often a minefield of angry outbursts. Coupled with the impact of the negative news story, after reading the nasty comments, you’re left drained, exhausted, and stressed out. “Are people really like this?” you exclaim to an empty room, as you head for the fridge and grab a beer. You’ll need something stronger if you took the plunge and posted your own comment and were mercilessly attacked for your trouble.

The whole experience leaves a psychological scar, affecting your mood and in some cases even causing physical symptoms, through the activation of the body’s flight or fight response.

A barrage of distressing news can fuel distrust and a feeling of doom, and we misguidedly start thinking that things are worse than they really are. Twisted, slanted stories trigger anger, hate, and cause societal division. You’d think by watching the news that crime was at an all-time high, but statistics show otherwise. It’s just the perception. The same goes for plane crashes. A study even found that people showed an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety after only 14 minutes of news consumption. Such is the power of words and the impact of click bait tactics.

Click to continue.

No News Is Good News Then, Right? 

What I loved about my weekly newspaper reporter role was that we did include positive articles, at least by the bottom of page 4. We’d cover a local couple’s golden anniversary or schoolchildren saving wild birds, or a magician getting accepted into the Magic Circle. These stories also sold papers, as the people involved have families and friends who will buy the issue just to clip that one story.

Positive stories don’t have to be cutesy and fluffy. We can meet in the middle somewhere between hard and soft news. Amid all the clickbait headlines there are some well-written stories out there. Great longform narrative pieces that explore the human condition, stories that cover real issues, follow ordinary people overcoming extraordinary circumstances. We need stories that build us up not tear us apart. Stories that empower rather than ones that leave us nervous and scared.

We can do more. Journalism as an industry can do better. We can evolve and still tackle the big, the bad, and the negative, but with tact, dignity, compassion, and empathy, rather than exploiting disasters and the misery of others just for clicks.

I believe most people are tired of being cannon fodder for the negative Nancys. They’re fed up with click bait stories that offer no real value. Readers are wising up and long for more substance and coverage that really matters.

And reading good news is scientifically proven to be good for you. Good news triggers dopamine release, reduces cortisol levels, improves mood, and strengthens social bonds. Read more about the benefits of good news here.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the negativity that floods the content we consume daily, but once we become aware of the dangers to our health and wellbeing, and start being mindful about what and how much news we consume, we can counteract or even avoid any negative outcomes.

We’re here on this earth to live, experience, create, explore, and help others if we can, not to worry about things we cannot possibly control. So, turn off the news for a day, read some well-researched, thoughtful journalism, and carpe diem, y’all!

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

The post Does Good News Sell? Or Are We Forever Stuck With the Bad News Bearers? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

Answer: Yes. But one can help the other.

(Tips for Writing About Controversial Topics in Fiction.)

I’ve written thousands of nonfiction articles and six novels. I think of both as sculpture. In nonfiction, you start with a mound of clay consisting of interviews, documents, and observations. Constrained by the pile’s contents, you carve it away until what remains is your story. With fiction, the mound is limitless, including anything you’ve ever experienced or can imagine. You have more choices, but you’re constrained by nothing but the desire to connect with readers. But both forms have much in common.

In 41 years as a journalist, I gravitated toward long-form narratives that employed the scenes, tension, and dialogue typical of fiction. 25 years ago, I started writing novels. Over time I learned that my years as an assembler of facts prepared me to concoct made-up tales. You certainly don’t have to be a journalist to write novels. But it doesn’t hurt.

Here are some lessons I learned along the way that may open up creative problem-solving possibilities for aspects of your fiction, too.

Lessons I learned:

The What Reveals the Why.

Years ago, a jury held a gun maker liable in a murder case. So-called experts predicted a dire future for the industry. Two colleagues at The Wall Street Journal interviewed jurors and learned that what happened during deliberations was diametrically opposite what “experts” proclaimed. The gun makers were saved.

Good journalists strive to determine why things happen—sometimes without knowing what really transpired in a jury box, cloakroom, or police precinct. Fiction writers can fall into a similar trap when they ponder higher meanings before simply putting characters in a situation and seeing what transpires. Real or not, just tell a story you wouldn’t mind telling your best buddy over a beer.

In my debut, Starvation Lake, the protagonist, Gus Carpenter, visits a supermarket to ask a cashier a single question. I figured he’d be in and out in a paragraph. But Gus struck up a chat with the cashier. That unexpected exchange—the what—helped me understand something—the why—that profoundly changed the novel. Just as nonfiction can illuminate if you learn the facts, fictional characters will surprise if you put them on the page and let them behave.

Keep the Reader in the Room.

I once wrote a front-page story for the Journal that started: “Five weeks ago, David Gutowski, a self-employed painter, killed a six-point buck with his bare hands and a brown leather belt.” The prose was hardly literary, but I can assure you it induced a WTF reaction in readers. I’d invited them into my story-room. They accepted.

Alas, impatient readers will exit if you offer a trap door like, say, a thumb-sucker quote about what it means to slay a helpless animal. Instead, I kept facts coming: “After strangling the white-tailed deer, Mr. Gutowski gutted it and hung it in his garage. Then a state conservation officer came to confiscate the animal. She explained that Michigan has seasons for killing deer legally with guns or bows-and-arrows. There is no season for garroting deer.”

The reader thinks, how the hell did this happen? The story’s momentum relies not on scintillating prose or penetrating analysis, but on the stacking of concrete facts that propel readers from one sentence to the next. You might argue that readers of fiction are more forgiving because their expectations are different. No, I say, from hard experience. Readers, especially those of crime fiction, want to be entertained on every page. As Elmore Leonard said, “Try to leave out the parts that readers tend to skip.” Journalism, with its relatively tight form, drilled that into me.

Click to continue.

Shorter Is Usually Better.

Whenever I finished a first draft of a long newspaper or magazine feature, I printed it and marked it up with a felt-tip pen. I loved striking out words and sentences because over time I came to believe that when a story was getting shorter, it was getting better.

That’s just as true in fiction. It’s math: Deleting unnecessary words makes room for necessary ones. The reader reads faster and is more likely to stay with you. So I exercise the same print-and-mark-up discipline with fiction that I learned writing nonfiction. Then, as I input the hundreds of mark-ups, I change those changes yet again. It’s fun. Honest.

Deadlines Are Your Friend.

Early in my career, I felt intimidated by having to produce something by a definite time. The more I did it, though, the more I thought of the deadline as a benign motivator: You must get it done, so you will. On September 11, 2001, I had to write a 3,000-word, front-page story in about three hours, using 30,000 words of copy being flung at me minute-by-minute from reporters around the world. Every twenty minutes or so, I sent editors chunks of six or seven paragraphs each. Those short, periodic deadlines rendered the bigger deadline irrelevant, freeing me to do what had to be done.

Novels, of course, involve more words. But the feeling for me is the same. I have a June 1 deadline for my next novel. As I write this, I’ve completed about 60,000 words, with 30,000 or so to go. With 13 weeks before my deadline, my calculator says I must write about 2,500 words a week—roughly, a couple of chapters—or 350 to 400 words daily. That’s doable (heck, I have pals who write 2,700 words a day). A wise writer once told me never to think about the entire project, lest it become overwhelming. Simply focus on that day’s task: a scene, some research, an exchange between characters.

Transport the Reader.

I’ve written many nonfiction pieces from small towns: Regent, North Dakota; Hill City, Kansas; Trenary, Michigan. I constantly sought details that would take the reader in New York or Los Angeles to those places: the sound of windmills, the smell of a slaughterhouse, the angled parking spots along Main Street. I drew maps so I could refresh my memory when back at the office. (I also pilfered phone books from hotel rooms.)

In my experience, readers are more likely to keep reading if they feel part of a landscape they can picture, hear, smell, and taste. These sorts of details are both particular and universal: Almost anyone can appreciate the air tasting of mustard and hamburger grease at the final game at Detroit’s Tiger Stadium.

All this trained me well for creating the fictional burgs of my novels: Starvation Lake, Bleak Harbor, and now, Bitterfrost. All are based on Michigan towns, with embellishments I stole from the far-flung places I visited as a journalist.

Wherever you are, keep your eyes and ears and nose open for things that will your make your invented places come alive. Force yourself to go to places that might look like the ones you’re trying to create in your novel or short story. Take notes. And take photos. Cameras are terrific note-takers, and you’ll see something in your pictures you didn’t notice in person.

One last thing: always, always, always get the name of the dog.

Check out Bryan Gruley’s Bitterfrost here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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The post How Journalism Helps Me Write Fiction (and Vice Versa) appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(How to Keep an Ideas File as a Journalist.)

Does it harm or undermine journalism? Possibly. It’s an interesting dilemma so let’s dig a little deeper.

What Is Sponsored Content?

Sponsored content, also known as native advertising, is a type of advertisement where brands or businesses pay publishers to write content promoting their products or services. It’s designed to blend seamlessly with a publication’s regular content. They can be presented in the form of articles, blogs, social media posts, and videos. For this column, we’ll stick to their use as articles in publications such as online news channels, magazines, and newspapers.

In the US the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) mandates transparency in advertising and endorsements, and sponsored content must be clearly labeled.  These labels can range from “paid post,” “sponsored content,” and “branded content,” to, “this article was written for our sponsor…”

So What’s Wrong With Sponsored Content?

The problem arises when we think we’re reading editorial content because we fail to notice the disclosure. This can be perceived as deceptive and could possibly threaten the credibility of a newspaper or news channel.

In a Center for Journalism Ethics article Ava Sirrah, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of business, cites a 2016 study published in American Behavioral Scientist. “Peer-reviewed research shows that even if a native ad has a disclosure label…a majority of people miss the label entirely,” she adds that the study showed that more than 30 percent of readers never even glanced at disclosures. “The labels might as well have been invisible to the majority of readers who gazed over the content.”

There is also the danger that news outlets publishing paid “stories” that mimic real articles are perilously close to breaching the sacred boundary separating reporting and advertising. This can compromise journalistic integrity. Traditional media is already facing many challengers, from AI to credibility issues, and sponsored content raises further concerns over conflict of interest and possible bias. As we all know, ethically, media outlets should avoid favoring advertisers or allow them to influence or dictate news coverage.

What’s the Future of Sponsored Content?

Sponsored content is nothing new and it’s not going away anytime soon. After all, it’s profitable and keeps news organizations in business. Many traditional media publications now have their own sponsored content platforms, separate from their editorial departments, such as The New York Times’ T Brand Studio, The Atlantic’s Re:Think Brand Studio, and HuffPost’s Partner Studio. 

Newspapers and magazines have featured sponsored content, previously called advertorials, for decades. The disclosures I would argue were probably more obvious to readers of print publications. In fact, my first paid gig as a journalist in Wales was writing advertising features for a local newspaper while someone was on maternity leave. As a full-time reporter, writing the occasional advertising feature was part of my job. I recall promoting a local butcher and a new Mexican restaurant on the town square. But I must emphasize again that these articles were clearly labeled with large, bold headings, impossible to miss.

And for full disclosure, as a freelance writer, I have written several pieces of sponsored content in the past five years, and I can attest that they pay very well. To write this type of content, we utilize all our journalism skills, including interviewing sources, researching, and using the same article structure as we would in journalism. The difference is of course that while we do often discuss current and relevant issues in such pieces, such as the use of AI and DEI programs, we are given the topic, scope of the story, and the sources—such as an employee of the firm that’s paying for the content. This is why in my bio and on my resume, I use the title journalist and writer, because, as we’ve discussed, when I write this type of content, I’m a freelance writer, not a journalist. The distinction is important and one I take seriously.  

Check out Alison Hill’s The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism here:

Click to continue.

Does Sponsored Content Harm Journalism?

Since it’s not a new concept or practice, overall, it depends on how the piece is presented. It raises issues when consumers don’t realize they’re reading an advertisement because the label is hard to spot. Sponsored content is written just like a story in the style and voice of the publication. It’s designed to blend in with regular content, and this can be misleading. Digital platforms are vastly different to print publications, and it’s easier to overlook labels, however clearly marked they may seem to publishers. It’s really now up to the reader to be savvy and check what they’re consuming.

It’s a fine line and balance.

News organizations are incentivized to foster reader trust, while they simultaneously keep their sites alive with revenue from these types of ads. Businesses depend on the publication’s good reputation and integrity. Otherwise, why would they pay so much for sponsored content? So, it’s a symbiotic partnership and one that will probably continue and grow.

It’s not necessarily a bright future for “real” journalism. And unless you’re in with the glossies, the pay is low for most freelance journalists struggling to make it. So, you can’t blame us generalists for diversifying. Did I mention sponsored content pays ridiculously well? I made $3,000 for one, albeit rather long, sponsored content feature article. That’s the most I’ve ever been paid for a single project. Journalism pieces just can’t compete.

Freelance journalist Jacob Silverman purposefully wrote anonymously for The Atlantic’s Re:think Brand Studio, and admits, “It was money that got me into the sponsored content racket.” He sums it up well in, The Rest is Advertising: Confessions of a Sponsored Content Writer: “The problem, as I learned all too quickly when I wrote my sponsored story for The Atlantic (paid for by a prominent tech multinational), is that the line between what’s sponsored and what isn’t—between advertising and journalism—has already been rubbed away. Whether it can be redrawn will depend less on the hand-wringing of professional idealists and more on the wavering resolve of an industry that, hearing chronic news of the apocalypse, has begun to quake and ask, Is it too late to convert?”

Useful Resources:

• The Rest Is Advertising.
• How invisible ads undermine journalism ethics.
• The Deceptiveness of Sponsored News Articles.

The post What Is Sponsored Content (and the Impact on Journalism)? appeared first on Writer's Digest.

(Writing Science Into Fiction.)

I worked as a journalist for some time in the 1990s, covering arts and entertainment, community news, and crime. I had grown up in a household in which two newspapers were delivered to our doorstep every morning. The news was on the television all day long in my home, from the morning, in which we watched the local news that would provide us with the update on weather and local traffic, to the mid-day news, evening news, and then we’d watch Ted Koppel on Nightline for in-depth segments. 

Current affairs were always a point of discussion at home, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Challenger disaster, the emergence of AIDS, the Cold War, Gulf War, the rise of the internet, and more. I clearly remember coverage during the Satanic Panic, interviews with John Wayne Gacy, the capture of Jeffrey Dahmer and the subsequent court trials. I also remember a number of high-profile organized crime cases. This was Chicago after all, and many crime families had a stronghold throughout the Chicagoland area and many of its suburbs.

This is all important because my educational background, my upbringing, and the information I was exposed to inform my interests and my approach to how I consume and discern information that is being given, or details I am seeking. It’s also important to note the nature of how the news is reported and consumed today is vastly different than what I was first exposed to over 40 years ago.

Exploration and inquiry are basic elements in narrative design. Regardless of what type of story you are crafting. The types of novels I tend to write often contain a realistic thread, based on a true crime case, some historical information, and facts regarding it. So how do I weave history, nonfiction, and true crime, into a genre novel? The following are some of my considerations.

Picking the case

The first thing I do is think about what type of crime will complement the genres I am currently writing.

For example, in Forgotten Sisters, there are two crimes that have been committed that are written about. The first is the corporate mishandling of the structure and safety features of the S.S. Eastland which led to the ship capsizing in the Chicago River, resulting in the deaths of 844 citizens in 1915.  The second true crime case explored in that novel is that of a number of unsolved drowning deaths of young men along Chicago area water ways over the past two decades.

Generally, I have an idea of what crime I’m going to cover in my novel given that I often cover the Chicagoland area in my writing and through that, I’m very often reading nonfiction books, or following local news so that I am aware of what is happening in my community.

Using themes to complement the story

My novels tend to have multiple themes running through them. For example, one of the themes in Vanishing Daughters is how acts of violence when ignored only escalate and repeat, leaving communities and people trapped in a pattern of repeating hurt and harm. 

The true crime case I covered there is the unsolved murders of over 51 women throughout the South Side of Chicago, many of which are women of color. The cause of their deaths are largely similar, and so, community members, friends and families of the victims have expressed outrage as to the lack of attention of law enforcement taking steps to investigate these murders as the work of a serial killer.

Click to continue.

Getting lost in research

The research is one of the most important steps. I enjoy the research aspect and can get lost in the research. My aim with this step is to obtain as much information as possible. Not all of it will make it into the novel. However, knowing as much as I possibly can about the crime I’m highlighting will greatly inform the essence of the work. 

For research, I take a multi-step approach. I turn to local news channels, many of which have an accompanying article about the crime committed. Many local news channels also have video segments that can be accessed on their website or on their station site on YouTube. I also subscribe to a number of newspapers. Additionally, I subscribe to some newspaper’s archives, so I can go back, decades and decades, to access material. I live in Chicago and also have access to great research libraries and utilize their services. 

Finally, people are great points of research, from librarians who can direct me to where I need to search, to individuals who can provide primary interviews. I have spoken to people in law enforcement, scientists, funeral home workers, to victims of violent crimes, and more for research purposes for my novels.

Weaving everything together

Now, this is where it becomes tricky, incorporating the research. We cannot have blocks of information within the text. Well, you can do whatever you want in theory, but I would recommend dispensing the true crime/nonfiction/historic details via a variety of narrative approaches so as not to overwhelm the reader with background information.

For example, while in conversation, characters can detail some of this information. True crime details can be provided to the reader via a character’s thoughts, say if they are already familiar with the case. Or, the reader can learn these true crime/nonfiction/historic details along with the character while the character discovers it either through research or another person in the story.

There are some structural approaches you can incorporate as well, such as including news articles, blog posts, transcripts, letters, official records that provide the reader with this detail, and more. Overall, I would recommend any true crime detail or nonfiction information not be presented in a way that slows down the narrative. I have been guilty of slowing down the pacing with sharing too much background information and I am getting better at weaving that in.

Ultimately, the research has to serve your story. What is the point that this nonfiction, historical, or true crime information is trying to make related to your character and theme? What will your character do with this knowledge? How is it applicable to their mission and their growth as a character? You are still writing a story and stories are about how an individual is changed from the beginning of the novel to the end. 

So, however you are incorporating this information it has to be related to your character, to your theme, and to your plot. Nonfiction, historical, and true crime information should be well-researched because having that realistic thread within a fictional tale does provide a great emotional weight. Finally, it needs to be presented smoothly within the text so as not to slow down the pace.

Check out Cynthia Pelayo’s Vanishing Daughters here:

Bookshop | Amazon

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The post Incorporating Nonfiction and True Crime Into a Genre Novel appeared first on Writer's Digest.

I’ve written hundreds of articles, filmed undercover, interviewed high ranking public officials, national politicians and celebrities; tackled controversial, hard-hitting issues, and worked as a journalist and producer on two continents. But the story that stole my heart was Boyo’s. It’s one of the few times I know unequivocally that something I wrote made a difference.

(The Art of Good Communication in Journalism.)

Local stories may seem inconsequential or “small” since national and international “big” stories and issues dominate the media. But they are equally important and more effective than we think. While the impact of a larger story is more widespread, a local story is just as powerful. As writers, we don’t often get much feedback after a piece is published. But on rare occasions we get to see the results of our writing firsthand. Those times are precious.

So, you want to hear about Boyo? 

It was the holidays and as a reporter I was rustling up story ideas in the slow news period. This was before social media when newspapers were prevalent, and people posted information in shop windows. I came across a voluntary organization that saved strays and the motto, a “dog is for life, not just for Christmas,” came to mind. Bingo, I had a nice, timely feature, easy to write, and a pleasure to report. 

“Abandoned at Christmas time,” stated the ensuing headline. I wrote about “Dog Helpline” a tiny organization established by a local lady, that had rescued 15 strays over Christmas, including Boyo, an 18-month-old Jack Russell who had been roaming the streets for weeks. Boyo had fallen ill, and a volunteer nursed him back to health. Nobody had claimed him, and he was up for adoption. We arranged a photo of the volunteer holding cute little Boyo. It was a nice piece, nothing major, but I knew our readers would enjoy it.

A few days later, a colleague called saying, “You need to do a follow-up on that dog story. He already found a home.” I immediately called the foster and indeed, a young couple had adopted Boyo. She said the response to the story was “tremendous” and that other stray dogs also had possible new homes.

That was a lovely moment that I will always cherish. My story helped a little stray dog. The little things in life often leave the biggest impression.

As freelancers we’re encouraged to pursue and pitch stories that “grab an editor’s attention,” find an exclusive interview with someone important, discuss a revolutionary new discovery, dazzle with a new angle, and so on. And we tend to go for these bigger, juicy stories to get the sought-after bylines.

But a piece doesn’t have to be about saving the world, or an “out of the box,” flashy, big story. We don’t need to constantly dig for the hard-hitting and sensational. In the words of an old editor, “I’m not looking for Watergate, just get out there and talk to people.”

And that’s local journalism in a nutshell, communicating with people in your hometown. I started my career as a weekly newspaper reporter in rural Wales, and so “small” stories were my bread and butter. I love leafing through my pile of clippings from that time. And yes, I saved most of them, including my original and follow-up pieces about Boyo.

Human interest, “local kid does good” type stories, and of course the “and finally…,” feel-good animal tales, are journalistic gems. If you explore the lives of “ordinary” people, you’re bound to find true, authentic, heart wrenching and inspiring stories, that we all love to read. And if you’re lucky, you might get some feedback and end up writing a follow-up piece.

Here are 5 tips on how to find and pitch small, local stories:

1. Read local newspapers (if they’re still in circulation in your area), and regional magazines. These publications can be dailies, weeklies, monthlies, or quarterlies, independents, and so on. Study them all and familiarize yourself with the types of stories covered. They can be print or online.
2. Scroll local Facebook pages. From planning issues to community theatre, the story potential is endless. Then scan the comments section. For example, during Hurricane Helene I was looking for story angles and people to interview, and social media was a goldmine. People really want to share on sites like Facebook and this is a great resource for interviewees and sources, as well as feature ideas.
3. Get involved with your community, volunteer, talk to your neighbors, connect with friends and local business owners. Stay in the loop. There’s always something going on. What concerns do people have? What makes them happy? Somebody you meet will always have a good story.
4. Start conversations with people you meet, at stores, coffee shops, and in your neighborhood. I seem to have a knack for “making” people talk. Even my dentist and his staff are chatty when I’m a captive audience in the dreaded chair…
5. Attend local events, from folk festivals to vintage car shows. I once wrote a fun reported essay after visiting a Bigfoot festival. When there, be sure to talk to people and get their contact information if you feel they’re a good source. I often conduct some quick, on-the-spot interviews with my phone at events.

*****

The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is a practical, informative, and well-researched introduction to journalism and its best practices, with actionable advice, tips, techniques, explanations, and anecdotes straight from the field. In this digital guide, writers will learn how to write an effective news piece, skills need to be an effective journalist, outlets for publishing journalism, journalism associations, and so much more. Both inspirational and pragmatic, The Writer’s Digest Guide to Journalism is packed with valuable resources for aspiring journalists.

Click to continue.

*****

Where to pitch “small” ideas?

1. See if your local newspaper accepts freelance pitches. They probably have full-time reporters, but it’s worth asking.
2. Local magazines and independent newspapers are great places for freelancers to pitch. Read the publications, find out what stories they cover, and most importantly, get to know the editors. Most seem to love stories about local business and business owners, for instance.
3. There are also specialist publications and trade magazines that need stories, so find out if your ideas fit their needs. These can include anything from travel to architecture.
4. You can also pitch small, local stories to statewide publications and nationals. These can be stand-alone pieces or a story that encompasses a wider issue. Many publications seek out articles from different regions and want them just because they’re small, slice-of-life stories reflecting that area’s culture and environment.

Types of Stories

1. Features—Features, also referred to as soft journalism, are evergreen, they’re not time-sensitive like hard news, meaning they have staying power; you can pitch them at any time, and they’ll stay relevant. They will have more impact of course if there’s some kind of peg, like an upcoming event, holiday (such as dogs dumped at Christmas time), and so on. Features are fun to write and research, and ideas are everywhere when you really start looking.
2. Profile Feature—Profiles have been described as a “written portrait of a person,” which sums it up nicely. Find an interesting person (or even a group) in your area and write a piece about their background, career, accomplishments, goals, and so on.
3. Q&A—The Q&A (question and answer) article is an edited transcription of an interview with a short narrative introduction. It involves interviewing one source (someone interesting in the community, a person who’s accomplished something great, or an individual with an unusual job) and is a relatively simple and enjoyable piece to write.
4. Blogs—Blogs are short articles that cover practically anything. They can be published on your own personal or business website or on sites like Medium.
5. Listicles—The 7 Best Local Breweries, Top 5 Staycation Spots in (your city), you get the gist.

File Your Ideas and Contacts

Make a list of all your ideas, the topics you’ve researched, and stories you’ve heard. Keep the information in one document so it’s easy to access. Similarly, when you meet someone interesting, make a note of their name and the nature of your conversation for future reference.

They say charity begins at home but should not end there, and the same can be true of journalism. Start small and local and then branch out to cover the rest of the country and the world … if you want to. Otherwise, there’s no place like home. 

The post Writing Small Stories With a Big Impact: How Local Journalism Makes a Difference appeared first on Writer's Digest.

The trip has officially been confirmed to happen May 3, 2025 – May 10, 2025, but a space has opened up! If you’ve been on the fence about signing up, now’s your best opportunity. We’re offering $400 off the deposit amount for anyone who signs up for the trip between now and the end of February.

Why are we so excited about this writing retreat? We planned it with the goal of making it beneficial for as many types of writers as possible by doing the following:

• WD editors right there (and writing there) with you. Have questions about the writing project you’re working on? No matter the category, the WD editorial hosts, Editor-in-Chief Amy Jones and Senior Editor Robert Lee Brewer, will be at the ready to help. After we have the complete roster of retreat attendees, we’ll be able to survey the group about how to tailor this writing time to your specific needs.
• Maybe it’s reading and offering feedback about the first 10–20 pages of your book, or
• doing an AMA session about the publishing industry.
• Perhaps it’s setting up writing exercises or writing sprints, or
• even having an accountability partner on the trip to make sure you’re truly writing.

We’ll be catering to the group who signs up.

[Have a question about this retreat? Join Amy Jones and Robert Lee Brewer for a free informational Zoom Q&A on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 12:30 pm (ET). Click here to register!]

• It’s the perfect combination of inspirational sightseeing and dedicated writing time. We’ll spend 3.5 days exploring the Renaissance city of Florence, walking in the footsteps of writers like Dante, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Mary McCarthy, not to mention artists like da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello—the list goes on and on. While much of the time will be with the group and our local tour guide, there will be time to sit in the gardens, along the Arno River, or at the hotel’s rooftop bar/ristorante overlooking the skyline and write. Don’t worry, we’ve also built in a bit of free time for things like seeing something on your personal bucket list, grabbing a handmade journal at a local stationery shop, or visiting the English bookshop, Paperback Exchange.

• Plus, there’s exciting news about our itinerary. The Vasari Corridor—the hidden in plain sight passageway connecting the Uffizi Gallery on one side of the river to the Palazzo Pitti on the other—has officially reopened! After closing in 2016 for preservation and renovations and multiple delays in reopening, the corridor built by Giorgio Vasari in 1565 is now open to small tour groups just like ours.

• Finally, we’ll spend 2.5 days at a stunning Tuscan villa where you get to focus entirely on the writing that’s important to you in the way that is most effective for you. If you write better on your own but never would’ve made the time to do so at home or on another sightseeing trip, choose a quiet spot on the villa grounds and let the words flow. On the other hand, maybe you’re the kind of writer who likes to be around other writers—letting the clack of their keyboards or the scratch of their pen inspire you to get more words on your own page.

Join WD on the trip of a lifetime!

[Have a question about this retreat? Join Amy Jones and Robert Lee Brewer for a free informational Zoom Q&A on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, at 12:30 pm (ET). Click here to register!]

Email any questions about the details of this trip to writersdigestretreats@aimmedia.com. 

The post Exciting Update: WD Writing Retreat to Florence & Tuscany 2025! appeared first on Writer's Digest.