Getting started in newspaper freelancing can be a challenge. Every newspaper that you approach wants to see your published clips but you don't have any yet. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Start small. There are many small community newspapers that may not pay well (or at all) but that can help you to build your portfolio. Don't be picky but take whatever scraps get thrown your way. If the newspaper calls you at the last minute to cover a high school soccer game, just do it. By handing your assignments in on time, and proving yourself to be reliable (and amenable to edits!), it won't be long until you can start pitching the bigger stories you really want to write.
- Get to know your preferred format and beat. Once you have a few clips with your byline on them, you're off to a good start. You're officially published! As you move into pitching stories, you'll want to begin with what you do well. Later you can stretch your horizons, but at first, you want to get a few good pieces with your byline on them to build your portfolio. So figure out your preferred length and style. If you're a natural at 2,000 words but don't how to organize longer pieces, try to do stories that fit your natural rhythm. Newspapers offer such variety in story length and style that it helps to know whether you're a natural at the pithy 120-word movie review or the several thousand word investigative journalism piece. Assess whether you have the chops to ask complete strangers probing questions as you'll need if you are aiming for the longer investigative journalism stories. In short, you need to assess your skills and abilities and begin with the stories that will make best use of your talents.
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Author: Staff Writer