The hits just keep coming...meaning, we keep being informed of new and upcoming changes in our work and ministry situations that mean income loss for us in the coming months. So in addition to praying mightily for discernment and provision, I am also spending some time trying to drum up new avenues for freelance writing work.
One potential article popped onto my radar today. A history magazine for junior high/ high schoolers requests freelance articles on a number of topics, and I'm on their mailing list. A couple of years ago I submitted a piece to them which they didn't use, but I got a thoughtful note from one of the editors letting me know they liked it and saying they wouldn't mind seeing more of my work. I usually try to capitalize on such open doors, but I've been busy and none of their recent "calls for articles" had appealed to me much.
But today's did. They're working on an issue on the "Roaring Twenties" and hey -- that's one of my best decades! They're looking for informative articles on a number of people and things connected to the 1920's. So now I'm trying to decide a couple of things.
Given that there's no guaranteed income here (they pay only if they accept) how much time can I/should I invest in research and writing this article? The potential fee is $75 for an article of 1,000-1,400 hundred words plus discussion/activity suggestions. How much time would you put into a project like this, when time is precious and any and all income is needed? Is there a potential to sell an article like this somewhere else if they don't accept it? I never did anything else with the last one, though I often thought I should have tweaked it and tried it somewhere else...
Secondly, which topic should I choose? On something like this, I tend to go with my gut. Of the topics they hope to cover (and for which they still need articles) they included Babe Ruth (I love baseball history!), the Model T (and I recently finished reading some very interesting history about the Model T and Henry Ford in the book "1908"), and Charles Lindbergh. I've not read much on Lindbergh in years, but I went through a period of time where I found his biography quite fascinating. I actually read all of his wife's journals.
So, there you have it. Any creative consultants who want to advise, please feel free. :-) I need to make up my mind about this soon, as the deadline for submitting the article is less than two weeks away.
2 comments:
Sounds like a cool subject! I'm not too knowledgeable on that particular decade, but it seems like there was a whole lot going on. With that being an area of interest for you already and the hearing encouraging words from the editors before, I'd say go for it!
Yah, that's what I figured too. I checked some books out on Lindy (he's an old fascination) and I think I might have written a decent lead for the article (though I'm toying with starting the story in another place). Lindbergh is such a controversial figure in his later years, but his solo Atlantic flight (which would be what you'd need to cover in a theme focused on the 20s) is inspiring and amazing. I really need to see if I can make time to do this...I am feeling torn in so many directions right now, and wishing there was another one of me that could just devote hours a day to writing! :-)
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