I write for frum magazines AMA

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:31 pm

amother Babyblue wrote:

How did you start?
Did you take any courses?
Where was your first article printed
Do you use a pen name
Have you written books

I started with a very strong desire to be published! I wrote and submitted as much as I could. I did hire a writer to mentor me and she suggested some good books to read that were very helpful. I didn't take any official courses. My first article was published in Binah.

I use my own name and many different pen names. As people recognize me I change them. I've written a few books - only one under my name.

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:34 pm

amother Begonia wrote:

How do you streamline your writing process to make it worth it?
I've written for magazines, but by the time I'm finished tracking down my sources, interviewing them, outlining and then writing the article, I'm left with basically minimum wage for the hours I put in. (Ten cents which was the going rate a few years back, x 2000 words = $200, divide that by 10-20 hours depending on how many sources and how much writer's block.) And I was never paid extra for interviews. I love interviewing and would love to write more but right now need to devote my time to my oh-so-boring day job which actually pays the bills.

Great question! Over the years I've learned which articles work for me. I won't take an article that requires so many hours of research. I've get paid extra for interviews which was a precondition of me continuing to write feature articles for magazines. I'm also a quick writer by nature. Also, as I've honed my craft I've learned to overcome writer's block. It's my job - I gotta do it!

By now a feature article will net me about $450-$500 and usually takes me about 3.5 hours start to finish. My goal is $150 per hour. The challenge is burnout. I can't write for 5 hours straight - my brain starts to hurt. That's why this isn't my full time job.

amother

Babyblue

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:34 pm

amother OP wrote:

would you share which books? Would love to write 1 day
What do you do when you experience writers block
Where do you find most inspiration

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:40 pm

amother Babyblue wrote:

would you share which books? Would love to write 1 day
What do you do when you experience writers block
Where do you find most inspiration

Not gonna share, sorry!

The best thing I learned about writer's block is not to think about it as an excuse. A writer can't write when inspiration strikes the same way a surgeon can't only do surgery when he is in the mood. It's my job. Deadlines help LOL

! There are times when inspiration does flow and the articles practically write themselves - hurray!

Other times I find that doing stream of consciousness writing helps. I'll open a new doc and write something like I need to write an article for Binah now. What should this article be about? Maybe about my kids, ha ha or the dogs they saw today. Hey, how about a lady who is terrified of dogs but her kids love them. Hmmm, that's an interesting topic. A mother who has a debilitating fear - but her kids can't understand her. Here we go....

I also find that writing with a pen and paper can sometimes give me the inspiration I need. I'm not great at plotting in advance - it stilts my creativity.

Inspiration is everywhere. In general, I'm a deep thinker - which definitely helps. I'm also thinking into the reason behind things and the psychological causes behind behaviors - which lends itself to deep, moving stories.

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:40 pm

cb0 wrote:

Does paying per word incentivize the author to make the article longer than ideal?

Unfortunately, I think it can. I don't think it's the best method. I've been veering towards paying per article as much as I can.

Ihatepotatoes

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:44 pm

How do you view the balance of writing fiction catering to things the audience seems to be interested in, and originality? To put it another way, one of the premier magazines had a story supplement in which every single story was about either dating or shalom bayis. Are those topics so demanded by readers that there is nothing else worth writing about?

Also, why do so many magazines seem to want stories that don't have endings? I get that everything being "neat little bows" and "happy-ever-afters" will be boring, but why do all stories seem abstract and rushed, and why does it seem as if the writer just didn't have an ending so they decided to leave it as a cliffhanger?

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 10:48 pm

Ihatepotatoes wrote:

I don't write about dating ever. I don't think much about my audience - which sounds crazy, now. I write about topics that interest me. Baruch Hashem, my readers are happy! I'm a fan of open-ended endings but not because I don't have an ending, more because I like to leave off with a little question or food for thought. I can't answer for any other writer....

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:07 pm

amother Periwinkle wrote:

Were you always good at writing?
Did you have editor type jobs in school?
How old are you and when did you start to write for a living? (Or extra income in this case I guess.)

I was always good at writing. I started writing for publications after seminary but before I got married. It was a good time to invest in the craft when I had the time to write without knowing if I will get paid for my time. Now I only write commissioned work.

amother

Silver

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:17 pm

amother Ecru wrote:

Not OP but I once worked in publishing. It's about manpower. Simply, the more eyes that review a writing, the more mistakes will be caught. One or two copyeditors might not catch all the mistakes while a team of 5 or 6 can.

It's not just manpower. IMO it's the editors and proofreaders thinking it's enough to have a knack for it but not being trained properly so not knowing all the rules. I recently became a proofreader after taking a comprehensive course, and I cringe when I find mistakes that other proofreaders for the publications I work for missed. I did a second layer recently on some articles in a popular Yom tov magazine, meaning it had already been proofread, and I was horrified to find that the proofreader had not corrected some gregarious errors. In addition to knowing grammatical rules (which, by the way, can change and update over the years so the rules should be brushed up on), a good proofreader should always be double-checking spelling in the dictionary and the content for inconsistencies.

amother

Buttercup

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:19 pm

Can you recommend how to go about submitting a feature article? I've gotten some articles published but I've never done this specific Style...

Also how hard do you work with grammar and spelling before you submit an article?

amother

Pistachio

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:23 pm

Hi OP, I am a big fan of yours, I love your articles. I believe I know who you are according to your OP writing style, I always look out for your stuff.
You speak my language and share great articles.
Do you have a gorgeous little one with DS?

Last edited by amother on Thu, Oct 05 2023, 11:47 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:24 pm

Surrendered wrote:

Nope....so curious who you think I am!

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:36 pm

amother Buttercup wrote:

I think feature articles have to be discussed and approved by editors in advance. If you have a great idea or topic, submit an outline!

amother

Silver

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:42 pm

amother Wine wrote:

You didn’t mean gregarious, did you?
I can join the proofreading team. Very Happy

Thanks for catching that!
I meant egregious.
1. Irl, I would check that up in a dictionary before letting it go to print
2. I do not write, so you probably won't find my actual articles with such errors. I just proofread what others write.

amother

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:42 pm

amother Wallflower wrote:

I sometimes to the graphics / layout for a magazine.

Are you usually pleased or disappointed with how your articles are layed out? Or do you not care much ? I assume you have no say in this?

Mostly pleased. Surprised, once in a while. Honestly, don't always buy the mags so I don't see. Also, don't really care.

amother

Topaz

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 11:46 pm

amother Silver wrote:

Not to derail, but can you share which course?