Writing for Money has been, well, you guessed it: writing for money

VALOIS, New York - My promise to renew Writing for Money in June was subverted by my writing for money in June. And July. And now August.

But as the school semester starts in a few weeks (GAWD!), I will be renewing it and using it as a teaching tool for my magazine writing class.

There has been plenty to write about this summer for anyone looking to freelance. It's been hotter than hell in most of the U.S., soldiers are dying in Iraq and people are barely noticing, and most recently Bob Novak walked off the set of CNN in a snit and got fired (ok, they call it suspended). All things to write about.

Since I last posted, I have noticed that Craig's List is becoming a good place to look for freelance writing jobs. (I applied for two just yesterday.) These are not high-paying, blockbuster novel type jobs, but steady stuff and best of all, stuff that can be done from a distance.

So there you have it. Writing for Money is back, sort of, but will be back at the end of August as part of Journalism 132 - Magazine Writing.

OP-ED IDEA - Going back to school means different things to different folks and already the Wal-Mart ads are overflowing the mailbox with all the crap that kids must have to be well-equipped for school. Lots of possibilities for op-ed articles, but they need to be timed to the first day of school, or else they lose their timeliness. Move quickly, too, because August is when editorial page editors try to take that last gasp of summer vacation and their vacation replacements are frequently a softer touch to accept freelance work.

Writing for Money temporarily out of order

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Keeping this particular blog going has proven to be more of a chore than I anticipated and I apologize to my small band of loyal readers who are using me as a resource. My two other blogs, plus a consulting job writing for money, are keeping me from developing this as it deserves.

For the next few weeks, this site will remain unchanged, but will return with a series of new features (and hopefully new links) around mid-June.

At least that's the plan right now, and I'm stickin' to it.

Writers! Start your computers.

And like the guvenator of California says in his bad movies, I'll be back.

Scan those newspapers for writing ideas

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Just as I was donning my IPod, running shoes and ball cap for my three-mile, sweat-inducing, heart-pounding run along the river, I saw this story in today's San Francisco Chronicle.

Yoga story

Lift and stretch. Lift and stretch.

If you read my other blog, From Where I Sit, these first few graphs sound familiar. They should.

From Where I sit

But what struck me about the story, besides the photo that caught my eye, (you have to go to From Where I Sit to see it, or click on Yoga Story above) was the possibility for an Op-Ed or column about yoga, prudishness in people, or the simple fact that naked yoga classes are popular, but perhaps not in the Iowa.

Every day I scan the newspapers, newswires, and yes, even blogs for ideas for stories for one of my paying jobs, and also for possible Op-Ed pieces.

And even if you don't have a market for a good 500-650 word piece about, say, Naked Yoga, write it anyway. It's good mental exercise, limbers your fingers and creates writing samples. And if you don't have a market, create an email list of friends who are kind enough to read your work and kind enough to not tell you if they don't.

More on self-syndication in another blog.

Writing the travel piece, just for the writing

MICHOACAN, Mexico - Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle (and its online version) had a wonderful piece about a stretch of Mexican coastline between Manzanillo on the north and Zihuatenejo on the south.

A Mexican paradise

I know the stretch, having sailed along the 200 or so miles in my 48-foot boat. The coastline isn't good for boating, not much in the way of anchorages. But if the travel piece is any indication, I need to go back, by car or bus, and check it out. It sounds like paradise.

Travel writing is a tough thing to break into - at least to get paid for. But if you want to get any kind of shot at it, start writing short pieces about places you travel to, even if you just post them blog-style. It will get you where you need to be to take on a travel assignment. And you will have clips, maybe lots of clips, by the time you get started. And it will teach you that every place is interesting enough to write about - even those towns in Iowa I make fun of all the time.

OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - This past weekend there were lots of graduation speeches at colleges and in a few weeks, there will be tons more at every high school in America. Check your local high school and find out if anyone famous is going to speak. And if not, consider a funny column about if, say, Warren Beatty spoke at your local high school's graduation. Or Ward Churchill. Or Snoop Dogg? Or anybody your can image. (Reese Witherspoon would be my choice.) What would they tell the graduates? What would you want them to tell the graduates?

Write a self-help book, don't buy one

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - I wandered the aisles of Tower Books in Sacramento Friday, looking at incredible variety of books for sale. And in my hand, I found several 'how-to-write' books which, at least in the bookstore, seemed soooo bloody important I almost bought them (about $25 each).

But after a minute or two of more wandering by the magazines, I quickly put the books back, realizing that what I was about to do was spend the weekend reading books telling me about writing, instead of, well, writing!

Now before I get thumped on quite thoroughly by my colleague Marcia in England, I'll be quick to add that some books, like Stephen King's 'On Writing,' have been a big help to me. But the '20-ways-to-sell-magazine-article' tomes are probably not that useful, unless you are brand new.

Think about writing a self-help writing article based on your experiences. I'll read it.


OP-ED IDEA FOR TODAY - The American Atheists Association is having its convention in San Francisco this weekend, and their beliefs are...well, what are their beliefs? The fact that they even exist in this Christian culture is a tribute to freedom of religion. The Op-Ed? Find your local group or even an avowed atheist who can talk about what it's like to be a non-believer in a nation of believers. Lots of possibilities for angles: should an atheist hold public office? Be a school teacher, etc...