At the daily newspaper where I was an arts and features writer for more than 25 years, the reporter who sat opposite me had taped Anne Lamott’s words, “Bird by Bird,” on the side of her computer terminal.
When I had several stories going on at the same time, and a mess of papers on my desk, I looked at the words and tried to focus on one thing at a time.
Now as a freelancer having attended my first ASJA conference on May 21, it’s more challenging, with the stack of business cards representing editors and writers to contact and story ideas floating around in my head. But it’s also exciting to have a new world opened up to me with opportunities I never knew existed when I was laid off in 2009 from the Springfield (Mass.) Republican and wondered what I would do next.
I wanted to do as close to the same thing as possible, and bit by bit reached out to publications people with whom I had worked. I lucked out when a college communications department needed a fill-in for the summer, and soon had enough clips to support a website.
But I wanted to do more and was excited to find out about ASJA through writer friends I had made on Facebook. I subscribed to the newsletter and saw that the conference was coming up. I tweeted that I wondered what it would be like.
I’ve been on Twitter since 2012 but not very active and am still amazed at how rapidly the little birds fly in. @JoanDetz, @LynnMarieFree, and @cindykuzma said it would be great and promised to welcome me. They were right on both fronts.
Longtime ASJA member Dorri Olds advised on Facebook that writers should ready their elevator pitch. After I learned what that was, I tried out on Twitter, “I’m a generalist due to my newspaper background but I specialize in health and fitness and arts.” Due to a major run-in with leukemia, I also specialize in cancer survivorship, but I only bring that up when pitching health-related stories.
To that end, the session on health and medical writing was informative, while “Pitch Slam: Women’s Magazines,” and “Freelance Forever: Keeping Secure and Prosperous Later in Your Career,” gave me other ideas. I wished I could have been in two places at once, but the next best thing was ordering the recording of the content marketing session.
My son, a former newspaper editor who now edits an online news site, had told me that to gain more visibility I should create a Twitter account and tweet my blog posts. I asked, “Why would anyone care what I have to say?” And, “Why does everyone have to tweet every little thing that they do?”
“Mom,” he said, “You’re missing the point. It’s about following the people who interest you.”
Soon enough, my universe expanded and I began to see the point.
The conference provided the camaraderie that I so miss now that I am no longer in a newsroom. Even the tweeting has helped in that respect. When I get my act together — any minute now — I plan to join the ASJA. In the “old days” I had only to turn to the person next to me or walk around the newsroom (or even shout out the question, “Does anyone know…?”) to find like-minded souls.
Now I see in the ASJA other ways to find them. Also I can totally see the benefit of being a member so that I can attend Client Connections, one-to-one sessions with editors, on members’ only day. I understand that it’s a great way to get work, and that of course is what I originally set out to do.