Notes in the Margin

Get a Freelance Life:MediaBistro.com’s Insider Guide to Freelance Writing

by Margit Feury Ragland

Three Rivers Press

320 pages, $14.00

reviewed by Sarah E. White

If you ever wished you had a wise older sister in the freelancing business, someone who could tell you everything you need to do (as well as what not to do) to succeed as a freelance writer, you need to read Get a Freelance Life: MediaBistro.com’s Insider Guide to Freelance Writing by Margit Feury Ragland.

This book is chock full of wisdom on just about every aspect of living the freelance life, from coming up with ideas to reading contracts, running your business to getting affordable health insurance, and much more.

The first part of the book is, without a doubt, worth the price of admission. “Are You Ready to Be Free?” lists 11 questions you should ask yourself to find out whether you’re suited for a freelance career. It goes into the basics you need to set up a freelance writing business and some ideas for building relationships that will get you jobs in the future.

Another great feature of this book is the plethora of real-life examples used throughout. You’ll get to see real freelancers’ websites, resumes and query letters, giving you an idea of how you might design and word your own. There are also editorial guidelines and calendars from real publications that show you how different publications approach planning, as well as a section talking about which parts of some magazines are most open to freelancers. This information might help you break in to some of your favorite publications.

And if you didn’t major in journalism and have never spent time working as a staff writer for a magazine or newspaper, Get a Freelance Life has got you covered there, too. Chapters on different kinds of articles, how to get your first assignment, reporting, writing and what an editor does with your story after you write it will help newbies and seasoned pros alike understand the business a little better.

If you’re new to the freelance writing world, or would like to start freelancing and don’t know where to begin, you absolutely need to read this book. If you’ve got a little writing under your belt and would like to take your freelancing career to the next level, this book will give you insight on how to do just that. Even more experienced writers will likely find ideas in this book that will change the way they work.

Ragland, who teaches classes for the media networking site MediaBistro.com, should be commended for sharing so much information and knowledge about the way the freelancing world really works. There are many places you can go to find some of this information, but rarely is it all presented in one place, and in a format that you can carry around with you, dog-ear and return to over and over when you have questions and need guidance. It’s a 24/7 career counselor for writers. It should leave you feeling inspired and a little less scared about this crazy writing world.

****

Sarah E. White is a freelance writer and editor living in Arkansas. She is the author of Doing the Write Thing: The Easy Way to Self-Edit. Her home on the web is http://www.sarahewhite.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

The Elements of Style, Illustrated

by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White

Illustrated by Maria Kalman

The Penguin Press, 2005, $24.95

reviewed by Sarah E. White

I’m a word nerd from way back, so I’ve loved The Elements of Style since I was first introduced to it in junior high school. Its advice or writing clearly and well spoke to me, much as it spoke to E.B. White when he was a student in William Strunk’s class in 1919.

Although the book is old, it’s by no means outdated. The wisdom of these six little sections, which in the fourth edition run a mere 105 pages, is still valid, maybe even more so since the proliferation of e-mail speak into the vernacular.

I reread Elements annually and try each time to take its lessons to heart: omit needless words, use definite, specific, concrete language, use the active voice, place yourself in the background, write in a way that comes naturally, don’t overwrite, etc.

Strunk and White also tackle some of those grammatical gaffes that drive word nerds crazy, such as how to form possessives and plurals, how to deal with titles, and where to use commas, dashes, and colons — and it provides a thorough and useful list of commonly misused words and phrases.

The Elements of Style, Illustrated also includes a collection of simple but fun illustrations that exemplify examples from the text: “Polly loves cake more than she loves me,” “He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug,” “Chloe smells good, as a baby should,” “overly, muchly, thusly,” and “Illusion. See allusion,” “know-ledge” are a few of the more notable ones.

If you already own a copy or two of Elements (this is my third!), it’s not necessary to run out and buy another. But if you don’t already own this fine book, get yourself a copy of the illustrated edition. The added art will make you smile, and the wonderful lessons about writing will make you wonder how you lived without this book on your shelf.

****

Sarah E. White is a freelance writer and editor living in Arkansas. She is the author of Doing the Write Thing: The Easy Way to Self-Edit. Her home on the web is http://www.sarahewhite.com.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.