You Don’t Have to Be the Best Writer to Get the Best Job

It doesn’t matter if you write the most intriguing query letter and it doesn’t matter if you write the perfect article if you’re making any one of the mistakes I’m about to share with you.

The hard truth is, the best writers don’t necessarily get the best writing jobs.

The best writers don’t necessarily get any jobs. Talent alone will not get you hired.

Depending on how you feel about your own writing skills, reading that might have made you feel better or worse. But whether you believe writing skills are the product of inherent talent or years of practice, there are simple steps you can take to ensure you score regular gigs. These steps really don’t have anything to do with talent, but they do indicate whether you are a professional.

As a managing editor of a major website, I look for professionals. Typos, misspellings, factual errors, and sloppy writing are all hallmarks of unprofessionalism. You don’t want that label.

You want to be the opposite of that. You want to stand out from the crowd because you do care and you do comb through every detail of your work. Remember, an editor is typically overworked and overwhelmed. He or she is likely primarily looking for a reason to delete emails, and secondarily looking for quality materials.

So, here are six things you should look for in your article, manuscript, pitch, or query before you hit the send button. These might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often I see them in my inbox. And let’s be real, we all know we’ve committed at least a couple of these.

1. Spelling – Misspellings are an instant reason for an editor to hit “delete.” Keep an eye out especially for things that spellcheckers won’t recognize, such as “their” instead of “there.”

2. Adjectives and adverbs – These should not be the heart of your writing. Superfluous use of them is the sign of an immature writer (in years or in experience). Delete as many as you can.

3. Grammar – I don’t expect all writers to be grammar nerds, but I do expect them to have a general understanding of their craft. Look for non-sequiturs and noun-verb agreement in particular.

4. Repetition - Repetitive use of the same word is another sign of either a young writer or someone who hasn’t reread and refined her draft. If you see the same word popping up, it’s time to bust out your thesaurus.

5. Clichés – By definition, clichés bring nothing new to your work. Delete them all.

6. Incorrect clichés – It is not a “mute point” and there’s no such thing as “intensive purposes.”

Aside from all that technical stuff, there’s another level editors look for in potential writers. They look for people they actually want to work with. People they might even enjoy working with. This is something you should seek out, as well, because if someone enjoys working with you, he or she may hire you again.

When selecting writers, I look at three qualities (I didn’t come up with these, they came from reading many business books):

1. Does the person turn her work in on time?
2. Is she pleasant to work with?
3. Is she skilled at writing?

“Yes” answers to any two out of those three will result in a positive and productive situation for both the writer and me. So, first, get your article, manuscript, pitch, or query in tip-top shape by rereading and checking it against the list above. And then be punctual, pleasant, and good at what you do.

If you can handle that on top of having an excellent query letter and article, then you’ll be shoulder to shoulder with a small percentage of capable people any editor would be eager to hire.

***

Becca Borawski Jenkins is the Managing Editor of a major health and fitness website—a job she earned based on the success of her personal blogging. As the editor of BreakingMuscle.com she oversees a team of writers and editors, publishing 24 high-quality articles per week to an audience of almost 5 million readers each month.

Though she was born with the instinct to write, as a teenager she decided that a career in film and television would be more “practical” (don’t ask her the logic behind that). But even while studying filmmaking, she excelled as a writer, having a play produced in undergrad and a script turned into a short film in graduate school. While earning her MFA in Cinema-Television Production at USC, she focused mainly on scriptwriting and editing—both core elements of good story telling and fantastic ways to study story structure.

You can find out more about Becca by visiting her website: writing.huntgatherbrew.com

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Join Becca's upcoming online class, 

How to Write Meaningful Content for the Internet. 

Visit our classroom page for details and enrollment.

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1 comment Becca Jenkins, best writer, freelance writing, manuscripts, online class, pitching editors, query letters, WOW class, writing jobs, writing skills

Have You Been Endorsed?

If you've joined LinkedIn, chances are good that you've been endorsed. Chances are also good that you received an email, telling you about an endorsement, and said, “How nice!” Followed very quickly by “Huh?”

Of course, you probably know what it means to be endorsed. But if you want to know the how-to’s of LinkedIn’s endorsement feature, just search “endorsing” in the Help tab.

I’m not sure how I feel about this new feature for writers. On the one hand, LinkedIn makes it very easy for your connections to endorse writing skills and expertise. A simple click and look! Cathy C. Hall’s been endorsed for Chicago Style.

As it happens, I think I have a fairly decent grasp of the Chicago Manual of Style's editing. And for the most part, I've been endorsed by professionals and/or editors who would have knowledge of my expertise. But I've also been endorsed by connections with whom I've never worked. How would they know about my editing skills?

As it also happens, I’m only human. So when I’d see that someone had endorsed me (that’s where the email from LinkedIn comes in), I’d feel all warm and fuzzy inside and suddenly, click! I found myself endorsing that person back, just to pass along the writing love.

Until after a few of the endorsements, courtesy of people I didn't have firsthand professional experience with, and then I began to squirm, even if I chose writing as an endorsement (which seemed like a pretty safe bet).

See, I’m all for helping my fellow writers, and if that means bolstering their credentials with an endorsement, I’ll happily click. But I’m big on honesty and integrity, too, and I think an endorsement should mean something. So I find that these days, unless I can honestly vouch for a connection, the emails languish in my inbox without the payback endorsement.

I don’t fault LinkedIn that folks have gone overboard with the endorsements, trying to pile up skills like chips in a poker game so that the person with the most endorsements wins. I suspect that the feature started as a good idea, an easy way to make giving our business associates and friends a professional boost. After all, the Recommendation feature takes time. You have to write a whole paragraph or so if you want to recommend someone’s skills and expertise. But the Endorsement feature, now that’s more to our hurry-up society’s style. One click affirmation—you can’t get any more convenient than that, right?

So maybe it’s just me. Maybe the LinkedIn endorsement feature is rocking the writing world and I’m making an ethical mountain of an easy-to-use molehill. So I’m asking you. Have you been endorsed? And how do you feel about this new LinkedIn feature?

~ Cathy C. Hall

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12 comments Cathy C. Hall, Chicago Manual of Style, endorsements, Linked In, writing expertise, writing skills

Skills, Skills, Skills...

Skills at the computer serve a writer well.
Photo credit | Elizabeth King Humphrey

The other day, my 10-year-old daughter decided to practice creating bar graphs--computer skills that she was learning in her fifth-grade class. She started asking me about my skills: computer, reading, writing, editing, and others...concentrating on how I managed and learned them by high school.

I surprised her when I admitted that computers weren't as common during my high school days as they are today. (Yes, I'm one of those ancient people who learned to type on a typewriter.)

As she continued to graph my various skills, I realized that as a writer and editor, I am fortunate that I learned to type...and have managed to keep up my skills, learning new computer programs, adding more skills on the computer. Although I've had many other jobs before I focused on writing, at every step of my life, I've used this one skill that seemed so bland to me as a young teenager.

My ability to type certainly helped me transition into working with words. But now I'm so geeky that one day I think I will even learn how to type using a Dvorak keyboard (would it be simpler for someone so accustomed to the QWERTY keyboard?)

There are few skills I can recall (see above comment about my ancient age) that I learned that long ago that I still use today. Counting on my fingers is probably the other skill I use in a pinch. 

Researching, I think, is an important skill, which has grown on me and is incredibly useful as a writer. And, as you may recall, I've recently spent a good chunk of time strengthening my editing abilities, which I've found extremely useful. 


Although my daughter hunts and pecks at the keyboard, I think about the skills her generation will be using when they are my age. Is there one that will stand out to her? Or will voice-recognition software make typing obsolete for everyone? Typing on a computer might seem archaic to them just as using a typewriter might seem antiquated to folks today.

What skills are important to you as a writer? What skills did you learn as a child that have stood the test of time and helped you become a better writer or editor? Are there skills you wish you had now--and what can you do to learn them?

Elizabeth's daughter gave her mom fairly high marks for her computer skills--adjusting for the fact that she started learning how to use computers after high school. Fortunately, she didn't judge Elizabeth's "tweeting" skills, but you can follow her on Twitter @Eliz_Humphrey.

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2 comments computer, editing, Elizabeth King Humphrey, typing text, writing, writing skills

The Power of Observation

“I love the line of Flaubert about observing things very intensely. I think our duty as writers begins not with our own feelings, but with the powers of observing.” Mary Oliver, poet.

With summer practically here, you definitely want to get out and enjoy the warm weather, but how about putting in some time sharpening your observation skills while you’re at it?

Put yourself into this scenario. You and the family are blissing out on the beach. Hubby’s catching some zzz’s, the kids are collecting sea treasures and you’re about to dive into that sizzling summer read. Stop. Lay the book aside, and use this opportunity to gather some fodder for your writing instead.

Let’s return to the scenario above. Really get into your surroundings. Smell the saltiness of the surf as you watch some folks roar through it on jet skis. Can you hear their yells? What about the sky overhead, how does it look? Can you think of another description other than ‘vivid blue, with puffy clouds floating through it’? Is the sand lukewarm, icy cold, or hot as it squishes between your toes?

Sometime ago, a friend and I had a delightful dinner at a local Italian restaurant. A basket of fresh bread started the meal, a golden loaf with crackling crust and chewy interior. The olive oil was a gorgeous chartreuse, the peppery bite lingering on my tongue. The wild mushroom risotto did it for me, though, with its velvety sauce, perfect al dente rice and mushrooms that were intriguing and earthy.

Another experience happened a couple of years ago, when some friends and I went kite flying on the dunes while on the beach. My kite was shaped like a seagull and we thrilled to see real ones swoop in to meet their ‘brother’. Our day ended as grayish-green thunderheads forced us inside to watch a spectacular light show.

By carefully taking note of your surroundings, you can add those little details that make your writing sing.

How are your own powers of observation? Test them out the next time you’re stealing a few moments at a cafe, trekking through a cool pine forest, or jammin' at a jazz festival. Your writing will thank you!

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Leave a Comment Jill Earl, The Power of Observation, writing, writing skills

Still Time to Set Resolutions

by LuAnn Schindler

We're not quite half way into the first month of the new year, so if you haven't taken time yet to develop a list of writing goals, don't worry. There's still time. But instead of procrastinating (do writers do that?), take a good look at what you accomplished last year and where you want to direct your energies this year.

Unsure where to start? Here are a few ideas I implemented last year and a couple I plan to complete in 2010. Consider it a productivity map.

1. Submission / Time Tracker: I used to keep track of submissions and queries by creating a folder in the document section on my computer. Sure, it showed who I sent it to, but I wanted to be able to use a tracking system so I could list experts and interviewees, possible publications for submissions, type of submission (feature, how-to, FOB), time spent on research and writing, and publication and payment info. I revamped a query tracker previously posted on Premium Green (WOW!'s premium subscription newsletter) and it makes my life so much easier! I've used the system to come up with new article ideas based on information from experts, which increases the bottom line. It's a win-win! How do you keep track of submissions and amount of time spent on each article or work?
2. Data Backup: I need to work on this one. Do you? I have CDs filled with photos and flash drives loaded with documents. Now, I need to get it all in one place. Thanks to the data backup program that came with my laptop, I will now be able to keep all my files safe and accessible. What do you use to backup photos and writing files?
3. Project Deadlines: Do you have a large project that seems like you'll never complete? Don't worry. You're not alone. Unless we writers set a deadline for major projects, we'll likely let them continue throughout the year. That's not healthy for a writer's bottom line. Set deadlines, whether it's writing a set amount of words per day, a certain number of pages, or a certain amount of time. Use a planner or calendar to mark the deadlines. The brain makes a stronger connection and gives a stronger sense of urgency to those tasks we note as being important. How do you track deadlines?
4. Network: Establishing relationships with other writers and editors is important. It's also important to continue to make new contacts. I plan to send three queries to new markets every week in 2010. I also plan to step up my social networking campaign. How will you build or increase your network?
5. Website: Do you have a web presence? About four years ago, I started a website, but I wasn't happy with the design and eventually, I quit adding material to it. And then, I got married and I never updated the site to include my new last name. In 2010, I will create a new website and keep it updated. I'll keep my blogs updated, too. Do you have a website to promote your skills and expertise? If so, what's one new element you can add to market your skills and reach new audiences/clients?
6. Skills: As a teacher, I have to update my repertoire of skills and learn new methods to reach students. As a writer, I have to update my repertoire of skills and learn new methods to reach editors and readers. I'm enrolling in a one-hour credit class for web design and animation. I'm also teaching a writer's workshop for a local community college. How will you improve your skills?
7. Fresh Ideas: Ever feel like all your articles/blog posts/storylines are the same? Challenge yourself by tackling a new subject, writing from a different perspective, or trying a different genre. I've already written a piece and submitted it to a market I never would have considered before. But, once I saw the potential for earning money, I decided to try. And guess what. I enjoyed it! How will you challenge yourself in 2010?

Having a road map for the new year will keep you on the "write" track, push you to try new ventures, and make you accountable for your successes and failures. Set goals for a productive 2010.

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2 comments building new website, data backup, deadlines, goals, LuAnn Schindler, networking, query tracker, setting goals, social networking for writers, time management, writing skills