David Silverberg, Author at David Silverberg

The top 3 podcasts for freelance journalists

It’s time to learn about the best podcasts for dishing out advice to freelance journalists!

Why every writer needs to have an Inspiration File

In a note on my Evernote app, titled Inspiration File, a list of random words and phrases might seem confusing to a stranger’s eye, but for me, they represent five years’ worth of curating the most intriguing pieces of writing I’ve come across. In both the fiction and non-fiction I read, I pay attention to any sentences or even verbs that cause me to crane my attention and think, “Hmm. Haven’t used/thought of that one in a bit.” I contend that every writer, no matter the vertical, should have an Inspiration File on their phone or notepad. We can’t rely on our memory to pull up that moving phrase we want to tweak with our voice; at least I don’t claim to have an impeccable memory, so that’s where my iPhone’s Evernote comes in. I’ve long had my phone nearby when I’m reading a book or article (which isn’t going to help you ignore texts and notifications, so adjust your settings when appropriate). When a certain phrase strikes me oh so splendidly, I head to my Inspiration File to input le mot juste before I can forget it, and I might even add a parenthetical note to it, such as “Use to describe next restaurant I profile,” or “Potential poem ending.” These standout words and sentences don’t have to be groundbreaking metaphors; they might something as simple as the verb “amplify” which I’m using more often in some copywriting for tech clients. It’s a chewy word when used appropriately, and it’s more succinct than, say, “make more prevalent.” My file contains phrases such as, “She noticed how manicured her life had become,” thanks to the unique adjective “manicured” peppering that sentence. I also remember swiftly writing down a Harlan Ellison line that struck me as potently apt when I read it: “She looked at me like a house that’s been on the market too long.” When it comes to exact metaphors or turns of phrases you crib down in the app, this tactic isn’t inviting you to plagiarize. A strong writer will see a phrase that speaks to them and find their own way to personify it, perhaps switching out one word for another or allowing that metaphor to inspire another thought. The more you can read with intention and flex your vocabulary muscle when it’s time to face the blinking cursor, you’ll have a deeper repository of interesting and evocative writing designed to elevate your work from great to memorable.

6 lessons I learned after 6 years of working as a full-time freelance writer

Learning to say no. Hustling non-stop. Negotiating like a boss. These are some of the takeaways from my past six years of excelling as a freelance journalist.

Freelance Journalists: What you should do (and not do) after you send your pitch to editors

Once you click SEND on your emailed pitch to an editor, relief washes over your bones and you unclench your jaw. Done and done! But are you, really? In one sense, sure. You just sent a pitch for a story idea that fills you with such confidence, you even told your parents you might get published in Wired in a couple months. Based on my 20+ years in journalism, I’ve come to realize my work isn’t over once I’ve sent off the pitch to an editor. If I don’t get a reply within a week, I should be proactive. I need to ensure I follow up on each pitch, tracking when I sent a reminder email, and analyzing which types of ideas have attracted the most commissions. Track and feel it out When I coach students in my Become a Better Writer courses, I suggest they track their journalism pitches in a cloud-friendly database, such as Google Sheets. They should include fields for date sent, story idea, publication, editor’s name and email, if accepted, and one more important field—followed up or not? Let’s be straight up about editors: They aren’t opening your pitch the day you send it, and most likely they will only get to it a week or two from reception. That means you can’t expect quick turnarounds with editors at the more prestigious pubs, which may often take a month or two to net a reply. Still, editors expect a nudge email. That email reminds editors about your idea that you sent X days or weeks ago. It’s as short as possible, and never goes over the same idea that you already passed along. Use the same thread as the sent email so the editor just has to scroll up to read the pitch. In that followed-up field, I’ll write the date of the nudge email. I generally wait a week for most outlets, and two weeks for the higher-paying ones, such as The Walrus or Toronto Life. But wait, you declare, what should I write in this nudge email? Keep it Simple and Short For starters, I’m not looking to drag the editor into paragraphs of woe-is-me rants on how this timely story has to be developed ASAP; I’m just here to lightly poke the editor into reading my first email. The text of my nudge email usually reads: Hi ____, I’m the freelance journalist who sent you this pitch two weeks ago, and I’m wondering if you had a chance to read it recently. I look forward to your reply. Best, David Silverberg Boom, that’s it! Nothing more, nothing less. That kind of pithiness can be enough for an editor to scoot up his cursor to find the original pitch, give it a read then, and reply to me within the hour. It’s happened. And you might be curious what my success rate for nudge emails have been. I’ve only started tracking these emails in the past five years, so anecdotally over my career I estimate around half of my follow-ups have elicited a reply, a yay or nay, and of those, around a third were greenlit. The lesson here is that if I never sent those nudge emails, my pitch may remained in the slush pile, forever to be leapt over by fresher pitches that, for some reason, caught the editor’s attention immediately. There’s no reason why certain pitches get accepted within the week or within the season. Well, the editor will know why she’s not replying to you ASAP, but you’re not privy to that info, so rest assured that most editors will reply to you in some way…at some point. Nudge emails take minimal effort and planning, demonstrate your professionalism to editors, and ease your anxious thoughts circling around if that editor will get back to you about your gold-star idea. But wait one more minute, oh fearless writing coach! What say you to TWO nudge emails? To that I say, go for it, but I usually end it at one email. If I don’t get a reply to that message, I don’t pester the editor, and instead assume the idea was turned down and the editor didn’t or forgot to reply to me. There’s no harm in sending a second email, but I can gauge when an editor or a pub is interested in a story, and when it’s time to move on. To that end, too, I’d suggest assessing your accepted and rejected pitches once a year, while also tracking which editors needed that nudge email to yield a reply. That way, you can have a solid view of the kinds of ideas winning favour. You can then determine which editors have been most lax in getting back to you in that first email, and remind yourself to continue to send nudge emails to those editors, especially. If you have questions about pitching as a journalist, contact me anytime, or check out the writing courses I’ve made available to freelance journalists of any level.