Tips about Writing from a Successful Freelance Writer/Editor

by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter, Blog Chair, Cat Writers Association

Serendipity — Just as I was starting to think about writing about writing something for our CWA Blog, I received a post from Ally Machate, owner of the Writer’s Ally, that opened with: “Most writing advice sounds like a list of things you’re not allowed to do anymore. No passive voice. No adverbs. Show, don’t tell. Never head-hop. The list goes on, and somewhere in the middle of following all of it, the writing starts to feel stiff, self-conscious, and, let’s face it, kind of joyless.”

I’ve seen writing described as (paraphrasing) “open your veins and bleed,” although I’ve never found it that painful — I’m among the lucky ones who find it easy to write, although I sometimes do procrastinate. I’ve seen (and offered) advice about starting a writing project with freestyle, stream-of-consciousness, “just do it and worry about editing later.” Start with a headline. Start with a (strong) lead sentence. Write what you know. Do this, do that. Some of it works, depending on the project and the writer. Some of it drives us up the proverbial wall if it’s too strict, limiting or demanding. 

A Writing Process

Writing is a visceral, inspirational, uniquely personal process for each of us. We all approach it differently. Sometimes we’re guided by assignment language — I’ve used verbiage from an assignment to craft a lede sentence or paragraph, and one of my clients used to send me headline or opening-sentence language to use. I was free to craft my versions, but having those suggestions made it easier to organize ideas and structure the articles. Sometimes the first sentences come directly from our own brains and emotions. Some of our writing can be routine, such as projects for clients and assignments that become somewhat rote and fill-in-the-blanks; some is more creative, such as fiction, poetry, and nonfiction works about topics or issues that matter to us. 

Those creative projects are what the majority of Cat Writers’ Association colleagues seem to write — novels, short stories, poetry, video or podcast scripts, and more (not to mention photos and illustrations, but those aren’t writing). Much of our nonfiction writing also has its personal and creative aspects, though; one of my favorite projects was an article for a hometown magazine about area cat rescues. It was an objective, journalistic, fact-based piece, but the fact that it was about people and organizations dedicated to saving cats gave it an emotional basis that made it special. My one attempt at cat fiction (so far) started out as a short memoir and turned into a short story; because it was about rescuing a cat, it had a personal depth even if the ending was totally fictional. 

Writing Tips

1. Gather your information — do interviews, research your topic, collect your thoughts or opinions — and jot it all down. Think of this step as using index cards, the way some of us organized our ideas way back before word-processing programs and other technologies. (Try not to use artificial intelligence [AI] for this process; you, and your clients and readers, want your work to be truly yours; original even if it’s founded in research from legitimate sources.)
2. Create an outline, especially for longer works such as books or long-form narrative projects. It doesn’t have to be detailed, and you don’t have to follow it to every detail, but it will give you a sense of control and organization that can help with moving from thinking about writing to actually doing it. 
3. Just start, whether on personal or assigned topics. Don’t worry about crafting the perfect article, chapter or book; just get something down as a starting point. There will be time (usually) time to refine the piece, but waiting until you have the perfect beginning could mean never starting at all.
4. Set an early deadline for client assignments to prevent missing deadlines and give yourself time for self-editing. If it helps to set a deadline for personal pursuits, go for it. 
5. you know, but also what you didn’t know until you decided or were asked to write about something. Colleagues who write fiction in all its guises know that we can create entire worlds of our own that no one will ever inhabit in real life, as well as characters who don’t exist, behaviors that don’t happen (cats who talk, solve mysteries, etc.) and events that we haven’t actually experienced. Those who write nonfiction know that we can learn about (cat-related) topics by writing about them; those topics become what we know, but are new and untraveled until we have a reason to do those projects. I know about zoonoses and plants that are poisonous to cats, for instance, because I had assignments for articles about those topics. The client knew I wasn’t a cat expert, but also knew that I could find sources who were experts and obtain the necessary information from them to develop stories that fit the publication and its readership. 
6. Try to relax. What you write, even as a first draft, is probably better than you think. Imposter syndrome often holds us back, making us think that our work is worthless when it’s actually well done and of value to readers. Try to release yourself from thinking that every word has to be perfect. Rely on beta readers, colleague input, editors and proofreaders to help you refine your writing so it gets better and better. 
7. Don’t fear rejection or reviews. We can learn a lot from clients rejecting our submissions and people publishing reviews of our work. Nowadays, many aspiring writers start out on their own and learn the value of training, self-editing, beta readers, and using editors and proofreaders from painful experience. That experience, though, is a path to improvement. Keep in mind, as well, that not every negative review or criticism is valid. Just as people today are publishing without training or experience, there are people who take pleasure in attacking those with the guts to get their writing out there. Consider the source, use what seems to be legitimate input to hone your craft, and don’t let the trolls get you down.
8. Keep going. Perseverance is a virtue. Not everyone is brave enough to share their writing with the world, or even part of the world. Give yourself credit for trying, pick yourself up after any trips or trials, learn from experience, relish (and promote) your publishing successes, and go on to the next project.  

The Bottom Line – Just Write!

In essence, the important thing is to just write. You might not be the best writer, or even any good at it yet, but most of us can become better and better the more we write — and the more we lean on colleagues, editors and proofreaders to guide us. 

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Resources

*What are your favorite sources of writing advice? What do you recommend to colleagues as either reading material? What tips of your own can you share? Leave a comment below.

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Plotting a mystery? For more writing tips, see It’s a Mystery: My Story and the Cat it Rode in on