The Year of Free Foot Rubs I Promised May Have Also Had Something To Do With It

Apparently it’s Deonne Tells Her Story week at LOTHW, so in response to readers who’ve asked about getting started as a freelance writer, here’s how I did it. (For you non-writers out there, the lessons I learned could apply to starting any new venture.)

How I Got Started as a Freelance Writer

When I lived in the Bay Area, the only published writing I had was one essay in an anthology, and songs. (I was a singer/songwriter and small business consultant back then, so my life was rock and roll and spreadsheets. Have I mentioned I’m a Gemini?)

There was a local paper about women and business I read faithfully, and one day I had that classic epiphany: Hey, this is a great paper, and hey, I know a lot about women and business and can string words together in a reasonable fashion. Maybe I should try writing for it?

So I did what I’ve done over and over and over in my life, in fact it may be the one thing I can point to that has gotten me most everything I’ve achieved: I asked for what I wanted.

I reread a few issues of the paper and wrote a well-crafted, enthusiastic email to the publisher. I was up front about my lack of clips, but tried to make up for it by showcasing my knowledge of her market and the subject matter. I hit send, on a Wednesday, and waited.

Nothing.

On Saturday morning, I got a phone call. It was the publisher, saying she got my email, she liked what she read, and by the way, what was I doing in an hour?

Turns out the writer she’d hired for the cover story had bailed, and an interview with a sushi chef restaurant owner was set in Berkeley in one hour with no one to do it. I was in my pajamas, had never done an interview before, and knew nothing about sushi or the restaurant business, so I said what anyone should say in that situation: Sure! One hour, I’ll be there!

I met the publisher and sushi chef at the restaurant and did the interview. The chef was fascinating. She was Chinese, when of course Japanese is the norm for sushi chefs, plus she was a woman in a male-dominated field, so I had no problem asking all kinds of questions and gathering plenty of material for the piece.

The publisher expressed her gratitude that I jumped in at the last minute, but she still hadn’t seen the piece that was set to run front page in a couple weeks, so I’m sure she was a bit nervous as well. Sure, I could do an interview, but could I write?

I took my notes home and spent days drafting and writing one 1200-word article. It took me for-ev-er, but I wanted to make sure it was good so I’d get hired again. I got the piece in on time, it ran, and the publisher emailed to say how pleased she was and thanked me again.

I wrote back, saying how much I appreciated the work and how much fun I had with the assignment. (I did, actually. That was the first time I realized my love of interviewing people, and to this day one of my favorite things in the world is to hear someone’s story and translate it for the public.) And of course, I ended the email with, And if you ever need help with anything else, just ask.

Then, nothing.

But not much later, something. The publisher emailed with a smaller, not front page, assignment (later she admitted what a risk that first one was for her, but said she “had a good feeling about me” from my initial email), and once I got that second piece in on time and it was similarly well crafted, she started giving me regular assignments.

After about a year doing consistent work and not once missing a deadline, the publisher wanted to start a “Small Business 101” column, and asked if I wanted it. (Me: “Sure!” Are you seeing a theme?) It was a great gig, and those clips are what I used to land my fantastic gig as a writer for The Taos News.

Here’s what you can take away from my story:

- Have the chops, but don’t worry about being perfect
- Know the market
- Put yourself out there – don’t be afraid to ask for what you want
- Prepare for a lucky break by being ready to jump in
- Come through – be on time, do good work
- Follow up with enthusiasm and helpfulness
- Be the one the boss can always count on

One more thing I’ll point out: start small(ish). There are plenty of excellent regional publications that won’t be as competitive as the big guns, like The New Yorker or Harper’s. I’m going to see how my year goes, but my goal is to get back into freelancing. I miss the work, and those spicy eel rolls aren’t paying for themselves.

Anybody else want to share a “how you got started” story?