Paying the Bills while Plotting Your Novel

Paying the Bills While Plotting Your Novel
Part 1
(part two follows in the November 2000 HeartBeat of Denver)
by
Cynthia Sterling

I wrote my first short story in pencil on a Big Chief tablet when I was nine years old. I decided then that I wanted to be a writer and never let go of that dream. But the realities of trying to make a living writing fiction soon made me realize that I'd better find other ways to bring in money, at least at first. So I turned to writing nonfiction for magazines and newspapers. Though I've sold eight books now, I still depend on freelancing to supplement my income and to add variety to my writing life. My work has been published in Modern Bride, Ladies' Home Journal, Popular Mechanics, True West, the Boston Globe, the Dallas Morning News, Texas Highways, and dozens of other magazines you've probably never heard of.

You, too, can make extra money, and hone your craft, writing nonfiction. This article will help you get started.

Why write nonfiction?

I think writing nonfiction can have definite benefits for fiction writers.

Number one on my list of benefits is gratification. It takes a long time to write a whole novel, and longer still to see it published and sitting on the shelf. It doesn't take nearly as long to write a magazine article, and usually it's a much quicker route to publication. There are many, many markets for nonfiction work, so I think it's easier to sell an article than a book. I can't tell you how many times, when I was working on my books and collecting rejection slips, and then an article I'd written would be printed and I'd see my byline there. Some little voice in my head would say 'see, you ARE a writer.' It sounds like a little thing, but it's important to us that our work be acknowledged, and nonfiction is a good way to achieve that.

Writing nonfiction also helps you hone your craft. You can experiment with different forms and styles, writing essays and how-to articles, humor and serious stuff. A good article is closely related to good fiction in that it must have an opening hook. It usually has dialogue, in the form of quotes. It has characters, in the form of people the reader can relate to. That's why, instead of saying something like 'when your child comes home from school with a failing grade, what do you do?' a better article says "When Betty Jones' third-grader Stefanie, walked in the door with an F emblazoned on her report card, the Denver, Colorado mother of two wondered what she could do to help her child." Do you see the difference? Putting people in your articles automatically makes them more compelling. You won't do this with every article, but when you can, it's very effective. And it's one reason I think writers with a background in fiction have an advantage over those whose experience is only in straight journalism.

Writing nonfiction also helps you hone your craft in that it can help you learn about marketing. It can help you gain confidence in dealing with editors and help you learn how to write good query letters. And it can help you learn to cope with rejection. I think rejection is sort of like bad weather. You don't ever learn to like it, but you can become somewhat acclimated to it, and you can learn not to take it personally.

Writing nonfiction is a great way to have fun and meet interesting people. I've interviewed fascinating people over the years and done some fun stuff. I've had a private tour of King Ranch, attended a private showing of drawings by Michelangelo, had a behind the scenes tour of an IMAX theater, and taken several free trips. I might even use some of this research in my fiction some day.

If you're already published, writing nonfiction can be a great way to promote yourself. A lot of magazines will run a short bio of the author at the end of each article, and you can use these to promote your latest or upcoming release.

My last reason for writing nonfiction is Money. I put this last because most people don't get rich writing magazine and newspaper articles. And like anything else, it takes a while to build up to the point where you can support yourself from your writing. But you can bring in extra cash writing nonfiction, and if you really work at it, you can make a comfortable, though not extravagant, living.

What to write?

Okay, now that we have the Why to Write question out of the way, you have to decide what to write. I guess the most common question I get from people is How can I get started?

If you're going to write, you need ideas. And you have to keep coming up with new ideas in order to sell over and over again. Sally Wendkos Olds surveyed 267 members of the American Society of Journalists and authors and asked them where they got the idea for their first published piece. Here are the results:
    46 got their ideas from a personal experience or hobby
    2 wrote articles as byproducts of research they were doing for books
    7 got their ideas from something they read in a magazine or newspaper
    1 turned speech and lecture material into a nonfiction article.

That only adds up to 56 -- perhaps the other respondents couldn't remember. But I think you can quickly see that personal experience is a great starting place for article ideas. This is one case where the old adage 'write what you know' really holds true. If you write about something you already know about, you don't have to do as much research. When you do do research, you can more quickly narrow your focus, and you'll know better where to find the information you need. Also, I think writing what you know helps you establish yourself quickly as an 'expert' in the area. Even if you've never published anything before, the fact that you have personal knowledge of your article's subject matter will give you credibility in the eyes of editors and readers.

My two areas of specialty are Texas history and medical business. These both arose directly out of my background. I've studied Texas history as a hobby for years, and I used to work for a company that designed travel tours of Texas. After that, I worked for a hospital. As a result, I write lots of medical, travel and history articles.

So I think the first thing you can do to get started writing nonfiction is to sit down and make an inventory of your own interests and experiences. Take a look at what you know. If you've been a secretary, or a waitress, or a teacher or a construction foreman, you could write for trade magazines for secretaries, waitresses, teachers or construction foreman. Take that idea one step further. What knowledge do secretaries, waitresses, teachers and construction foremen have that other people might like to know? A secretary might write an article for executives on how to hire the best secretary or 'what secretaries really want on secretary's day' or you might target a women's magazine with 'where the best jobs are for today's secretaries.'

A waitress could write 'how to get the best service in a restaurant' or 'how much should you really tip.'

A teacher could tell parents how to help their child succeed in school or write about the influence of corporate advertising in the classroom.

A construction foreman might tell homeowners how to hire the best home builder or even how to build a better deck.

Write down everything that comes to mind. If you bought your first car with money you earned mowing lawns, you could write for a teen magazine on how to run a successful lawnmowing business.

Next, list your hobbies and interests.

Are you a potter, a stamp collector, a history buff or a golfer? There are magazines for just about every hobby known to man. And don't forget that general interest magazines might be interested in articles related to your hobby.

Do you know any other potters, stamp collectors, history buffs or golfers who might make interesting profiles for a magazine?

How about an article on the history of pottery, stamp collecting or golf?

Would a regional magazine be interested in notable pottery or stamp collections in your area? How about a travel piece on a historical site or a roundup of your area's golf courses?

The possibilities are endless.

List your life experiences.

Have you served in the military, lived in a foreign country, survived cancer, been a single parent? There are other people who would like to hear about your experiences.

Are you getting the idea? At this stage, you're just brainstorming, looking for that area, that niche, where you could write several articles to get your foot in the door, so to speak.

It takes a while to build a freelance career and it's a challenge to be constantly coming up with new ideas and news markets. But it's a challenge I really enjoy. It's a break from writing fiction, I enjoy seeing my byline, it brings in money and it feeds my imagination. A lot of time when I'm working on nonfiction articles, I'll get some of my best ideas for fiction. It's as if I'm keeping those writing gears oiled all the time.

Cynthia Sterling's newest release Nobility Ranch (July 2000) is a launch title for the Zebra Ballads line. You can find out more by visiting her website: http://members.aol.com/CySterling