I just took on my first assignment for Consumer Digest. It’s always exciting to start a new relationship with a another publication. This one will be fun because while it’s on a topic I know a lot about (musical instruments), I’ll be writing for a consumer audience.
To make a successful living as a freelance writer, you have to be versatile. I’ve always enjoyed writing in different tones for different people. For this one, I’ll keep it informative and fun to read.
For my two live event magazines, I’m basically writing for roadies! So with those magazines I am more casual and can always find humor in my subjects or topics. For my theater magazine, it’s theater folk, so I can be a bit wackier and use my own theater-geek perspective. For some of my B2B and educational magazines, I take on a slightly more formal tone — not formal as in “stuffy,” but knowing that those magazines typically have readers with advanced decrees.
These are ultimately just variations on my “voice,” which I’ve developed from years of writing not only a wide-variety of articles, but plays and books.
No matter what I write for, however, I always develop a good working relationship with the editor and that begins with being clear on the assignment, having a mutual understanding of what is expected and perhaps most importantly, meeting that deadline!
Add Comment