Need ideas for articles or a steady freelance gig?

Look around you

If you’re just getting started as a writer and need to collect some credits, don’t overlook your community newspaper. Sometimes ideas for articles are as close as your back door. Community newspapers often like human interest stories that will be of interest to their readership as they go about their daily lives.

Perhaps you’ve already made a list of your  talents – if you haven’t, you should – and find that a so-called “green thumb” is one of your gifts. Why not consider the season, figure what it will be like a month or so from now, and write an article about what flowers are likely to bloom if planted then? The forward look is for the convenience of the editor, who may not need to use your story right away.

Another angle would be tips on preparing the ground for future planting, say in the fall for spring blooming, or spring preparation for fall color.

Readers with limited knowledge might also appreciate knowing what plants grow best in shade and which do better in sun and which need a mixture of both.

Do you know how to do a newsletter? If not, there is plenty of information on the Net about how to do one.

Inquire at a nursing home or a small company about a weekly or monthly newsletter that would give employees the recognition they so often don’t get.

Churches and their ladies’ circles often like to solicit new members with new members and keep in touch with current but inactive members by sending them a newsletter about what’s going on and how they can get involved.

If these sound like possibilities for you, get busy! Figure out what your time is worth, talk to others doing similar work, figure out a fee schedule, and reveal the writer hiding inside!

There is a neat little book, Freelance Jobs For Writers, by Kirk Polking that gives many more ideas.

(NCWritertoo is a retired journalist who worked as a writer for over 25 years. Email her at ncwritertoo@yahoo.com)