Workshop: Breaking Into Freelance Writing
Saturday, December 14, 2013
2pm - 5pm
Facilitator: Anna Clark
Where we'll be drinking coffee and tea, and getting down to business.
Your voice matters. You have stories to tell. This intimate workshop is designed for people who want to participate in the public conversation by contributing to print and online publications. We will discuss how to generate and develop excellent article ideas, what it takes to get busy editors to respond to you, and whether or not you should write for free. We'll also discuss what happens after you get the nod from a publication, with an overview of the business of freelance: deadlines, money, contracts, taxes, and, of course, what it takes to actually write a great article that makes editors want to work with you again.
Workshop will be interactive. Whether or not you arrive with any clear idea of what you want to write about, you will leave with several drafted article queries and with good ideas of how, and where, to send them out. You'll also leave with a wealth of resources to tap into as you navigate the dynamic freelance world -- including examples of successful pitches, a reading list, and a guide to the best online tools that journalists use.
Please bring writing materials and a copy of a publication that you'd like to write for someday soon.
This class welcomes both those who have some experience with writing and are looking to move into freelancing, as well as those who are true beginners looking to translate their ideas into the public sphere.
Coffee, tea, and light, tasty food will be provided.
Enrollment is capped at 7. Sign up now to guarantee your space!
One-on-One Mentoring
Before the core workshop, a limited number of one-on-one focused conversations with the facilitator are available for anyone who wishes to sign up. This is a chance to speak more directly to the participant's experience, intentions, and goals, and to offer more focused mentoring. Sessions will be 30 minutes long. Workshop participants may sign up for this to go deeper with their individual work; non-participants in the workshop may find this one-on-one opportunity better meets their needs. If participants wish, they may purchase multiple time slots for an extended individualized conversation.
About the Facilitator
Anna Clark is an independent journalist living in Detroit. She writes reported news features, longform nonfiction, and book reviews, and she has an omnivorous range: she covers literature (especially international literature), culture, health, prisons, sports, and media. Her writing is a "notable" pick in Best American Sports Writing 2012. Her writing has appeared in The New Republic, The Guardian, The American Prospect, Salon, The Nation, Grantland, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Review, and other publications. She is a political media correspondent for the Columbia Journalism Review as part of its United States Project, and she is a contributing nonfiction editor at Guernica Magazine. Anna is a former Fulbright Fellow in Kenya, where she focused on creative writing, and she has been a fellow with the Peter Jennings Center for Journalists and the Constitution. She founded Literary Detroit. Anna is also a writer-in-residence with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project, and on Thursday evenings, she facilitates a theater workshop at a men's prison in Macomb County, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan's Residential College with highest honors, and from Warren Wilson College's MFA Program for Writers, where she practiced (and practiced...) fiction. Anna is editing Rust Belt Chic: The Detroit Anthology, which will be published in 2014.
Location
The workshop will be held in Anna Clark's cozy home (see photo above) in Detroit, near the Fisher Building in the New Center neighborhood. Address and directions will be shared with workshop participants. Unfortunately, this space is not ADA-accessible.
Mentoring sessions will be held at:
14 East Cafe (in the Park Shelton building ... and it is ADA-accessible)
15 E Kirby St
Detroit, MI 48202
Free street parking is available at both locations.
Registration
The workshop is open to anyone who wants to enroll. Mentoring appointments are also available to anyone who wants to enroll -- whether or not they participate in the workshop.
Registration for the three-hour workshop is $70. Mentoring sessions are $30 apiece.
If participants wish, they may purchase multiple mentoring time slots for an extended individualized conversation.
Payment is accepted via PayPal. If that is impossible for you, please email the facilitator ASAP at annaleighclark-at-gmail-dot-com to make other arrangements. Refunds are only available in the event that the facilitator cancels the workshop or mentoring session.
Important: For those registering for a one-on-one mentoring appointment, please email the facilitator at annaleighclark-at-gmail-dot-com immediately after submitting payment. In your email, please list at least four 30-minute time slots on Saturday, December 14 when you are available for your appointment(s). Note that sessions are only available between 9:30am and 12:30pm
Breaking into Freelance Writing
Fee: $70
One-on-One Mentoring
Fee: $30
Testimonials
"In the freelancing workshop, Anna Clark shared professional resources and offered clear guidelines on how to land freelance writing jobs. She is a natural teacher, enthusiastic and encouraging. I left feeling inspired and with all the knowledge I needed to get started."
-- Magda Roddy, Ann Arbor, MI
"I met Anna Clark in 2009 after stumbling upon, and falling in love with, her thoughtful, incisive and lyrical blog Isak. I'd been thinking about making the leap into freelance writing for a long time, and attended one of her Anna's workshops and later worked with her on a one-on-one mentorship. Anna is a kind, thoughtful, supportive mentor, a savvy and prolific writer, and above all, is amazingly willing to share her time, passion, and expertise with others. She has been an inspiration to me; if it weren't for her, I doubt I would ever have quit my full-time job to pursue freelance writing, and I am so glad I did!"
-- Nina Ignaczak, Rochester, MI
"(The workshop was) Excellent. I especially appreciated the concrete pointers about how to develop ideas and query publications. I liked the handouts with sample queries and resources for freelances. I really appreciated Anna's enthusiasm, positive attitude, and encouragement. That was a real breath of fresh air."
-- Submitted anonymously
"Anna, you are clearly a talented leader--I was very impressed with the level of respect you have for each participant and for what they bring to the workshop. There seemed to be a good balance between listening to the participants and sharing your own thoughts and information."
-- Submitted anonymously
See more testimonials here.
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