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Posts from May

Because I Want to

Posted by Jessyca | May 28, 2010 | Comments (2)



The cursor is blinking, and I’m counting the number of times it blinks per minute. But then my eyes drift, and I’ve lost count. I grab the traveler’s mug of coffee sitting on the table, and I take a big lazy gulp. Back to the task at hand, and the cursor is still blinking.


Then, in a flurry of inspiration, my fingers clamor around on the keyboard. One more paragraph is on the page. Only about three more to go, which is good since this beast is due to my editor at 9 a.m. It’s now 3:22 a.m., and I have to wake up for work in a few hours.

I pause for a moment, and then I know how to end the article. I close with that one engaging fact that caught my eye during my research, and I pull together all other elements in a way I can only hope my readers will think is clever and sensible. It’s 3:44 a.m. now, and I have no way to judge what is clever anymore. My brain is useless, but my article is done.  I email it in an attachment to my editor. As I crawl into bed, I vow I won’t torture myself again this way for a while.

And for months now, I haven’t.

Years ago, writing wasn’t work; it was just what I loved to do. Now as a professional writer and editor, I count myself among the blessed for getting paid to do what I love. But by getting paid to do what I love, what I love to do has become my work. I’ve begun dreaming of taking a vacation to reinvigorate my passion for writing. I want to go off somewhere with no worries and no deadlines, and I want to sit down and just write.

And I’ll be writing for myself, because I love it. Even if I can just get out of the house for a few hours on a lazy Sunday, that should do the trick. Maybe I’ll drive down to Newport Beach and set up camp at Alta, arguably the best coffee shop in Southern California. I’ll sit out on their patio and order some comfort food. I’ll pull the chair across from me closer so I can rest my feet on it, with my computer on my lap.

And with some guy quietly strumming his guitar in the background, and college students talking and laughing, I will write. No one has to read what I churn out. I don’t even have to look back on it if I don’t want to. I will be writing for me, because I love it.

When I look up, it won’t be with the tormented gaze of a late-night deadline-driven writing session. I won’t be sitting there feeling tortured about the impending day of exhaustion ahead of me. It won’t matter if I want to stop and people-watch. I won’t be on a deadline. I will have nowhere to be. I won’t be watching the clock. And this time, when I glance down at the cursor, it won’t be blinking. It won’t be blinking, because I’m writing for the love of it and my fingers are typing faster than the cursor can blink.
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators—writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers—and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.


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My name is Meagan Lopez, and I have been working on my first novel for the past year. I also write for various online fashion and expat magazines and am in the midst of building my writing resume. Working for Demand Studios is fantastic for strengthening my writing skills and bringing in additional income between freelance writing jobs. Demand Studios is flexible, and it's up to me how much I want to make. Plus, even though I travel between England and Los Angeles, Demand Studios always comes with me!

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I know. You think the Powers That Be have finally lost our collective mind--or at least made a huge mistake--with our recent decision to reclassify travel titles that have historically been Lists as Abouts. 

I feel your pain, and I'll let you in on a secret: I was against the switch at the beginning too, though I've since come around. It all happened when we were brainstorming ways to get more evergreen, tip-oriented titles for our Travel Tips section on USATODAY.com. One afternoon, Demand's Titling & Strategy Editor Lindsay Morris called me over to her desk and asked how I felt about turning 2,000 unclaimed travel Lists to Abouts. I told her to back away slowly from the spreadsheet and get some fresh air. Was she kidding? 

But Lindsay was only thinking outside the box, and she was right. Her argument made me reconsider assumptions I made when I first started manually categorizing travel titles, more than a year ago, and decided a title like "Things to Do in New York" could only be a List. I'm stubborn, but I'm not that stubborn. I realized that the format swap would help all of us produce better travel articles across the board.

I had a feeling that the transition would be as difficult for you as it was for me, which is why I created the Travel Writer Handbook to help you rethink how these titles should be approached. I've created this handy how-to reference guide to help with the rest. I hope this will empower you to make educated judgment as professional travel writers and editors when it comes to executing these titles.

How to Write a Travel About

1. Consider the List and About formats siblings, not warring factions. Think about it: From a template perspective, the formats are practically identical. Both have overviews, followed by a series of subsections. Their difference lies in the execution.

2. Understand the main difference: A List is a list of specific things, an About is a roundup of concepts. The trick is all in the approach. An About gives your reader the big picture, not the close-up.

It's hard to explain without an example. So: Instead of thinking of a title, such as "Mexican Restaurants in Los Angeles," as a finite list of restaurants, which couldn't possibly scratch the subject's surface, think about the title more as, "things to consider when you're choosing a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles." So you'd include things like range of food (Oaxacan vs. Mexico City cuisine), price range (taco truck vs. fancy sit-down place), location (what to expect in East L.A. vs. the Westside), considerations (smaller places are often cash-only; be prepared to confront unusual ingredients like tripe or tongue), etc. 

3. Realize the end goal of the formats is the same. You are providing the reader with actionable information and advice that will enable him to make informed decisions and improve his overall travel experience. This is true whether you are writing for USATODAY.com Travel Tips, eHow or LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle. 

Many of you have asked (and rightfully so--I asked the same question): Isn't someone searching Google for "Free Things to Do in New York" looking for, well, a list of free things to do in New York, not a general article about them? Yes and no. You can still fulfill the search by providing actionable, useful information. Demand Media's travel sites aren't hotel booking destinations or guidebooks--we can't compete with established brands in these verticals, and we aren't trying to. 

4. Know that "conceptual" isn't code for "generic" or "vague." Even with identical subheads, every About article needs to include information very specific to the subject to be of any use. And--except on LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle--mentioning specific businesses isn't banned or even discouraged; the businesses just need to be used as supporting evidence to back up your claims, the same way you'd use a statistic or a fact. (The below examples will show you how to do this effectively.)

5. Print out the Travel Writer Handbook, and keep it next to your desk. It's your best friend when you're working on About travel articles, and I'm not just saying that because I made it. It will help you brainstorm, write and edit travel articles faster and smarter. I reference it every day when I'm editing articles and answering your questions in the forums.

Below is an example of how to write a title that seems impossible to write as an About at first glance. I know, because writers and CEs have both approached me with something bordering on despair asking for guidance on titles much like it. I've compiled the below from your feedback and provided specific pages in the Handbook to reference, along with tips on what will get you a green-light and what will get you a rewrite.

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Title: Things to Do in New York

* Similar types of titles: "Free Things to do in Chicago," "Where to Stay in Hawaii," "Places to Eat in Disney World"--basically any THING-to-VERB-in-PLACE title

* Refer to the following sections in Travel Writer Handbook for more information: Cities & Countries, Sightseeing & Attractions, Budget Travel, Restaurants, Family Vacations, Hotels & Resorts

If this title was formatted as a traditional List, the subheads might be:
Central Park, The Highline, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tenement Museum, etc.

The copy would include detailed information about the locations themselves, followed by the contact information.

However, if the above title was formatted as an About, the subheads might be:
Considerations, Time frame, Geography, Misconceptions, Warnings (which are the suggested subheads outlined in the DS Editorial Guidelines), or you could create your own subheads.

The copy in an About would include a high-level roundup of things to do in New York, taking into account various aspects, such as when to go, what the weather's like and what to pack, as well as details such as a description of geographic areas and warnings to wear comfortable walking shoes.

Now, this is where things get complicated. There are some gray areas. Some subheads, such as category groupings, might work for both Lists and Abouts. The following is a list of subheads that could work for both Lists and Abouts:
Seasons, Months, Audience (with information under the subhead about things to do in New York for families, big spenders, couples, singles, etc.) and Activities (with information in the subhead broken down into categories, such as cultural activities, outdoor activities, etc.)

If you do include subheads such as this, it's important to understand how to successfully execute each as an About and List. For example, for the above title "Things to Do in New York," a subhead might be "Winter" (which could be a subhead as a List or About):

How the subhead "Winter" works as an About
It provides a big-picture synopsis of each section. For instance, the copy might read: "Winter can be one of the most magical times to visit New York City, but it can also be bitterly cold, especially when the wind whistles down the long canyons of buildings. Bring a warm coat and galoshes if there is snow in the forecast. Christmas decorations in midtown Manhattan will make even the grinchiest heart grow two sizes, especially the inventive window displays on Madison Avenue and the 75-foot Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center."

Why it Works as an About: This section provides actionable information and advice for travelers planning to visit New York in the winter -- packing tips, information about the weather. It does mention a few places to visit, but only uses the locations as evidence to back up the unsubstantiated claim that Christmas decorations "will make even the grinchiest heart grow two sizes." 

What will get you a rewrite (how the subhead "Winter" may not work as an About): 
You'll likely get a rewrite request if the copy below the subhead is a list of places organized by category--thereby basically making it a List in disguise. For instance, the copy shouldn't read something like the following: "There is plenty to do in New York during winter. Kids will like the ice skating rink and giant Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. The Nutcracker at Radio City Music Hall is also a favorite. And the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square is something that everyone should experience before they die."

Why it Doesn't Work as an About: This is still a list of specific things to do in New York in the winter; they just happen to be grouped in a category. There is no bigger-picture analysis of what visiting the city during the season might entail.

I know this is complicated, and can be nuanced and subjective. Share your thoughts, feedback and questions in the comments. Looking forward to them!
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators—writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers—and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.


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I'm Katherine Vyn. I graduated from Vassar College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. I love to write and am working on a novel and two screenplays. I currently attend Full Sail University and am working towards my master’s degree in creative writing. Working for Demand Studios has been great, not only as a work-from-home job but as an inspiration to continue writing and working on my skills. The editors give great feedback, and I enjoy the writing and rewriting process. I am grateful to have a job doing something I love!
Want to know what to do in Las Vegas besides gambling? Or things to do on a date in Seattle? Then look no further than the newest batch of articles on LIVESTRONG.COM.

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LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle is a new writing opportunity for Demand Studios writers interested in writing local content from a healthy lifestyle perspective.

We recently released 500 titles into the LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle vertical, which were snatched up so quickly that we're gearing up to release more.

After reviewing the first batch of articles, I was immensely impressed with the content appearing on the site—and I'm not the only one. Our own Copy Curator Richard Lally couldn't stop praising Fitzalan Gorman for her article, "Things to Do in NYC."

You can tell that Fitzalan took the time to research new and exciting things to do in New York City, outside of what people would generally suggest. You can read Fitzalan's full article on LIVESTRONG.COM.

Another great example of a LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle article is "About Nice Things to Do in San Francisco," by Terry Mann. Terry provides excellent options of "nice" things to do in San Francisco that also encourage healthy living.

These articles exemplify how to flawlessly execute the guidelines for this site. Remember, LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle articles differ from other List-like titles, so be sure to read the site guidelines, located at the top of each LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle template. We have reiterated a few points below:

1.    Articles should never include business listings with contact information in the body of the article. Please reserve contact information for the business for the Resources section of the article.

2.    Do not include individual businesses as subheads. We generally discourage mentioning businesses in the copy below a subhead unless it is a long-standing institution, such as a park, museum, monument, etc. Any businesses mentioned must have a healthy lifestyle or educational slant.

3.    If you mention pricing information for a business or institution, provide a range and clarifier. For example write, "As of 2010, the Statue of Liberty admission fee is $20 to $35."

4.    The overview should set the tone that the recommendations in the article will encourage healthy options. Read Jennifer King's "The Top Things to Do in Miami, Florida" for a good example.

If this is the type of content you enjoy writing, I encourage you to browse available LIVESTRONG.COM Lifestyle titles in the queue.

It's a great opportunity to contribute to LIVESTRONG.COM with fun titles focusing on topics around where you live.
Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators—writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers—and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.


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My name is Martina McAtee. I graduated in 2008 with my RN degree. Two years into nursing, I was burnt out and miserable. Demand Studios has given me a way to use my medical knowledge and my love of writing to make a great living. I love that I am able to homeschool my daughter, work from anywhere and get paid twice a week. I never envisioned myself making a living as a freelance writer, but that is exactly what Demand Studios has allowed me to do, and I am grateful for this opportunity every day.



I will never forget my poor classmate who, before even getting through the first sentence of her story, was harangued by the entire class.
   
“Whoa, whoa. Wait a minute! Have you ever made guacomole?!” members of the class asked her. No, she had not. She had just moved to the states from the Middle East and had written a character who chose a “rock hard” avocado at the supermarket. A blatantly false detail consumed my attention, and the audience was derailed. This writer had the disadvantage of being in Southern California where her readers are very familiar with Mexican food and know that a ripe avocado is soft, not “rock hard.” A good reader knows an artificial story when he reads one. 

Inevitably a certain amount of time must be spent alone, in a quiet place, to get any writing done. But, if the stereotype that all writers are troubled, anti-social and nocturnal were true, we would have no stories! Well, we still could, but they would be as lifeless as the writer himself.

I recently read an article about angler fishing written by an authority on the topic. He wrote about the heaviness around the bottom of his boots created by the mud and the cold layer of sweat that forms under the synthetic fabric of the gloves. I have no experience with angler fishing (nor do I have much interest in it) but the writer made me feel his descriptions. That stuck with me, and I realized experience is a form of research.

As for my classmate, our professor told her to go home, make guacamole, and return with her story the following week. That was her research. My professor, Mona Simpson, taught us all about the importance of knowing what you are writing about. Otherwise, a poorly-researched article can land you a homework assignment like making guacamole.

For that, I’ll never forget what she told us that day, “You have to live to write.”
     

Ever wonder what it's like to work for Demand Studios? We checked in with our community of freelance creators—writers, copy editors, filmmakers and titlers—and asked them to share their experiences. Hundreds of people chimed in about why Demand Media works for them. Tune in daily to read their firsthand accounts.


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I'm Marquis Codjia, a Rutgers University MBA graduate with a major in finance. I've been writing for nearly a decade, penning articles on my personal blog or for online publications. I consider writing as a journey, because each piece of prose is unique and requires a particular mental stimulation and passion. I like writing for Demand Studios for three reasons: work-life balance, learning experience and financial compensation. It just feels good to know you are paid to write for a world-class online publication and have your work reviewed by professional editors—all while sitting in the comfort of your home.     
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At Demand we pride ourselves on constantly growing and improving. We know that with hard work, tomorrow we’ll be better at what we do, and next week we’ll be better still. We also know the writers and editors in our growing community have the same ambitious spirit and drive, which raised the question: “What more can we do to empower YOU to be better at what you do every day?”


So we went to work brainstorming and project-drafting, and we stretched our executive presentation skills to the breaking point. There were flowcharts. But we survived, and it was worth it, because today we’re very excited to officially announce the Writer Success Series, a partnership between Demand Studios and our friends at Poewar and Freelance Writing Jobs.


This series is designed to help you become the best writers and editors you can be.

Beginning June 1st, our new partners will present educational articles and multimedia posts, including webcasts, podcasts and interviews with guest experts, all focused on in-depth coverage of writing topics. Our goal is to provide further educational opportunities to encourage our writing and editing communities. 


Check in with Freelance Writing Jobs and Poewar for new information and resources next Tuesday, and every Monday thereafter. They will alternate weeks; Poewar will provide the first post, an informational piece about writing procedural “How To” articles, and Freelance Writing Jobs will follow with “Getting Started as a Blogger.”


There is no limit to how much we can all learn and grow as a writing and editing community, and this series is one way we’re embracing that. We hope you check it out and enjoy.
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Suzanne and her colleagues from the English-language newspaper in the Kurdistan region.


We asked Suzanne DeRouen if she wanted to share what she was working on with her colleagues
as a follow-up to our interview with her earlier this month. She stated, " I had to put down my lesson plans and pick up my heart instead." Here's what followed:

Lessons Learned in Kurdistan
by Suzanne DeRouen

If you’ve been to the northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan as a member of the military, I am humbled by your service. If you’ve been as part of a nongovernmental organization, I have great admiration for your commitment to helping others. Or, if—like me—you went there because you had business to conduct, then I ask you: What did you learn? I won’t ask you what you did there, but I will ask what you learned, because northern Iraqis, who are Kurdish, have something to teach all of us--not so much about journalism or business, but about living to the fullest day to day.  They imparted more wisdom to me than I could ever have given back.

While working part-time as a copy editor at Demand Studios, I commit a lot of my time to working as the Senior U.S. Editor for the Kurdistan Democratic Party of northern Iraq. If you aren’t familiar with Kurdistan Region’s government, here’s a brief breakdown: Iraq is led by two separate governments—the central government based in Baghdad, and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil. Kurdistan Region is autonomous. It borders Syria to the west, Iran to the east, and Turkey to the north. It is not an Arab-dominated society as is the rest of the country; rather, Assyrians, Turkmen, Chaldeans, Armenians, Arabs, and Kurds--but mostly Kurds--live together peacefully.

As a long-time editor and lover of words and the free press, the older I got the more I felt that I had to put my efforts into something that mattered. My many years in New York City working for an educational publishing company (think Harry Potter!) were some of the best, most meaningful years of my career, but I needed more out of life—something combined with an edge. Now I edit not only the first and only English-language newspaper printed in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, but I also edit academic books about genocide and the plight of the Kurdish people in general. My first completed project, a 287-page book entitled “Kurds, Genocide, Annihilation and the Stance of International Law,” is probably my pride and joy. 

After over three years of working on the Iraq job while stateside, I finally took my boss up on his offer to travel to Erbil to work with the young writers and live in their shoes for awhile. I packed up many of my trusty journalism sources, including my AP and the timeless Elements of Style, and I even threw in laminated grammar cheat sheets. I laid out lesson plans. With the best of intentions, I left Louisiana for Iraq—sure I could make a difference in the lives of young journalists there.

One of the first lessons I learned (not taught) was that I needn’t pull out any of lesson plans I had diligently prepared. Disappointment was my initial reaction. Why? It didn’t make sense.

I tried to help my esteemed colleagues understand that it was imperative to learn from their mistakes if they wanted to improve at all. In all my years with them, they continue to make the same mistakes over and over again, week after week. I even covered some of AP’s basic rules. You name it. But still, they just didn’t care about it.

I explained to them that if I made one mistake in my job in the United States I would be called to task for it. If I made two I’d be on probation. But if I made three after being told not to, then I’d probably be fired. Their response? “Well that would never happen here. We aren’t like that.” Indeed they aren’t. Their priorities are most likely the opposite of ours.

Slowly, I came to understand why my colleagues weren’t too concerned. Unlike in the U.S., they aren’t looking to get ahead in their careers. There is no almighty dollar for which to slave away. In working as young journalists for the government, they are sometimes paid—but more often than not they aren’t paid or they are forced to wait months for small salaries. On the other hand, the government gives every Kurd a stipend regardless of whether he or she works, so there is no need to improve in whatever it is they do for a living. The people rely on the government to take care of basic services, and there are few long-term career paths to take.

Here’s what you might not know. During the reign of the previous regime, hundreds of thousands of Kurds were gassed during the Anfal genocide campaign in the 1980s.  So today, what matters most to Kurds is staying alive. They are the largest stateless-nation peoples in the world. Their Diaspora reaches all of the bordering countries and continues into Europe and even parts of the United States. While in Iraq, I often felt ridiculous for even trying to get them to understand their mistakes, because in the big scheme of things and the history of their lives, these mistakes mean nothing. They only try to stay alive. Anything else, like a job writing for a government paper, is simply a gift to them. It’s not about improving their skills, although their boss would like to think differently.

But that’s not to say that these young Kurds don’t care about their destinies. They are all well-educated, some with master’s degrees in literature or English, one with a doctorate in political science, one currently earning his master’s in business administration, and still another currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in international studies. In Kurdistan in particular, education matters. The Kurds see education as their key to freedom and security. Their textbooks are mostly current, while textbooks in Baghdad and elsewhere below the no-fly zone can be 30 years behind.

So I arrived with my heart intent on helping to improve lives, but instead I learned that they were more concerned with the words they choose to write than the style rules that were universally followed.

Their focus is on family. Instead of long hours spent teaching them what my 25 or so years in journalism have taught me, I let them teach me how to relax. I learned the value of gathering extended family for mountain picnics. I also came to like the two-hour lunches we had every Thursday—just me and the guys.

The guys I work with are true gentlemen—but they aren’t too concerned about serial commas or possessives. I do think they understand the need to name their sources when they can—but even that’s a tricky issue to discuss as freedom of the press is barely a concept there, even if it is being addressed fully. Let’s not even mention that there are often three ways to spell one name of a city or person, depending on who is speaking it or writing it. It was up to me to learn to let go of the stringent rules I’ve had ingrained in me over the years. It was up to me to loosen up and understand--after over three years on this job--that I needed to be happy when my salary arrived weeks or even months late and stop complaining about it. I learned to be much more humble and appreciative of the plight of my colleagues. Toward the end of my stay, I stopped trying to teach and became a part of the fabric of their society. I was just another coworker and my heart would remain in Kurdistan long after I left.

There is one young Kurdish writer of whom I am particularly protective, however. I cannot mention his name, but he hasn’t learned anything over the years. At times his writing gets worse, and then surprisingly one day it will be better. I asked him straight up why he didn’t even try to learn. His three-word response broke my heart: “I cannot concentrate,” he said. I cannot imagine what he has seen in his life that makes it hard for him to learn or concentrate. That was a lesson for me. You cannot push people who have seen so much death and destruction and for whom survival is a daily chore. You can, however, try to understand them and see all sides of the equation. And so I did.

Back home now and at Demand Studios, I know I cannot make a single mistake. I know I cannot allow myself to ever get distracted on the job. But I also know what’s important in life. My lesson plans in Iraq were cut short, but life lessons learned while there cut deep and strong.








Do you have a story about something you are a part of? Please let us know by emailing editorialteam@demandstudios.com with "Outside the Studio" in the subject line. 
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