Freelance Files

Freelance Files is a regular column for and by environmental journalism freelancers in which a rotating cast of writers share hard-earned wisdom here about myriad aspects of weaving a life and business out of their independent status. Also check out SEJ.org's Freelance Resource Page.

For questions and comments, to suggest future Freelance Files columns or to offer to write one, email Freelance Files Co-Editors Christine Woodside at christine.woodside@gmail.com and Elyse Hauser at elysehauser@outlook.com.

Public

June 1, 2016

Beyond the Query: Cultivating Relationships with Editors

Freelancing isn’t all about writing good queries. It’s also about building and sustaining connections between human beings. Dawn Stover has been on both sides of the writer-editor relationship, and shares her lessons learned here.

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March 1, 2016

Captivate Kids with Science News

Longtime science journalist Janet Raloff, editor of Science News for Students, provides tips on how writing effectively for adolescents, while satisfying in and of itself, can also pay dividends in helping us learn to make complex topics accessible to adults.

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December 15, 2015

The Life, and Why I’m Sticking It Out (for Now)

Journalist and author Angela Posada-Swafford shares the ups and downs of her two-decades-long (so far) freelance life based in Florida.

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September 1, 2015

The Art of the Pitch: Tips for Crafting Successful Feature Story Queries

Freelancer Susan Moran writes about how to write a refined, convincing, colorful query letter and follow the particular pitch path that plays to your passion, talent and financial needs.

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June 1, 2015

Staying Afloat in Murky Ethical Waters

Science journalist and editor Hannah Hoag dives into the sad state of affairs that drives freelancers to supplement their income with better-paying work. Photo: Hoag and the CCGS Amundsen, a Canadian Arctic research icebreaker she lived and worked on in 2008; courtesy Bennie Mols.

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March 1, 2015

Freelancers as Founders: Potential, Pitfalls of Digital Journalism Startups

Writer/editor Amy Westervelt relates lessons learned by herself and her freelance colleagues on the road to financial stability for their reporting endeavour, Climate Confidential. Photo: Westervelt speaks at the Nov 13, 2014, “Food Fight” in Brooklyn. Credit: Mariya Pylayev, Climate Nexus.

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October 15, 2014

Committing to Collaboration: How Two Freelancers Pulled Off a Cross-Pacific Partnership

Winnifred Bird and Jane Braxton Little, a former SEJ mentor program pair, describe (with humor!) the process of how they turned their shared interest in the Fukushima disaster's affect on forest ecosystems and rural communities into a successful writing collaboration.

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July 15, 2014

Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth

Perhaps the biggest value in fellowships is that they can provide a base of knowledge about issues a journalist has not yet investigated. And there’s no telling when that knowledge will come in handy. Read how freelancer Lisa Palmer's experiences with fellowships profoundly shaped her career, and explore resources to help you find a program that will best suit your needs.

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April 15, 2014

Getting the Most from Conferences

Freelance writer and editor Jennifer Weeks extolls the virtues of freelancers attending conferences and shares her wisdom on choosing ones that meet your needs ("SEJ’s annual conference... my favorite after a decade of freelancing"), and what to do before, during and after. Photo: © Roger Archibald.

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January 15, 2014

Finding Funders: A User’s Guide to Foundation-Backed Journalism

Public radio journalist Karen Schaefer shares how she pursued and won a grant, bumps in the road she overcame, lessons learned, and tips for unearthing funders. Photo: Schaefer on the job at a cow barn at Vander Made Farms near Sherwood, Ohio. Photo by Chris Kick, Farm and Dairy.

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Freelance Files

June 1, 2016

Beyond the Query: Cultivating Relationships with Editors

March 1, 2016

Captivate Kids with Science News

December 15, 2015

The Life, and Why I’m Sticking It Out (for Now)

September 1, 2015

The Art of the Pitch: Tips for Crafting Successful Feature Story Queries

June 1, 2015

Staying Afloat in Murky Ethical Waters

March 1, 2015

Freelancers as Founders: Potential, Pitfalls of Digital Journalism Startups

October 15, 2014

Committing to Collaboration: How Two Freelancers Pulled Off a Cross-Pacific Partnership

July 15, 2014

Freelancers and Fellowships: A Path for Growth

April 15, 2014

Getting the Most from Conferences

January 15, 2014

Finding Funders: A User’s Guide to Foundation-Backed Journalism

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