|
THE COURSE
The PracticalJournalism.com
course has been designed in ten lessons - with important exercises
for you to complete and send to us to mark.
Each lesson is based on the up-to-date experience of the two authors
- both as freelance writers and commissioning editors. There is
no time limit for you to complete the lessons.
Distance Learning
The course is interactive. After each lesson you complete an exercise
and send it to us for our comments. If at any time you don't understand
something, simply email us - and we'll do our best to help you.
At the end of this
distance learning course we will send you an evaluation of how you've
done - including some suggestions for developing your freelance
career.
Here's how the lessons
are organised:
1. Introduction. Here
we welcome you to the idea of freelance writing. You will learn
the key elements of freelance writing, the markets available to
you - and what it takes to be a success.
2. Inside the Media.
To be successful as a freelance writer you must understand how the
media works. Drawing on personal experience, this section tells
you how newspapers and magazines operate , the kind of people involved,
how deadlines and lead times are crucial and what editors will be
expecting from you as a writer. Plus, a handy glossary to some of
journalism's more obscure expressions.
3. Ideas. Good ideas are the key for any freelance writer. This
crucial lesson explains how to come up with and develop sellable
ideas, how to relate ideas to your potential market, how to plan
ahead - and tips on how to make sure you are never short of potential
stories.
4. Research. Shoddy research can ruin your reputation. Good research
can make your stories sell. Here we teach you how to research quickly,
safely and accurately to ensure your stories are stronger - and
more marketable.
5. Interviews. Knowing how to get information out of people is vital.
In this lesson you will learn the best interview techniques, how
to win people's confidence, how to use note-taking and tape-recorders,
plus advice on those off-the-record moments.
6. Writing - Part
One. Writing is important so we have devoted two sections to it.
In Part One you learn how to construct your articles to get them
noticed by editors. You don't need to be a Booker Prize winner to
write sellable stories - and here we give you the practical guide
to good writing.
7. Writing - Part Two. The second part gives you the formula to
constructing longer articles simply and clearly, tells you the kind
of words to use and words to avoid, plus lots more detailed, practical
advice on the craft of writng.
8. Contacts and Statistics. People are your most valuable source
of information. Here you learn how to build up a bulging contacts
file to increase your chances of getting the big stories. Plus how
to handle statistics - the basis for many successful stories - to
your advantage.
9. Ethics, law and conduct. We take pride in being journalists and
want you to as well. In lesson Nine we take you through some of
the basic law for journalists and give advice on how to behave as
a freelance writer and journalist - and how to handle any pitfalls.
The laws on copyright are also discussed.
10. Selling Your Stories.
And finally, the crucial section on how to sell what you've created.
This lesson gives you all the up-to-date advice on selling your
material from two journalists who do just that for a living. It
contains practical, realistic and current information on how to
make the most of your writing.
ANTI-VIRUS POLICY
Our lessons will be
sent to you by email with word documents attached. We use anti-virus
scanning at PracticalJournalism.com and so our attachments should
be safe. But in case you prefer not to open attachments we will
also send the lessons in the main body of the email.
IMPORTANT
Because we will be
receiving emails from a large number of people it is our policy
NOT to open attachments.
Please send all
your exercises to us in the main body of the email.
Thanks.
Copyright © Ken Hyder &
Michael Streeter 2002
Privacy
& Copyright
|
