[stylist] Introducing myself and seeking ideas on freelancing

[Chris Kuell]

Hello, Gerardo.

Welcome to the group. I agree that your English is certainly good enough to 
be published, and I wish you the best in your writing endeavors. There is a 
woman on the list, Bridgit, who gets paid to blog about blindness and 
diabetes for a newspaper in her state, and perhaps she will share how she 
landed that job. I have had some success getting paid for articles about 
blindness, and topics not related to blindness, by my local and other state 
newspapers. But, as you said, the pay is very low. I approach newspaper 
editors with a finished article, rather than a query, so they can see my 
writing and decide if it works for them. I have also often had a friend or 
family member take pictures, depending on the topic, as newspapers like 
photos.  I have not had much luck with magazines, although I continue to 
try. You should check out the writer's guidelines at Breath and Shadow, a 
journal written exclusively by people with disabilities, and which pays: 
www.abilitymaine.org/breath

The Writer is an excellent magazine with tips for free-lancers, which is 
available for free from the library of Congress for US citizens. I don't 
know if your government might have something similar, or, if you have a 4 
track cassette player, someone on the list could send you copies, at least 
as long as the magazine is still produced on cassettes.

Regardless, the internet is full of articles and blogs about free-lancing, 
with more information than you could ever take in. I recommend you spend 
time educating yourself, then take the plunge and start submitting. If you 
would like critiques of your work before submitting, a few people on this 
list are open to giving advice and suggestions.

Finally, work on growing a thick skin, metaphorically speaking. There are a 
lot of great writers out there, and you are bound to face rejection time and 
time again. The key is to find editors who love your writing and will accept 
more than one piece.

Good luck,

chris