Lesson Structure: Freelance Writing BWR102

There are 10 lessons in this course:

1  Introduction

• Categories of Freelance Writing
• Steps to getting started
• Necessary resources (including equipment)
• Researching the market
• Sources of information
• How to develop yourself as a freelance writer
• Publishing Options
• Industry Terminology
• Set Tasks
• Assignment

2  Basic Writing Skills

• How to improve a piece of writing
• Essential Writing Skills
• Informative Language
• Persuasive Language
• Imaginative Language
• Connotation and Denotation
• Literal and Figurative Language
• Formal and Informal Language
• Clear Communication
• Making meanings clear
• Causes of confusion
• Ambiguity
• Concise wording
• Condensing your writing
• In-concise writing
• Phrases linked in a wordy fashion
• Tautologies
• Abstract nouns
• Using too many words
• Ellipsis
• Active and passive language
• Grammatical rules
• Grammatical Errors
• Rules of Speech
• Punctuation
• Spelling
• Sentence Structure
• Types of sentences
• Composing sentences
• Building a paragraph
• Set task
• Assignment

3  Planning What You Write

• Conceptualisation
• Developing a concept
• Writing an outline synopsis
• Planning your writing
• Word budget
• Writing structure
• Research
• The Writing process
• Feature writing conventions
• Feature article structure
• Introduction, Billboard paragraph, Body, Ending and Closer
• References
• A writing routine
• Set task
• Assignment

4  The Publishing World

• Contacting publishers
• Periodicals
• Books
• Sample Publishers Contract
• Protecting the writers work
• Copyright
• Income from writing
• Lending rights
• Set task
• Assignment

5  Manuscripts

• Preparing and presenting your manuscript
• Editing
• The Editing Process
• Self Editing
• Editing Articles and Manuscripts
• Writing a Sales Package
• Target Reader Synopsis
• The Title
• Statement of Objectives
• The Publishing Process
• Presentation Requirements
• Submitting your work
• Publishing processes for ebooks
• Self publishing online
• Set task
• Assignment

6  Newspaper Writing

• News articles
• Short features
• Investigative article
• Regular columns
• Fillers
• Human interest article
• Local newspaper articles
• Interviews
• Conducting an interview
• Planning the questions
• Drawing out answers
• Accuracy of notes
• Set task
• Assignments

7  Magazine Writing

• Magazine articles
• What does a publisher or editor consider
• Feature articles
• Types of articles
• Service articles
• Travel writing
• Interviews
• Set task
• Assignment

8  Writing Books

• Fiction books
• Writing fiction –plot, viewpoint, characterisation. setting, dialogue, conflict, structure.
• Target audience
• Believability
• Non Fiction books
• Text books
• Fact finding
• Getting book contracts
• Books in print
• Assignment

9  Writing Advertising

• Writing for public relations
• Media releases
• Writing promotional campaigns
• Messages
• Selling
• Effectiveness
• Writing online advertising copy
• Set task
• Assignment

10 Special Project

• Reviewing your writing
• Planning a small book
• Writing the first chapter

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Learning Goals: Freelance Writing BWR102

• Discuss the nature and scope of freelance writing.
• Evaluate your basic writing skills and identify deficiencies needing attention in order to be successful at freelance writing.
• Develop a concept for freelance writing which has potential for selling.
• Identify commercial opportunities to sell writing to publishers.
• Describe the preparation of a manuscript for submission to a publisher
• Write commercially viable items for publishing in a newspaper.
• Write commercially viable items for publishing in a magazine.
• Plan for production of a commercially viable book manuscript.
• Write commercially viable advertising.
• Apply all skills and knowledge so far developed to the production of a complete manuscript.

This course is taught by:

Lee Raye

M.A. (hons) Celtic Studies, (the University of Aberdeen); M.St. Celtic Studies, (the University of Oxford)

Lee is a PhD candidate at Cardiff University with degrees from Aberdeen and Oxford. He has written two books, digitalised another and written several academic papers. He has been interviewed by National Geographic and presented papers at eight different national and international conferences. Lee’s native language is English and, if asked, he is always happy to help students with their English spelling and grammar. He is also a keen proponent of the digital revolution and dreams of a world where all books are available instantly to be read, searched or treasured. Although he mainly writes non-fiction, he loves Victorian literature as well as modern fiction and poetry of all kinds. His academic knowledge of medieval events, cultures and the history of Britain’s environment make him especially qualified to help students interested in writing sci-fi and fantasy.

Success as a freelance writer depends upon finding publishers who will pay for your work.
Freelance writers are dependent on publishers to buy their work and get it into the marketplace, so it is important to get an overview of the world of publishing. Publishers are in the business of editing, designing, printing and marketing books, magazines, reports, newspapers and other written works. At one end of the spectrum is a desktop publishing business run by one person who does all the writing, editing, artwork, printing, promoting and distribution, and at the other end are the multi-national companies that publish thousands of books and magazines worldwide each year.

The people who work in publishing include editors, proof readers, designers, graphic artists, typesetters, printers, literary agents and marketing executives. Allied businesses include distributors, book sellers, newsagents, libraries and public relation companies. Depending on who you sell your work to, you may have dealings with these people.

As a freelance writer, always keep in mind that you have to sell your work to a publisher. This means that to some extent you will need to tailor your writing to meet their needs. Publishers only publish work they can easily sell, and until you are an established writer, they call the shots!
This course recognises the difficulty in making a start. No amount of training will ever guarantee success; but there are ways to improve your chances – and we believe it is important to get help from tutors who are not only qualified in writing, but also “street smart” about dealing with publishers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

Q. Why should I enrol with the Academy for Distance Learning?
A. Here at ADL, our students are our priority – we treat everyone as a unique individual.

Q. Do I need to buy text books?
A. No, as each module has been written by highly qualified industry professionals. The content of the material is presented in such a way that text books are not required. However, if you require additional reading your tutor will be able to supply a list.

Q. What happens if I have to stop studying for a while? (eg. become sick, go on holidays, have a baby, move house, etc)
A. It’s OK to take a break and start up your study at a later point in time. Just let us know.

Q. Is there an age limit?
A. There is no maximum age limit. We do however, have a minimum age limit of 18 years. Below that age parental consent would be required.

Q. Are your courses up-to date?
A. Our courses are revised and updated on a rotation system.

Q. Do you have a Cancellation policy?
A. Yes. We have a cancellation policy that is fair and equitable. For further details please click here.

Q. Will I have any opportunity to engage with other students?
A. We have a Student Community group based on facebook! If you don’t have a facebook account already, you could make one just for talking with fellow students on the group.

Enrolment

Q. When can I enrol/start?
A. You may enrol and start at any time of the year – it’s all self- paced.

Q. Can I study from anywhere in the world?
A. Our courses are available to anyone, anywhere in the world from the comfort of your own home. The course content is relevant to any country, culture or economy.

Q. How long do I have to complete the course?
A. You complete the course at any time that is convenient for you.

Q. Completing a 100 hour module – how long will it take?
A. For some students a 100 hour module will take approximately to 3- 6 months to complete. Others take less time and some even longer.

Assessment

Q. Assessment – how does it work?
A. For each 100 hour module you are assessed by assignments (at the end of each lesson) and a final one and a half hour exam (or you may elect to complete a Project, instead of sitting the exam) – the choice is yours – you sit for the exam in your own location.

Q. I don’t cope well with exams – what can I do?
A. You may elect to undertake a Project (set by your tutor) instead of sitting the exam. Projects are completed from your home and can usually take a couple of weeks to complete.

Q. If my assignment is not up to standard is there an opportunity to resubmit my work?
A. Yes –

Q. How many assignments do I need to complete for each module?
A. At the end of each lesson, there is an assignment – so if a course has say, 10 lessons, there would be 10 assignments.

Q. I am having difficulty attending workshops/industry meetings, what can be done?
A. If your course requires attendance at workshops, conferences, or industry meetings; alternative arrangements can be made in your country.

Qualifications

Q. Can I customize my diploma/higher qualification?

A. Not all educational institution’s certificates /diplomas meet everyone’s needs. The opportunity to Design Your Own Diploma at the Academy (subject to our approval) is an added bonus, not found at other colleges. You choose modules that you think will help you in achieving your goal.

Q. What do I get when I complete the course? Will I receive a transcript?
A. At the completion of all courses and providing all assignments and exam requirements have been met, you will receive your Award and a Transcript.

Tutors

Q. Our tutors – who are they?
A. We appoint Tutors and require that they must be currently active in their industry, with at least 5 years’ experience in their chosen profession.

Q. Can I contact my tutor at any time?
A. Yes – you have unlimited access to your tutor via email through our Online Classroom. You can always leave a message with ADL requesting your tutor to contact you. You decide on how much or how little contact you wish to have.

Q. Practical work – How is this done?
A. To find out more about this part of the course please visit the section on How Our Courses Work here.