JRN 544 - Freelance Writing

An exploration of the world of freelance writing, focused on teaching skills and competencies to make a living as a freelance journalist. Students will learn to compellingly speak to a completely different set of editors and audiences from one piece to the next; negotiate their compensation and terms of publication, which can vary significantly from one outlet to the next; build a readership and authorial identity that transcends any specific outlet or institution, while also trying to cultivate relationships with readers and editors at publications they repeatedly publish in; and prepare for rejection with strategies for how to learn from and respond to rejection. Students will develop and attempt to place freelance work in mainstream media outlets and begin to develop a portfolio of clips and/or essays in progress that can be used as springboard to help launch a writing career.

3 credits

Grading Letter graded (A, A-, B+, etc.)