High Hope for the Freelance Writer                                                                     

      C. Hope Clark, Editor

 

 

Tweetebooks


The Shy Writer: An Introvert's Guide to Writing Success - trade paperback and ebook - TOTAL FFW subscription with paperback purchase.

 


   Our newsletters are delivered via Aweber.com, a reliable, spam-free newsletter service. Click above and tell them Hope sent you.


The delivery service Hope has used for years for her ebooks.


This website hosted by GoDaddy. Best online values I've found for hosting & domain registration. Click here to learn more.


Your ad placed here. See the Ad Rates page for both the web site and newsletter rates.

Contests, grants, markets that pay writers may list at no charge. Send to Hope.

 

THIRD PLACE - ENTRY FEE CATEGORY - 4th Annual FundsforWriters Contest

CALL ME

By Joni M. Fisher

I love it when editors call. Some editors call because they want a woman’s perspective on my hobby—aviation. Only six percent of pilots are women, so I’m kind of a novelty. Some editors call for reprints on essays or articles that made them laugh. Some editors call because they want an article on a topic a staffer doesn’t have time to write. One call came from an editor representing a magazine that I’d never written for, nor queried. He explained that he was preparing the special annual edition of WaterFlying magazine for the spring and would I consider writing an article on Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base in Winter Haven , Florida ? The edition would feature seaplane bases and schools around the world.

Okay, so this editor called because he needed a writer in Winter Haven . When asked how he learned about me, he said he’d picked up my business card from a writing colleague who could not accept the assignment. Okay, so I’m also the SECOND choice, but not too proud to accept a hand-me-down. He offered $500.  

I knew the place well enough to avoid the second pot of coffee of the day. I knew the people like the Japanese pilots who gathered on the back porch to photograph alligators and the instructor Rennie who wrote THE book on seaplane training. The owner, Jon Brown, lived on my block. I knew the myths and legends and history of the base that was, coincidentally, celebrating its 40th year of operation. Familiar and newsworthy, this place taught stick and rudder flying in cloth-covered, slow-moving aircraft. This place humbled Air Force fighter pilots and thrilled private pilots. Brown’s Seaplane Base sat on the lakeside edge of the Winter Haven airport. It was where I learned to fly. As one of the few, the cheap and the brave who learned to fly a land plane at a seaplane base, this story felt like mine to tell.

            The editor didn’t care that I had never taken a lesson in a seaplane. He wanted me to capture the people and the place.

Astronauts, celebrities and foreign pilots learned to fly seaplanes at Brown’s. Commander Kenneth Bowersox emailed from the International Space Station to his favorite instructor—at Brown’s. The fraternity of instructors at Brown’s connects seaplane pilots from around the globe and many drop in for coffee and storytelling. Brown’s appears in the credits of movies. On a trip to Alaska , my husband and I signed up for a seaplane ride over a glacier. The pilot had taught at Brown’s.

Who could call such a fun assignment work?

The gang gave an odd mix of reactions when interviewed since they knew me as a pilot and friend instead of as a writer. Somewhere between “spell my name right” and “is this on the record?” they shared their passion for the base. The instructors described the “Armstrong” starter on the J3-Cub as I dutifully jotted notes. It was only later when I saw them hand-prop the cub that I knew I’d been set up. The dears. These are the same guys who tried to explain to me the tradition of cutting out the back of a shirt when someone solos. For women, they said straight-faced, they cut out the front.

After the article appeared in WaterFlying magazine the gang at Brown’s gave me their sign of approval—they asked when the next article would be published. They, too, liked seeing their names in print (anywhere but the Post Office). I queried Pipers magazine because the seaplane base relied on Piper aircraft for 40 years of training. Pipers paid $100 for the reprint. With guilty pleasure, I cashed the checks.

Since these articles were published, hurricanes Charley , Frances and Jeanne all passed within fifteen miles of Brown’s Seaplane Base. Frances took off the roof. Frances is also the name of the owner’s wife. Do you think I’ll let this aviation news pass without reporting on it? I’ve done the background research, I have the clips to show about the base. Lemme see. Now which aviation magazine pays the best for such a story? Call me shameless, call me published. Call me if you’re an editor.

Joni M. Fisher - jmfisher@tampabay.rr.com 

   



 

2010 Bylines Desk Calendar - A must for every writer. This is Hope's 6th year using it.


 

Top notch source - BEST source I know of to step into freelance commercial writing. Peter Bowerman is the guru. I've read the books.


 

Follow FundsforWriters on Social Network Media:


Follow Hope on Twitter

Follow Hope's Blog

 

 


Tweetebooks! Mini-ebooks of niche markets for $1.99.

 



 

Copyright 2000-2010, C. Hope Clark and FundsforWriters - FFW does not warranty the information on this site. Contests, grants, markets, awards, fellowships, and other job opportunities cannot be guaranteed by FFW. Please use at your own risk just as you would any information in your writing career - with educated caution. We do not collect information for distribution. Email addresses are not shared with other sources. Direct any questions to Hope@fundsforwriters.com - or by snail mail to 140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4, Chapin, SC 29036