Freelance Resource Monday: Government Sources

What are you researching or writing about this week?

Odds are, whatever it is, there's a government website that can lead you to information on your given topic.

I regularly use government sites for a variety of writing assignments—the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Centers for Disease Control, and the Small Business Administration have all been go-to sources for me recently.

And why not? Government agencies and departments offer a wealth of knowledge for freelancers and can be a great, reliable source for facts, figures, and expert sources depending on the topic you're exploring.

You wouldn't want to rely solely on government sources for an in-depth feature on a given topic, of course, but government websites can be a great place to start when you're tackling a new topic.

To find the right government agency or department, there's no better place to begin than USA.gov, which can direct you to government information by topic and allows you to search for info across all government websites.

This doesn't just apply to the United States, either. I've worked on projects before where I had to gather Canadian data, and the government of Canada offers a terrific network of sites teeming with specific, easy-to-find information on anything and everything you can think of.

What government sources, resources, and sites do you find most helpful? Please share!

Freelance Resource Monday: Grammar and Usage Gurus

Grammar is incredibly important for any professional writer (or anyone who communicates, for that matter). Even copy editors and proofreaders occasionally are faced with grammar conundrums or need to brush up on the basics (a fact I personally can attest to).

For these reasons, it's always good to have a set of resources on hand to help you work around a tricky sentence construction or confirm that the way you hope to use a word or phrase is correct. Here are some of my favorites:

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary 11th Edition: It seems obvious, but it's worth reminding you: When it comes to usage questions, one of the easiest places to look up a word and determine its proper use is in the dictionary.
  
  
• The Elements of Style: This classic by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White clearly lays out the fundamentals. I reference it often, but even if you don't, it's worth having in your library.
  
  
• Style Guides: Depending on what you're writing for, referencing the appropriate style guide—whether it's Chicago, APA, MLA, or AP—is a smart place to look for grammar and usage guidelines that vary from style to style.
  
  
• The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Originally designed for student writers, this website also holds a wealth of information for pros who are stuck on a grammar or usage question. The newly updated site even includes a selection of resources for professional writers (although it's more for professionals who write in their jobs—aka workplace writers—than it is for pro writers).
  
  
• Grammar Girl: Grammar Girl provides podcasts and daily emails with short, friendly tips to improve your writing. Sign up for one or the other (or both!) to get a daily dose of grammar and usage, or search the archives to find pointers on a specific topic.

What resources do you turn to first when you're on the hunt for a grammar or usage answer? Share here!

Freelance Resource Monday: Your Turn

In the past seven weeks, I've shared some of the freelance resources I find helpful.

Now it's your turn: What resources (online, in print, in person, you name it) are must-haves in your book? Leave a comment, shoot me an email, or send me a DM on Twitter (@julietries) to let me know and I'll start sharing readers' favored freelance resources next Monday.

In the meantime, happy writing, marketing, editing, and whatever else you're up to today!

Freelance Resource Monday: Seeking Expert Sources

Odds are, if you've written many freelance articles, at some point in your life you've gotten to the point where you just can't find the right source. Or you think you've found the right source, but you don't hear back from them and don't they know you're on deadline?

When you are in a crunch and need a source ASAP there are a number of resources you can rely on to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

Three to try:

HARO: If you're looking for sources, all you do is fill out a simple form on the Help a Reporter Out website. You explain who you are, what sort of source you're looking for, and what your deadline is, and your request goes out in an email digest with other requests to anyone who has signed up for the free service. Then, anyone who thinks they can help will get in touch and voila! you're off and running.

Bridge to Science: This relatively new service connects writers, reporters, and bloggers with researchers, scientists, and other experts—many of whom are from universities and research institutions including Harvard, Yale, Standford, and more. As with HARO, all you do is fill out a request a source form and your information is sent out in a daily email with other requests, so experts will contact you and pitch their take on the topic (for free).

ProfNet: According to its website, ProfNet is an online community of nearly 27,000 corporate, university, and other communicators—in other words, it offers a whole lot of potential expert sources to any writer who's game. Once you register for an account, you can browse expert profiles or query for specific sources, and you can manage all of your responses right in your ProfNet account.

What other resources do you use for tracking down expert sources last-minute? Share here!

Freelance Resource Monday: Alltop

I thought about listing a terrific freelance writing blog for this week's Freelance Resource Monday. I mulled over which of the top blogs on the subject I might feature. Then I contemplated any number of lesser-known, but still incredibly helpful, options too. But I just couldn't decide. So I picked Alltop.


If that makes it sound like Alltop was a fallback, a desperate pick when I couldn't choose among the best, it's not meant to come off that way. It's just that if you want to stay up-to-date with news and blog posts on a specific subject, Alltop is your ultimate resource. So when I couldn't pick one freelancing blog, I decided to point you to a source where you can look at a whole bunch of them at once.

That's because, as the name implies, Alltop features all the top stories (or all topics, all the time, as the tagline goes).

Essentially, it works like this: The folks at Alltop collect the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs on a given topic. These collections (called "aggregations") are then posted on individual web pages sorted by topic, so you can view the five most recent headlines from each source (as well as their first paragraph if you leave your cursor on the headline).

The folks at Alltop liken their (free) service to an "online magazine rack." In other words, it provides an accessible way to get informed, to read about subjects that interest you, and—here's the real value for freelancers—to mine certain subject areas for potential story ideas you can pitch.

If you're still not sure about Alltop, there's no time like now to explore. You can search for subjects by category or alphabetically. As a freelancer, you might be interested in small business, writing, technical writing, and, of course, freelance. Hoping to find some ideas for a pet publication? Try pets. Looking for fitness ideas? There's yoga, fitness, and more. Heck, there's even a category just about Wal-Mart.

Create an account at Alltop to make a personal collection of the blogs and websites you want to keep up with daily. Or just view the personal Alltop pages of a slew sort-of famous and famous folks (including a ton of terrific bloggers and writers). You're bound to find something there that's fodder for your writer's mind.

Freelance Resource Monday: Newswise

Magazines are great sources for story ideas. So are newspapers. And blogs. And everyday life experiences. But sometimes it helps to have a little extra information, to have ideas coming in straight from the mouth of researchers, academic institutions, and other trustworthy sources.

That's why I registered for Newswise a few years ago and regularly rely on its website and newsletters for story ideas. And that's why Newswise is this week's freelance resource.

Newswise maintains a massive database of current news, searchable archives, and subscription wire services to help you stay on top of research-based news. I often use its search function to find information on a specific topic. And, a couple of times a week, I receive email newsletters that fill me in on the week's highlights in categories such as science, medicine, lifestyle, green living, and more.

Perhaps best of all, the current news provided on Newswise come straight from press releases sent out by universities, colleges, laboratories, professional organizations, governmental agencies, and private research groups. Along with the basic info, you'll find contact information for sources, so you have everything you need to hit the ground running once you pitch your story idea and get assigned an article.

Freelance Resource Monday: Writer's Market

When I was in college, I used to spend hours at the bookstore leafing through a copy of the Writer's Market, on the hunt for listings for publications I wanted to write for. Now in its 88th edition, the Writer's Market is the ultimate resource for finding book publishers, agents, and paying markets for magazines, journals, and other fiction and nonfiction markets.

I don't bother going to the bookstore or lugging around a giant book when I need my Writer's Market fix anymore, however. I just go online to WritersMarket.com, this week's Julie Tries Writing freelance resource. For a one-year subscription of $39.99, you'll gain access to more than 6,000 market listing and contacts that are updated each day (so you can ensure you're not getting old info, which you always risk when purchasing the book). A search engine makes finding the market you're looking for easy, and you can even mark your favorites so they're easy to find later. A tracking program allows you to set reminders so you know when to follow up on manuscript submissions, too.

Another benefit of the Writer's Market website: access to industry news, agent Q&As, rate charts, and archives on writing advice from editors, agents, and writers in the know.

There are plenty of free sources of editorial information available online (or in the library), but if you're serious about seeking out specific sources to pitch stories to, joining WritersMarket.com may be worth it.

If you're not sure, start with a free 7-day trial. Or if you're in the middle of a marketing blitz, sign up for a $5.99/month subscription to get full access to the database for a quick dose of info.

Even if you don't sign up for the service, you can sign up for the free newsletter, which offers a preview of writing markets and writing inspiration.

Freelance Resource Monday: The Must-Have List

As a writer, what resources can't you live without?

For me, the must-have list includes:

Merriam-Webster Dictionary (11th edition)
The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition)
Strunk & White's Elements of Style
Google (or any search engine that gets me to the background information I'm looking for)

What did I miss?

Freelance Resource Monday: Mediabistro

When you're just starting out in the freelance writing world, you need help. Lots of it. You want to know what the heck a query is, where you're supposed to send it, what skills you need to have, how to market yourself, and a million more things. I hope to address many of these topics right here at Julie Tries Writing.

But until I do, you're in luck: there are a ton of fantastic resources—online, in print, you name it—to help you out. So I've decided that each Monday I'll share one of my favorite freelance writing resources with you, dear readers.

First up: Mediabistro.


It's a site dedicated to creative types who work with content, including editors, writers, graphic designers, book publishers, and more. You'll find the latest media news, blogs, jobs listings, and online and in-person writing courses and workshops. Plus you can create your own online freelance profile (for a fee) so employers can find you.

If you fork over $55 a year, you can become an AvantGuild member. Basically, it's an all-access pass to the Mediabistro site, including How to Pitch articles for your favorite pubs, professional resources lists, a mastheads database, an editorial calendar guide, salary surveys, discounts on eClasses and seminars, and more.

I regularly rely on How to Pitch articles and the mastheads database to get going with my queries. And I've even taken a Mediabistro class before (more on that soon).

There are a slew of other benefits too. As an AvantGuild member, you'll have access to health insurance discounts, financial planning and tax services discounts, dental savings, deals on books and magazine subscriptions, and more.

Now, I'll ask you: What freelance resources do you rely on? Share here!