MANILA, Philippines — In an age when words are everywhere, when anyone with an Internet connection and a social media account can publish ideas, it is easy to believe that writing is a piece of cake. However, the harsh reality is that the ubiquity of words, ideas, and publishing platforms has made it even more challenging to stand out from the above the clutter, making it imperative for aspiring writers to develop other skills that will give them the edge with editors and publishers.

Here, we will share with you 10 of the most important (non-writing) skills that every aspiring writer needs in order to catch an editor’s eye, get published, and break into freelance writing.

1. Develop a nose for stories. There are many ways to write a feature article, just as there are many ways—as the saying goes—to skin a cat. Good writers are those who can find unique angles even to hyper-saturated stories (e.g., summer travel in Boracay) and create content that has not yet been written about.

2. Ask incisive questions that get great answers (and soundbites). At the heart of a great story is a great interview that produces great soundbites (otherwise known as quotable quotes). Whether you are writing about a restaurant, a summer getaway, or an event, you will need an interview that adds depth or a human element to a story. The better your interview is, the more potential angles you will have, and the meatier your story becomes.

3. Be a good reporter. The telltale signs of bad writing (or a bad attitude toward writing) is sloppy reporting—that is, failing to take notes, being lazy about doing additional research, using Wikipedia as a source (¡Que horror!), and relying solely on opinion or hearsay. Even when writing lifestyle features, you will always need facts and background information to make your story more accurate and more relevant. The less of these you have, the fluffier your piece becomes.

4. Write pieces that readers will love (and that will help publications sell, or get clicked). It is one thing to “write” and string sentences together, it is another to properly inform, inspire, encourage, and empower readers. Remember that at the heart of every magazine or newspaper is a publisher that needs to make money, and the more your content is a hit with readers (and advertisers), the more chances you’ll have of earning future assignments.

5. Stick to deadlines. It takes a lot of steps for a submitted piece to make it to print, and each of those steps has a timeline. Failing to meet deadlines compromises every other step of the publishing process, ensuring that your editors will remember you enough to not assign you anything in the near future. Many editors have said this over again: sometimes, they would rather get an average but reliable writer over a great but forever-late writer, if only to spare themselves the headache of running after deadlines.

6. Take photos that tell stories — and write good captions. Not all publications will be able to assign you a photographer to cover events or other features. So, to really stand out from the writing pack, develop your photography skills, learn to take photos that tell stories, and make sure to submit the appropriate captions when submitting your photos. One of the things that editors hate is having to worry about substandard images—or who is who in the photos that you submitted.

7. Learn how to fact-check. Editors don’t take all the information they receive at face value, and neither should you. When writing a feature that is heavy on data and other detailed pieces of information, fact-check and cross-reference quotes or online sources with other sources of data. This includes fact-checking for the spellings of names and places, designations, accents, and other vital details. Make this step easy for your editor and they’ll make it easy for you to see your name in print.

8. Abide by the rules of grammar, style, and journalism. Good grammar never, ever goes out of style. No matter how many press passes you are capable of scoring from your friends in PR, if you can’t get a handle on your subject-verb agreement, know the difference between “it’s” and “its”, or properly compose a paragraph, you will have difficulty getting work as a writer. Even if you hadn’t been trained for journalism, if you really want to make it as a credible writer, you will find time to sharpen your skills.

9. Know how to schmooze and work a room. Writing isn’t just about sitting in front of a computer and churning out words and ideas. Often, editors will also need writers who can work a room, turn on the charm, and get a difficult subject (like a celebrity or the CEO of a company, for instance) to warm up to them and dish out important information. Aside from writing well, you will also know how to initiate or moderate a conversation, and make people around you feel comfortable. So, brush up on those social skills!

10. Be ethical. Aside from good grammar, the only other thing that will never, ever go out of style is good ol’ ethics. Plagiarism will never be acceptable, as will bribing someone to give you information (or to get your piece published).
You should also never take credit for work that isn’t yours (including quotes, photos, data, and so on), submit material that has already been published (even just in your blog), or “two-time” between a publication and a subject (who turns out to be your PR client).

These and other valuable lessons will be tackled in Writer’s Block Philippines’ upcoming workshop, FEATURE WRITING 101, which runs on July 2 (Saturday), from 10AM to 6PM. It will be held at Quantum Café, FERON Building, 9590 Kamagong cor. Bagtikan St., Makati City. Workshop fee is P2500, inclusive of lunch, snacks, and workshop kit. Bona fide members of Writer’s Block Philippines get a 10% discount on the workshop fee.

The workshop will be followed by a networking night with Palanca Award-winner and published author Tweet Sering (author of Wander Girl and Astigirl), from 6 to 10PM, also at Quantum Café. Entrance to this event (inclusive of a drink) is P150 for members of Writer’s Block Philippines, and P250 for non-members. Participants to FEATURE WRITING 101 automatically get in for free.

For inquiries or reservations, please call 0927.850.8280. Limited slots available. Log on to <www.writersblockphilippines.com> to view the Feature Writing 101 course outline.