Seven Ways to Fill Your Freelance Writing Beat Pipeline

If you are a writer, how do you find subjects for upcoming articles to fulfill your beat assignments, blog quotas or publishing queue? What do you do with those ideas, while you are preparing to write about them?

Try these seven ways to fill and file your freelance writing beat pipeline and streamline your composition process.

1. Plug in.

It's easy for freelance writers to become isolated, tapping out articles on home or office computers. Attending intriguing events, participating in exciting activities and circulating among dynamic people keeps us fresh.

Try to plug in, joining stimulating conversations and listening to discussions of hot topics. As a writer, you'll be amazed at the trending topics you'll discover.

Jot down notes when ideas strike, and file them for later.

2. Read plenty.

Writers are a curious bunch. Curiosity is the fuel that keeps us poking around for new topics on which to weave our words for publication.

Ask any writer. The more you read, the more story ideas you find circulating around in your head. Books, magazines, newspapers, blogs and even billboards can become fodder for future articles. Want to be a successful writer? Read everything you can!

3. Cut clips.

How much time do you spend on public transportation or in professionals' waiting rooms? Never park yourself anywhere without a newspaper, magazine or product catalog. Tear out the pages that spark brainstorming for future writing.

Obviously, you won't plagiarize someone else's material. But you might find a germ of an idea. Or you might pick up a key quote or a set of statistics that you could link back to the original publication in an upcoming article.

4. Snap photos.

A cellular phone can be a freelance writer's best friend. This handy helper is not just for chatting, texting or taking family pictures.

On-the-spot photos are ideal for publishing with news items or features.

A handy camera phone can also capture writing concepts. You may not want to tear pages from a borrowed book or magazine, but you can snap a photo of a key page to revisit later. Don't risk copyright infringement by publishing these. Just jog your memory before deleting them. I cannot tell you how many notices, charts, business cards, posted calendars or web addresses I have photographed for future follow-up.

5. Tape quotes.

If your cell phone has audio recording capabilities, you can grab a few sound bites from a source to use for publication. Just be sure you mention on the recording (and in the source's presence) that you are taping the conversation.

6. Pick up paperwork.

Educational pamphlets and professional brochures are super story starters, as long as you source them bibliographically. I've picked up free paperwork at trade shows, in veterinary clinics, at pediatricians' offices and in stores.

7. Keep files.

A wealth of clippings and concepts are worthless, of course, unless you can find them when it's time to write those beat articles.

My own system is simple and twofold.

I keep an accordion file with monthly tabs for one column I do, in which I must file stories on upcoming events.

For feature stories and topical beats, I have a several folders to hold notes for possible articles. I store these in a staggered letter holder atop my desk, so I can grab the appropriate one for each subject area when I need it. My own collections include finance, health, holidays, parenting, pets and more.

Keep your writing concept pipeline filled and filed.

A freelance writer never punches out. Instead, we keep our eyes and ears open all the time for story ideas and sourcing materials.

Here's a great guideline for freelance writers. If people are reading it or asking about it, it's likely to be a super topic for an article or blog post.

Sources:

Personal professional experience

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Linda Ann Nickerson brings decades of reporting and a globally minded Midwestern perspective to a host of topics, balancing human interest with history, hard facts and often humor.