Getting my writing career back on track

The last couple of weeks were quiet ones over here on the blog – not because, I had writer’s block or because I didn’t have anything to write about, but because I was busy analysing magazines and newspapers, researching and generally getting my writing career back on track.

I have always loved writing and started to work as a freelance journalist at only 15 years, after finishing my internship at a local paper. I wrote about everything from local news to columns or ironic commentaries based on negative experiences that readers had with businesses. A little later, I started working for Germany’s Youth Media Association and got in touch with editors of Germany’s biggest publications. I organised seminars and congresses, I interviewed journalistic legends and was offered to write for the big names of German media long before even finishing school. I continued to write features on careers and education or submitted travel pieces whilst studying at university.

When I came to the UK, I even got the fancy title “UK correspondent” for one of the magazines I wrote for, but being abroad I got out of touch with people back in Germany and the topics that fill German magazines and newspapers. I submitted the occasional UK topic, but was more and more thinking about taking the plunge and pitching to UK magazines and papers – this was were I lived after all. During the last two weeks, I’ve been busy coming up with ideas for features and doing my homework, researching what sort of stories work for which publication and getting in touch with commissioning editors and other freelancers.

I have been able to get a couple of commissions and am still waiting to hear back from some mags and newspapers, but I am feeling much more confident about my writing career in the UK now that I’ve actually decided to go for it. If you want to keep up to date with the features I am writing or if you have a story to tell, join Media Request – my Facebook group that I update daily with requests from magazines and newspapers. (Excuse the shameless plug!)