Cardoza, Monica McCabe. You Can Write a Column. Cincinnati, OH: Writer’s Digest Books, 2000.
Cardoza offers no false hope for aspiring columnist. Writing a good column, repeatedly, is hard work. Selling a column, and making a living at it, is very hard work. You may have reasons to write a column, and work to get it in print, even if you don’t intend to make money directly from it.
You Can Write a Column is a short book of practical advice. It covers the how to of both writing and selling columns.
Though writing a good column can be difficult, if you have a lot of enthusiasm for your subject and appropriate knowledge of it, column writing could be a lot of fun. If you have a compelling perspective, a strong voice and credentials of the practical sort, you may also have the making of a successful column.
Cardoza points out that many columnists write for reasons other than making money from it. They may wish to express their opinions, build their professional reputations, see their names in the paper or make a living from parallel efforts.
Even so, selling and writing seem to never be far separated. Selling a column starts with writing the kind of column that well sell. Writing starts with and idea of the kind column you want to write refined with an understanding of the potential market for it.
Cardoza presents practical advice in all these areas. The book includes a few exercises, particularly in those chapters relating to developing the column. The exercises don’t constitute a step-by-step process to creating a successful column. Cardoza points out that if such a process existed, newspaper editors would be using it.
There is a lot in this little book for readers with realistic expectations. You won’t reduce your work by reading book. However, the clear direction, sharper ideas and useful information you may gain can make your work much more effective.
If your interested in this book, you may also be interested in You Can Write for Magazines by Greg Daugherty.
No comments:
Post a Comment