Back to basics – and it paid off!

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

In the past I have always advised new writers to hone their skill by writing letters to the editor. It helps to focus on the topic, to cut out unnecessary words and to ‘know your audience’ i.e. the type of letter the magazine or newspaper tends to publish (often in praise of itself ).

Over the years I have had the ‘winning letter’ in various magazines and even won an expensive Mont Blanc pen, so I decided to give it another go with a popular magazine – and won R400.
Hmm, maybe I should return to letter writing   

[elleoco]

Congratulations! That's great.

[littleauthor]

Congratulations! And that is good advice. I used to write for a paper, churning out copy that had to fit a prescribed word count. Great experience.

[LilyBLily]

Congratulations! It's always nice to know you still have the chops.

[Vijaya]

Congratulations Jan!!! I'm a magazine evangelist too

[Hopscotch]

Glad to hear at least one of us is making money w/her pen! 

[Bill Hiatt]

Congratulations! That does indeed sound like good writing exercise.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Sometimes it does help to take your own advice  .
This month I made more money from that one short 130 word letter than I did from all my books 

[She-la-te-da]

Writing for magazines or newspapers can certainly help in learning how to make the most of a small number of words. It's good practice for learning how to focus on the important stuff, too. I know it helped me a lot, and then when I went on to be editor and main writer for a company newsletter.

I naturally tend to write "lean" anyway, but knowing what to leave out and what must be included is a good skill.

And congrats on earning from your letter! It's awesome.

[Tony 63]

I have had a fistful of letters to the editor published, but the only money I've made so far from a letter is one I edited for another scribe. How could I make money from a letter of my own like you did, Jan?

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I have had a fistful of letters to the editor published, but the only money I've made so far from a letter is one I edited for another scribe. How could I make money from a letter of my own like you did, Jan?

Check out the magazines that pay (or give a prize for)  'winning letters'. Read all the previous winning letters to see what subjects they prefer. It's often in praise of an article the magazine has published.  Make the letter as succinct as possible.
Good luck.

[LilyBLily]

When I first wrote letters to magazine editors, I typed them on postcards. That forced me to be succinct. It also played into what the editors wanted, which were short comments. No money involved, but the joy of seeing my printed comment was immense.