Are freelancers limited to writing puff pieces and travel articles?

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The definitive answer to this question is, ‘Absolutely not'.

Whilst it's perfectly acceptable to make a living from writing light-hearted pieces and travel stories, the beauty of being a freelancer is that you are not limited to any particular genre or style of story.

My own freelance work is testament to this. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is, in fact, penning travel features. However, I also regularly immerse myself in the complexities of Australia’s medical-political system in pursuit of more in-depth, investigative stories.

It is the independence of freelancers that makes them highly suited to investigative reporting, says Wendy Bacon, director of the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism.

“Can you be an investigative journalist as a freelancer? Absolutely, you can,” Wendy says. “(Freelancers) are less focused on meeting the editor’s immediate needs for stories to publish, and are trying to do something that will really make a mark."

Other considerations

However, there are some factors to consider before taking that leap into the world of whistleblowers, corporate investigations and unnamed sources.

Firstly, investigative journalism can be very expensive and time-intensive. “You are paying for time, because you can’t do it quickly,” Wendy explains. “You’re paying for travel, title searches, company searches, all those sorts of things that make it a more expensive form of journalism. Then, of course, you are trying to get paid at the end of it to cover some of those expenses.”

Secondly, having the support of a publication that is prepared to publish your finished work can make funding the task, as well as getting interviews, easier. The key to securing a publication’s commitment to your work, therefore, is to conduct enough research so that you have a solid foundation for the story that you can pitch to editors.

Regardless of whether you want to write light-hearted pieces or investigative articles, Ms Bacon’s advice is the same: “You only build confidence by doing it".

I agree. Most freelancers will admit to having had feelings of apprehension and a lack of faith in themselves (and in editors’ preparedness to publish them) at the outset of their careers. The key to overcoming this is to simply start; start digging for good stories, start interviewing experts, start writing.

Start building your skills and confidence one step at a time.

To contact the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism at the University of Technology, Sydney, log on to http://www.acij.uts.edu.au/

For more information about Pamela Wilson or Writesmart, log on to http://www.writesmart.com.au/