Freelance Writing for Newspapers

No matter how many times I see my writing published, it never
stops being the best adrenaline rush ever.
Yesterday one of my articles appeared in a national newspaper.
No big deal, really: I mean, I am a freelance journalist, so
you'd think I'd be used to seeing my name in print by now. Not
so. Rather than waiting for a break in my workload and taking a
leisurely stroll to the newsagents to collect said paper, I
hot-footed in down there as soon as I was dressed, like a kid at
Christmas.
I had located the page with my by-line before I even reached the
checkout, and I really had to exercise enormous self-control not
to thrust the newspaper under the check-out assistant's nose and
say, "Look! That's me! That's my name! In the paper!" I
managed to restrain myself, and just did that to my fiancé
instead, but the fact remains: for a freelance writer, there's
no rush greater than publication.
So how do you do it?
Well, in my case, I do it mostly through contacts. I started out
as a staff reporter on the local paper, and I've kept up with
the people I met throughout my journalism career, whether they
be fellow reporters, editors, or the woman who used to empty the
rubbish bins at the end of the night. In this business you have
to do that. You have to keep in touch with people in the
industry, you have to make sure your name remains fresh in their
minds, you have to keep on plugging away at keeping that contact
book up to date, adding to it, and maintaining friendships. This
is a business that functions, to an extent, on "who you know"
rather than "what you know", and it doesn't hurt to keep that in
mind.
I also do it by being persistent. You need a thick skin to be a
freelance writer. You spend a lot of time being rejected, being
snubbed, and even being ignored. (Actually, I prefer being
ignored: it stings less!) You have to keep at it. Remember that
for every query you send to an editor, they probably received
one hundred others. You're up against a lot of competition, but
sometimes sheer persistence pays off. Remember, it was the
tortoise that won the race: keep chipping away at it, keep on
sending in those queries, know that it can only get easier.
Thirdly, I do it by being in the right place at the right time,
and what I mean by that is that anytime an editor contacts me
with a job, I jump at it, even it means staying up all night and
missing the next episode of "Lost". A little-known fact for you:
in newspaper journalism, excellent writing isn't the most
important quality to have. That's what sub-editors are there
for. What many editors are looking for are writers who will
respond instantly, file copy on time, get the facts right, and
get the story. Being always-on call may not be the most relaxing
way to live, but it's one way to make sure that the editor who
just commissioned you for one story will come back for more.