Happy new year freelancers! I've got big plans for FC in 2016 so keep spreading the word and keep an eye out for a bigger, better website! In the meantime, here's the latest from Upworthy.
Cheers,
Mia
Mia
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Hi Upworthy freelancers,
Happy 2016!
As per usual, we'd like to call out some of our most viewed and most shared stories from December 2015:
1. This is how a lifetime of potentially dangerous situations affects every woman, by Gretchen Kelly
2. If the holidays are hard for you, doing these 4 things could really help, by Tim Lawrence
3. A #700 tip? This pizza delivery driver got it just when he needed it most, by Jared Jones
4. What happened when this kid wore a dress to his grandma's funeral, by Lori Duron
5. A Muslim-American mother explains what it's like to talk to her kids about terrorism, by Saadia Faruuqi
Cheers to these pieces! Awesome work, and a great spread of topics and writing.
We also have 3 other reminders for you this month:
1. Our freelance program manager is out for two weeks in January, so we'll be a bit delayed in responding to pitches and emails. Expect responses from us during the week of January 18th, and please know that we're doing our best to get through pitches and questions quickly.
2. We're now using a Google Form to collect your pitches (instead of email). So it would be great if you could submit your story ideas using that form from now on. Questions can still be directed to pitches@upworthy.com!
3. Our fearless leader, Amy O'Leary, wrote a great year-end round up about what we've been up to at Upworthy in 2015, and we hope you'll read it here.
But we also hope you'll take note of how she pitched 3 stories in that blog. Each is 2-4 sentences, and a perfect elevator pitch. When we ask you to summarize your story in that pitch form, this is what we want: the characters, the conflict, the surprise, and the meaning… all wrapped up in a few short sentences.
This is tough work, but when we see pitches like this, we celebrate
… and then we pick them up right away.
One last thing: We're always looking for stories not topics. Climate change is a topic. Gun control is a topic. A story, on the other hand, has characters, drama, great photos, surprising details, and a narrative arc. Check out our pitching packet to be reminded of this!
We look forward to hearing from you this month!
All of the best,
The Upworthy Freelance Team
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