How Do you 'Make' a Story Timely?

September 20, 2006 12:01 PM

How do you make an idea timely?

For you freelance writers out there, I wanted to know how you take a magazine/newspaper story idea of yours and make it timely. Do you investigate current events tie-ins and somehow smush the ideas together? Or wait to see if something arises that would make your idea more relevant?

Or, do you only pitch ideas based on timely issues? (To me this seems like it would be less likely to result in assignments, i.e. "Gee how can I turn Nicole Richie's skinniness into a story?" vs. "Hmm I have this article about eating disorders, maybe I can mention Nicole Richie since that's in the news.) Or maybe I'm wrong, maybe that IS the better way to go!

Anyway, just wondering if any writers out there have special little tricks on taking a good idea and making it irrisistable to editors looking for unique ideas on timely topics

posted by clairezulkey to Writing & Language (5 answers total)

It doesn't have to be a completely timely article, but it should have at least a timely tie in, much like you suggest above with the eating disorder article.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:16 PM on September 20, 2006

You know, I really hate "updated" columns. The reason the first of your two pitch methods is less likely to turn into a story is that it's harder to do; constructing a new and pointed idea around things just unfolding isn't quite as simple as padding whatever you have lying around with x major headline. Padding previous works with little bits of news reeks of "creative packaging" and it's usually so obvious! Occasionally there are times when a news story pops up and you make a connection, it's another step removed in proving your thesis or whatever, and in that case a rewrite isn't so corny.
posted by shownomercy at 1:41 PM on September 20, 2006

The use of quotes in your question (how do you 'make' a story timely) implies some sort of legerdemain. In reality, you 'make' a story timely by actually making it timely - by expanding it until it truly is timely.

A quick-and-dirty hypothetical: Let's say you've been working on a piece on MP3 players for several months, doing lots of deep research, trying to get someone to pick it up. If you were pitching it last week, you might make the announcement of the Zune's sharing feature your primary focus.

If you were pitching the story back in March, your primary focus might have been volume levels and the potential for hearing damage. Or something like that.

In either case, you'll need to expand the article (with new interviews and facts) to include the timely element.
posted by jbickers at 2:50 PM on September 20, 2006

I suggest typing faster.
posted by judge.mentok.the.mindtaker at 3:04 PM on September 20, 2006

Predict the future. Then start working. By the time you're almost done, it'll be perfectly timely.

I'm only being partially sarcastic. Being up on issues in a particular area *does* give you an idea of what's coming 'round the bend. Play into a bit of confirmation bias and voila!
posted by desuetude at 8:38 PM on September 20, 2006