Three Pretty Portfolios of Magazine Writers

It's the sincerest form of flattery, right? I figured when I began writing for magazines that the portfolios of established writers offer fantastic guidance in what and where to pitch first, as well as options for your future career path.

Here's three portfolios that have inspired me from the start...

Rachel Hills' portfolio

I met Rachel online when I started this blog and interviewed her about her career. I admire not only Rachel's giving nature, but also her ability to incorporate both substance and style in her work. Her writing proves women's mags are about more than blow job quizzes and tampon ads and that you can have a strongly political standpoint and still succeed in mainstream magazines.





She's written for:

• Magazines: CLEO, Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Yen
• Newspapers: The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
• Web sites: Jezebel, ABC Unleashed and NewMatilda.com

 Sarah Ayoub's portfolio

I think of Sarah pretty much as the next Martha Stewart/Ita Buttrose/Maggie Alderson. She runs women's lifestyle website, Chasing Aphrodite, is a PhD student on gang culture, comments in the media on various issues, and finds time to freelance in between. Along the way, I interviewed her here at Becks and the City. Oh, and she's super-helpful as well!






She's written for:

• Magazines: CLEO, Frankie, Girlfriend and Shop Til You Drop
• Web sites: ABC Unleashed and The Punch

Laura Greaves' portfolio

Laura's the editor of Dogs Life magazine, which means she's had the thankless task of editing an article or two of mine in recent issues! I first contacted her for an interview on my blog and she couldn't have been more gracious in the process. Laura's background is in health magazines and her portfolio's inspired me in writing for Women's Health & Fitness magazine.






She's written for:

• Magazines: Good Health, Weight Watchers, Marie Claire, Grazia, Woman's Day and Madison

Have you career-stalked any of your idols online?

Magazine Guide #24: Diabetic Living

Publication: Diabetic Living
How Often Does It Come Out: Six issues a year
Distribution: National

Contributors vs Staff Writers: Difficult to work out due to the lack of bylines. The contributors page seems to indicate an even spread, but several contributors are experts (dieticians, doctors etc) as well as writers.

Target Audience:
Age: 25+
Gender: Male and female.
Interests: Various aspects of living with diabetes such as exercise, food, lifestyle, weight and wellbeing.

Topics and Themes:
Articles include "Why Sexual Healing Can Save Your Life", "10 Good Things About Having Diabetes", "Play Your Social Cards Right" and "Happy Feet". Topics help readers with different aspects of life with diabetes at various ages and catering to all types of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, gestational, etc). Readers are offered advice to shed kilos, increase fitness, avoid diabetes complications, make healthy food choices, blend diabetes seamlessly into their lives and stay happy in their relationships.

Length of Features:
Previously 1,000-2,000 words, but now looking for more short, snappy articles under 1,000 words.

Tone and Style of Writing:
Lists, breakout boxes, subheadings and introductions up to 100 words are all popular. The mag also favours cut-out-and-keep guides, "good, better, best" comparisons and dot points with recommended actions (eg buy, eat, try, etc). The tone is positive and active, with common diabetes terms abbreviated (eg BGL = blood glucose level). Experts such as endocrinologists, exercise physiologists and diabetes educators are quoted in articles..

About How Many Features:
Apart from regular columns, first-person accounts, recipe pages and Q&As with experts, around 8 features.

I'm on the Contributors Page!

It's my first ever appearance on a contributors page, in the May/June issue of Diabetic Living magazine! : )

As you may have guessed, I added the hearts, just to look extra special. Here's a close-up of what I wrote for my blurb...

It only took me about 5 minutes to write. You may be able to tell. ; ) Oh, and if you want to check out the email I wrote to the mag to score this writing gig in the first place, here it is.

It really is a dream come true to be on a contributors page. I grew up reading this page first whenever I bought a magazine, hoping to glean insights into becoming a writer and working for the (ahem) glamorous world of glossies.

Do you ever read the contributors page (please say yes!)? Which page of your favourite mag do you flick to first?

Cath Kidston Magazine and Crafting

Who doesn't love a free magazine?

I found out from the gorgeous Victoria's Vintage blog that you can order Cath Kidston magazine for free online and just had to do it. Apparently there's a new edition every few months. Can't wait to receive my copy!

If you're not familiar with British designer Cath Kidston's look, picture floral crafty goodness in pinks, blues and reds. It's perfect if you're going for a bright vintage feel.

I've also been spending my time cutting out pretty magazine pics to use in gift wrapping. Here's one I decorated with a pic from Ray magazine. You may recognise the image I cut out and used below from my blog post here.

I wonder how many lovely free magazines are out there waiting to be discovered. I'm thinking I should go on a treasure hunt!

Cute Japanese Fashion Magazine!

On my trip to Malaysia last month, I only bought one magazine (some kind of record for me!). It was a title I'd never heard of before, Ray, the world's first Japanese fashion magazine in English...

The mag was just so lush to look at -- stunning doll-like models with wide doe eyes mascaraed up to the hilt and the pages adorned with tiny keys, bows, flowers and lovehearts.

The fashion was also amazing in that very innocent-sexy mix Japanese girls do so well. Lots of ribbons, polka-dots, check prints and ladylike hats.

Ray would definitely be useful for recycling the pages for gift tags, wrap and greeting cards. If you can bear to cut up a magazine this pretty, that is!

It was also a great read and although the translation was very good, there were spots of Engrish here and there that made me giggle.

There were some nice hair and beauty tips that you wouldn't get in your usual Western magazine, like painting on your blush in a heart shape (I tried this and it looked lovely!). Some of the advice was a bit bogus though (eating tomatoes makes your skin white? Really???).

But then, I didn't really buy it for the articles.

Smitten.

Are you with me on digging Japanese style? Have you ever bought any Japanese magazines?

Vintage and Burlesque Magazines

As soon as I heard Burlesque Bible and Vintage Life magazine existed, I had to have them!!!

Luckily issues of both were available in a city newsagency, so I scooped them up in the one shopping trip and gleefully carted them home.

I definitely wasn't disappointed. Vintage Life is actually just bigger than A5 size and full of home, hair, beauty, old-fashioned cooking and crafty how-tos, gift ideas and vintage fashion. The features included instructions on how to make beautiful sugarpaste roses to top your cupcakes and a retro-style cocktail bar.

So cute! I am definitely in love.

I may have to subscribe.. and order back issues. : )

Burlesque Bible is also a very purdy magazine. It focusses on profiles of current burlesque starlets and pin-ups of bygone eras, beauty how-tos and what burlesque means to different people and in different countries. This is only the second issue, and it's already such a promising mag, so I'm sure it will continue to grow in popularity.

Two sexy-gloved thumbs up! I'm all fired up to see the burlesque competition finals show I've booked with Mr Big this weekend... and have many outfit ideas. : )

Which magazines should I try reading next time?

Have you made any new discoveries?

What Magazines Do to P*ss Me Off

While I'm a total mag hag and can't devour enough glossies, occasionally they get on my bad side. Here's how (warning: my swear bear rating is high-extreme today)...

1.   "Hot or Not" Galleries:
Gossip rags can't get enough of overanalysing and then cattily commenting on celebrity red carpet outfits. Lampooning a person's look, no matter how famous they are, is vicious and demeaning. Stop it.

2.   Fat Roll-ercoaster:
Declaring a starlet is fat because she gained a couple of kilos, then decrying her as anorexic in the next issue when she loses weight is so not cool. Tiresome and unimaginative.

3.   Word Abuse:
I can't stand the gross overuse of terms like "fashionista", "must-have", and my particular peeve, "eclectic". I know I'm guilty of repetition as well -- I use "love" every other sentence -- but I figure what better word to have on high rotation?

4.   Badvertising:
I get it. Mags need to make money to survive. I just wish they would occasionally take $$ from companies with better environmental, animal rights and sweat shop labour records. You know, for a refreshing change.

5.   The Yearly Body Image Issue:
While I applaud your commitment to representing women of all shapes and levels of fleshiness, it's not really a "commitment" if you dare to be different only one month of the year now, is it? How about throwing some plus-size models into your fashion stories every issue without all the fanfare and self-congratulation and see if anyone complains or even notices their hideous curves and lack of protruding collarbones? I double dare you.

6.   Steal Appeal:
I'm sorry, but an $800 skirt is only a "steal" if you're Winona Ryder and actually theft it out of Saks Fifth Avenue. Take your bullsh*t marketing spin elsewhere. It may be lovingly hand-spun by Tibetan chipmunks from the silky testicle hairs of the rare golden bullfrog, but it's STILL... JUST... A... SKIRT!!! F*ck off, I'm not buying.

Okay, enough negativity. Let's talk about those fine folks who get it right. They're my fave reads for a reason. : )

Here's why I love...

Peppermint:
Notably free from badvertising, this fashion mag features handmade, ethical finds without compromising on wow factor. It's the perfect read for wanna-be hippies who prefer the smell of Chanel No 5 to patchouli or incense (yuck!). If you haven't already, try one issue and I guarantee you'll be hooked!

Shop Til You Drop:
It's been criticised as a glorified catalogue, but Shop is fun, friendly and relatable. Forget $800 skirts, Shop will point you in the direction of variously-priced clothes and accessories, most of which your bank manager would approve. Regular column, "On the Plus Side" by Megan Moir Pardy, gives style advice from a curvy girl's perspective. Love.

Marie Claire:
Making it chic to give a sh*t about important issues like homelessness, global women's rights, war, racism and poverty, Marie Claire has weathered the highs and lows of magazine publishing industry for a reason -- its quality reportage. Mix that with ever-hot fashion that rises above petty outfit assassination and worrying about which star has lost 10 pounds and you have a winning fashion mag formula. Hooray!


Have I included your glossy gripes on the list? Which magazines have your vote for doing the right thing?

Crazy-Busy Week!

Here's another snapshot of the zine called Magazine Love I'm creating (view the first sneak peek here). I'll be beavering away on it in between my five separate jobs I'll be working this week -- yes that's right, FIVE!

Apart from the office temp job I've been doing the past two months on Thursdays and Fridays, I'll be a typist at a private boys' school on Monday and Tuesday, be taking minutes for an annual general meeting Tuesday night, writing an article for a health magazine and completing my first copywriting job. Phew! Oh, and did I mention I have either a dancing class, a party or other social engagement every night this week? Yikes. I'm really not that much of a social butterfly. I'm may have to mainline caffeine to survive.

As for my zine, I'm trying to create my fantasy booklet of everything magazine devotees like me will enjoy -- a quiz, recommendations for the best glossies you might not already read, movies about magazines and much, much more. I'd love to hear your suggestions -- you never know, they might just make it into the finished product. Actually, there's a really good chance they will. So suggest away!

I'll keep you posted on my hectic week. In between shots of espresso.

xx
Becks

Becks and the City Magazine Love Zine COMING SOON!

Hey, sorry for giving you the silent treatment since Friday. I've been working on a very special project...

Eagle-eyed Becks and the City followers will have noticed I've recently fallen hard for zines (handmade booklets of quirkiness) and posted my top picks in a Facebook gallery. They're just so likeable, kind of the cuter younger cousin of glossy magazines, and I've been busy constructing one all about their older relatives. : )

So here's a little sneak peek just for you!

You like?

Alannah Hill Challenge: Update # 8 and FINISHED!

Fireworks! Music! Partying! I've reached my goal of a whiz-bang writing portfolio of magazine articles to kickstart my freelance writing career!

I finally bought the lovely "Poor Little Fun Mum" Alannah Hill cardie pictured above for my reward. I heart it so much! You can't really see from the dodgy-quality photo I took on my iPhone (sorry!), but it's black with pink bows all over it and best of all, I bought it half price and fit into a size smaller than usual. Sweet! Also, because it's black, it'll go with so much of my wardrobe, but it's still quirky and cute enough to make me smile whenever I wear it. I'm so happy I treated myself to celebrate finishing this challenge. : )

When I started the challenge in January, I was all fresh and eager to succeed this year. I've now accumulated six glossy issues in my portfolio, and more on the way, but I'll be honest -- it's been a hard slog and not everything has turned out as expected along the way. This has been both bad and good...

The Bad:

• Being asked to write 'on spec' (with guarantee of publication) by SA Life and, more recently, Good Health and after writing 1,000 words or more each time, having those articles rejected. Grrrrr!!
• Receiving a "yes" from a magazine editor in March, saying she'd be in touch later in the year for their summer issue. When I followed up this week, I discovered she's resigned from that role and I was asked to re-send the pitch (ie back to square one). Double grrrr!!
• A famous brand of travel guides offering me a gig updating the outback SA section of their Australian book for a scarily low rate. By the time I paid for petrol, accommodation etc visiting all the restaurants, sites and hotels, I would've been earning next to nothing. When I sent a polite reply email clarifying the deal, I never heard from them again. Nice.

The Good:

• Learning that feature writing and short stints working as an office temp combine quite well -- you earn a tidy extra income and playing secretary temporarily doesn't interfere with your writing. Also, office work can be quite interesting if you're not at any one workplace long enough to be bored by your allocated tasks or annoyed by the office politics. Yay!
• I'm exploring the wonderful world of copywriting. I'd never really considered it before, but I've been approached by a business to do some blogging for them and I'm seriously looking forward to it -- I think it'd be fun. We're still finalising the details. More info will be revealed as it (hopefully) happens. ; )
• Other opportunities have taken me by surprise as well, such as competitions to be a magazine intern or paid fashion blogger, writing for smaller magazines on some very entertaining topics and being given a role as assistant editor for The Essential Guide to Twitter.
• Exchanging emails with a fellow Sydney Writers' Centre graduate who first wrote to me a couple of months ago. The info and support we've shared has been invaluable in keeping my spirits up and generating ideas.

So it's had a few twists, this Alannah Hill Challenge, but every time I wear this cardie, I'll be wrapped in how far I've come. Thanks to the editors, my email pen pal and the others who've helped me along the way. I couldn't have done it without you. : )

What's your dream job? How have you been working towards it lately?

The Secret Influence of Cosmo

Blogger and yummy mummy Latorsha shares her secret affair with Cosmo magazine in this guest post...

Latorsha is the blogger of Life is Hard, Laugh Anyway, a place where she tries to remain optimistic by any means necessary, mostly laughter. She especially loves connecting with new people. On Twitter you can follow her at @AnOptimisticMom or contact her at AnOptimisticMom@gmail.com

Cosmo isn’t just for the singles...

Let me tell you Cosmopolitan isn’t just for singles. I’ve been married for nine years and a couple of years ago I became obsessed, I mean interested, in Cosmo magazine. It became so that I would find myself stalking the magazine aisle for the newest issue.

Secretly, I didn’t want anyone to know I was reading this magazine. You’ve seen their feature articles talking about topics related to sex, naughty tricks, and secret hot spots.

Yes, I am a married woman, but somehow the articles seemed to help me spice up my own bedroom. I know you think married women know exactly what to do, but I confess sometimes you gotta change it up!

Some of the headings that I took interest in over the summer are below.

July 2011 issue: The Sexy Confidence Men Can’t Resist

Sometimes we get caught up in routine and stop displaying the things that made us attractive, such as our confidence. We get so settled and content. Showing confidence not only makes a woman feel irresistible to her man, but for me, I feel more sexy and desirable. So essentially it leads to double the pleasure.

August 2011 issue: His 6 Secret Sex Spots

Who doesn’t love getting the scoop? Why guess when you can get the information from men who know what they like? Sure, I know you probably are thinking I should just ask my husband. Well, sure I can do that and I have done that, however that leaves little surprise impact, don’t you think? Kind of like wrapping your own Christmas presents.

September 2011 issue: Guys Answer Your Sexiest Sex Questions

This article brings it all together with a question and answer session. Absolutely love it! Many times women have the same questions, so you already know you are getting the good stuff you’ve been wondering about.

What a great way to secretly gather information, right?

My husband has even made comments about how the magazine has me a little more…..well, ummm……. Just pick up a copy and see for yourself. I have already said too much.

Just know Cosmo isn’t just for singles.

I feel like Latorsha every time I pick up any of the celebrity gossip magazines like FAMOUS -- it's a guilty pleasure. Do you have a secret or not-so-secret relationship with a glossy? Do tell...

Magazine Guide #23: The Knot

Publication: The Knot
How Often Does It Come Out: Twice a year
Distribution: National

Contributors vs Staff Writers:
This is only the second Aussie print edition of The Knot, although the online version (http://www.theknot.com.au/) has been going for several years. I understand the website also pays freelancers for online articles. The substantial list of contributors in the masthead includes hair and makeup artists, photographers etc, so actual casual writing gigs with the glossy may be less than first appears the case. I'd say a decent chance of a freelance writing assignment between the website and the paper magazine though. Pitch away!

Target Audience:
Age: 25-35.
Gender: Female.
Interests: All aspects of weddings -- planning, fashion, beauty, stationery, honeymoons, etc.

Topics and Themes:
Articles include "Spa Treatments You Must Try", "The New Registry Rules", "How to Brand Your Wedding" and "The Other Parties Primer". Etiquette and chic, creative ideas seem to be the mainstay themes. See the website as well for further story topics.

Length of Features:
Around 1,000 words. Longer for travel pieces -- up to 2,000 words.

Tone and Style of Writing:
The Knot caters to various price points in the products it showcases, mixing Royal Doulton with cheap-but-chic options (eg the "30 Bomboniere Ideas Under $5" feature). This approach gives the magazine an "everywoman" feel. It is also highly visual, focusing on creating beautiful wedding eye candy. Big blocks of text are avoided to give a more appealing design, with breakout boxes, sub-headings and lists of bridal tips all heavily favoured. This can probably be attributed to the magazine's online heritage, as can the very practical, helpful style of its writing (give brides concrete details of products and services, eg price, supplier's website, phone number, what to ask for, etc).

About How Many Features:
Ten normal features, plus eight real wedding stories, two real honeymoon experiences and an "Ultimate Planning Guide" special.

Magazine Guide #22: Good Health

Publication: Good Health
How Often Does It Come Out: Monthly
Distribution: National

Contributors vs Staff Writers: Mostly freelancers, sometimes authoring more than one piece per issue.

Target Audience:
Age: 25-54.
Gender: Female.
Interests: Health, wellbeing, food, fitness, beauty and fashion.

Topics and Themes:
Sections include Mind + Body, Eat Smart, Good Look, Wellbeing and Regulars (letters, cooking, food news, beauty news, travel, ask our experts, stars etc). Here's a snapshot of article titles: "Love Your Body", "My Life Without Kids", "How to Tell If Your Teen Is Lying", "Modern-day Mystics" and "Acupressure: Is It For You?". Topics are predominantly creative, but mainstream, with some interest in alternative therapies.

Length of Features:
Typically 1,000-1,500 words.

Tone and Style of Writing:
Lists and/or sub-headings are used almost everywhere. One or two articles contain case studies, but most are how-to and provide recommendations, indicators, take-away wisdoms, solutions or similar. Breakout boxes also get a workout, while the language used is practical, firendly and matter-of-fact. Statistics, reports and experts are used, but the magazine is careful not to bombard the reader.

About How Many Features:
I counted 22.

Magazine Guide #21: QANTAS - The Australian Way

Publication: QANTAS - The Australian Way
How Often Does It Come Out: Monthly
Distribution: Australian in-flight magazine in QANTAS planes travelling regionally, interstate and internationally.

Contributors vs Staff Writers: Good news! It's predominantly freelance contributors writing the articles.

Target Audience:
Age: Professionals aged 29-45.
Gender: Male and female.
Interests: News, travel, culture, food, wine, people, arts and business.

Topics and Themes:
The magazines' content is divided into the following departments: Upfront, Travel News, Recharge, Talkabout (eg Louis Vuitton luggage, rugby, motoring, technology and books), Food & Wine, Diary (art, music and festivals) and Games (crossword, sudoku, quiz etc). Articles include short Q&A-style interviews with Masterchef judge, Matt Preston, and a prima ballerina, pieces on the Blue Mountains and France's cycling tours in time for the Tour de France and an examination of New York stationers.

Length of Features:
Around 750-2,000 words. Shorter snippets and Q&A interviews are as little as 300 words.

Tone and Style of Writing:
The audience here is mostly business travellers and the well-to-do (advertisements are for diamond rings, Volvos, wines, cameras, credit cards, banks, mobile phones, RM Williams clothing, etc). Titles are short and matter-of-fact (eg "Strait From The Heart" and "On the Road"). The language used is intelligent, but still accessible, and the writer is kept firmly in the background (no "I" or "we" is used). Some articles have lists, sub-headings and break-out boxes, the latter mostly for hotel and siteseeing information for destinations and case studies of brands in business articles. Most features have standfirsts of around 50 words.

About How Many Features:
Ten articles and five snippets.

Alannah Hill Challenge: Update #7

Yes, I'm still on my quest to accumulate a decent writing portfolio. When I'm satisfied with it, I've promised myself a lovely Alannah Hill shopping trip for a frilly cardigan. (See previous updates on this challenge.)

Well, we're at the halfway point of my 12 months of freelancing. I can return to my government job at the end of this year if writing doesn't work out and it's great to have this safety net. I'm thinking I may be mooning my old boss on my way out the door permanently in December, but I still have to prove to myself that writing can earn me full-time money. At the moment, I'm using office temping as a financial crutch, which is working out well, but eventually the plan is to be earning 100% of my income from writing. It ain't as easy as it sounds. : )

I've been doing the office temping for two months now, and I gotta say, it's surprisingly fun. I think of myself as a guerrilla office girl, a kind of mercenary secretary-for-hire, waging war on the crappy 9-5 drudgery. If my short-term gigs are pleasurable, then great, if not, then what-the-hey, I'll only be there for a few days before I move on. It's the perfect set-up for career commitment-phobes like me.

As far as the writing portfolio goes, I can almost feel that new, deliciously overdone AH cardigan wrapped around me! It now displays five magazines (admittedly there's two issues of eBay Life, but hey, that still counts!). A couple more will do it -- preferably with at least one more newly-cracked publication. Happily, I've got another article in the works for Women's Health & Fitness coming to contribute to the cause.

Oh, and did you happen to catch that not only did I write for The Essential Guide to Twitter, I scored the role of assistant editor? Hells yeah, I was rather chuffed with that effort. The actual act of editing other writers' work? Not so much (there were grammar mistakes, repetition, scary turns-of-phrase -- the works!). It's certainly a boost to my writing cred though. Bonza!

Hopefully the next Alannah Hill Challenge post will be my last and I'll need your help to pick my brand-new, brand-name cardie once I've reached my portfolio goal. Good times!

Claire Halliday's Feature in "Madison" Magazine

Cracking open the July 2011 issue of Madison magazine, what did I spy? Veteran magazine writer and all-round nice gal, Claire Halliday, is in the list of contributors.

When I interviewed Claire for Becks and the City late last year (read the post here), she shared how she didn't know what she wanted to do straight out of high school and got her big break on an article about crime scene cleaners.

Well, she's now completed two books and written for the likes of Girlfriend, Women's Weekly, Marie Claire, and Madison, including this article, "Is the Home Ownership Dream Dead?".

Head to page 76 of this month's mag to read it. Given I've been on several sides of the housing affordability debate (unable to afford a home, working in a housing area of government and now paying off a mortgage), I'm glad Claire's brought this important issue to light.

Fabulous and thought-provoking all at once. I'd love to write this type of article.

"Marie Claire" Magazine Does Burlesque!

My burlesque teacher is in Marie Claire magazine!

I was just a tad excited by this. Flip to page 24 of the June 2011 issue, and you'll find the photo feature, "Exotic Birds: The Burlesque Queens of the Suburbs". It's all about the Clark Kent-like double lives of burlesque stars -- yummy mummies, office workers and nerdy science students by day, and all sparkly and glammed up by night.

It's an intriguing, colourful feature and best of all, the very last pic is of my Monday night dance teacher, the gorgeous Luna Eclipse. Go Luna!

I've migrated back to Marie Claire after a few years' hiatus and am glad to report, it's even better than I remembered, so the rest of the magazine is well worth a look too. Get into it...

And no, you won't be seeing me in nipple pasties any time soon (collective sigh of relief!).

Alannah Hill Challenge: Update #6

The Mission: To amass an impressive magazine writing portfolio and win the Alannah Hill Challenge.
The Reward: Buying myself a pretty cardie from the Alannah Hill collection.
Last Known Status: Living the pauper lifestyle, despiting landing a decent swag of writing assignments.

So what's the current status of my challenge?

Thankfully, I'm much more cashed up, due to applying to temping agencies and scoring two office jobs from them. The first was at a law firm dealing in patents and trademarks for two weeks and the other a two-day stint at a wine industry organisation. I'm eager to keep temping to top up my writing income, as long as I can find the right balance and it doesn't interfere with writing time. I'm also expecting to be paid for several articles in the next two months, so hooray for the money rolling in!

My Women's Health & Fitness article, "Being Left-handed," was published two weeks ago. I returned from buying the magazine on my lunch break and couldn't resist showing my supervisor at the law firm, who photocopied the article and pinned it to the noticeboard. It was like a proud mum sticking a kid's drawing on the fridge! Very cute.

I'm now back on the bandwagon of pitching article ideas to magazines, but there have been no new breakthroughs to report, sadly. In the meantime, I've tidied my current portfolio and linked the entries to my scanned-in articles. Check out the spiffy results here and click on one of the magazine covers to read my articles, if you'd like. : )

It's beginning to take shape...

Magazine Guide #20: eBayLife

Publication: eBayLife
How Often Does It Come Out: Quarterly
Distribution: National

Contributors vs Staff Writers:
Freelance contributors galore!

Target Audience:
Age: I'd say 15+
Gender: Male and female
Interests: Buying and selling on eBay.

Topics and Themes:
Success stories about eBay sellers, celebrity eBay shoppers, weird and wonderful auction listings, tech advice about skills like uploading photos and cross-promoting, bargain-hunting tips and buying and selling specific articles like vintage clothing, toys, gadgets and cars.

Length of Features:
Mostly 1,000-1,500 words.

Tone and Style of Writing:
The magazine sounds knowledgeable, warm and enthusiastic -- a trusted friend encouraging you to save and earn money on eBay. The reader demographic very broad age-wise, so the mood is kept light and features are made as fun and easy to read as possible. Lists, break-out boxes, quizzes, quick tips, sub-headings and skill level star ratings are popular and several question-and-answer interviews also feature.

About How Many Features:
Twenty, including several "Tech Advice" articles.

Alannah Hill Challenge: Update #5

The Alannah Hill Challenge aims to motivate me to build an enviable magazine writing portfolio by dangling a designer clothing carrot -- a girly Alannah Hill cardie. How's my quest going lately?

It's been a lean couple of months. Yes, I've been given writing assignments by some pretty juicy publications. No, (sadly) I don't mean I've shed any kilos. Yes, I'm eating my fair quota of Easter eggs. What I mean is cold, hard, sweet, sweet cash -- it's been eluding me.

You see, as a freelance writer you pen your article, send it to your editor along with your invoice and wait for the cash to roll in. If you're lucky, you're paid once the article is accepted. The other option is you're paid sometime after the piece is published, which could be months down the track.

So I was overjoyed to be paid this week. Hooray! I also finished an assignment that saw me take on an assistant editor position for a new magazine about social media. This was pretty exciting, but I learnt editing other people's writing can be time-consuming and frustrating. It was a great resume-booster getting that gig though.

So now I'm back on to pitching article ideas to magazines and (hopefully) my book proposal I haven't even glanced at since time immemorial. In a couple of weeks my article for Women's Health and Fitness should be out as well. I can't wait to see it in print. : )

In the interests of curing my bank account's anorexia, I've also developed a game plan of which magazines I'll pitch article ideas to next.

Here's my new list of magazines to tackle (view the old one here):

• Madison
• Frankie
• Peppermint
• WellBeing
• Women's Health
• Cleo
• Cosmopolitan
• Jetstar
• Virgin Blue Voyeur
• Shop Til You Drop

Fingers crossed I'll get a mountain of work and be able to afford a little Hill soon.