Morris Journalism Academy in Edgecliff, New South Wales, Australia | Education

Morris Journalism Academy

Locality: Edgecliff, New South Wales, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9327 7778

Address: P.O. Box 1141 2027 Edgecliff, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.morrisjournalismacademy.com

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25.01.2022 Set your own hours One of the beautiful things about freelance journalism is setting your own hours. If your deadlines allow it, you can choose to start work at 2pm or take a break for 2 hours as you feel like it. How you operate throughout the working day will be a personal preference influenced by when you are most productive. However, we promote working to a structured day.... This will mean commencing work at around the same time each day, say 9am with an hour’s lunch break at 12.30pm. A decent midday break will allow you time to eat as well as fit in some physical activity. Have a mid-afternoon break to beat the 3pm fatigue and then finish your day at 5pm. Obviously, substitute the times that best work for you. This routine can still allow for flexibility should something important pop-up, but it will still provide structure to foster productivity. What about you what workday structure works for you?

25.01.2022 When ideas run dry It happens to the best of the best in the industry. As a freelance journalist, there will be times when your ideas evaporate and your pitches go unanswered or are rejected. How do you get yourself out of this slump? Here are our top tips:... Go through your contacts and get back in touch with editors who’ve previously commissioned you. Write a pleasant, short email to let them know you are free for work should they have any suitable assignments available. Review your unsuccessful pitches and rework them. Is there a better angle for the piece? Or, could you target a different publication? Pick a publication you haven’t pitched to before. Study the content and style and challenge yourself to think of some original ideas. Take a look at some of your published pieces. Could you provide an update on any of the topics? Find inspiration online. Go to Twitter to see what other journalists are writing about and the publications they are writing for.

20.01.2022 What’s in a name? In journalism, your byline is everything. So it’s well worth the time to consider what your byline will be. A byline is a name credited to a piece of writing. Typically, it’s published under the heading - By John Smith or as part of the heading, The Importance of Bylines, John Smith reports.... This is your brand in the industry. How do you want to be known? As your full name or perhaps a shortened nickname? Are you Matthew or Matt? Nicole or Nikki? The decision gets more complicated once you start to consider name changes if you get married. A number will continue to use their maiden name for work purposes, even if they have changed it elsewhere. This can get complicated, however, as you may have to really jog your memory to remember what name you used for certain circumstances. Others will opt for a hyphened surname - for instance, Alison Lake-Whitley. And a small number will convert entirely to their married name. This option has its pitfalls. For those who don’t know you well and only by name, they will likely think you are an entirely different person. Of course, if you do opt to include your married name fully or partially, complications can arise if you are ever divorced. Then it would be a matter of deciding whether or not you continue to carry the name or convert back. There is no right or wrong answer to this. It is a personal preference and one you shouldn’t make lightly.

19.01.2022 Tips for improving your writing: Keep your sentences short Keep it simple ditch the thesaurus Cut ‘filler words’ or choose words that can say the same thing in fewer words. For example, ‘a number of’ to ‘several’... Double-check spelling of names and job titles Write to the word limit, meet the brief and submit before the deadline Provide the opinions of others, not your own Cut acronyms and clichés from your work See more

19.01.2022 What is it about? We occasionally find that students will provide a statement about what their article will cover in their introduction. For instance, they will say, This article will look at., This article will not delve into or For this article, five people were asked.. We suggest avoiding this entirely. It’s awkward and shows inexperience and it’s likely to interrupt your readers’ flow.... Perhaps you want to write something like: This article will investigate if online dating is losing popularity. Change it this to: Online dating is becoming dated. Here are just some of the reasons why. You’ll find rewriting is easy. So, if you find yourself falling into this introduction trap, play with the words to change it up.

18.01.2022 Your new skills When you become a freelance journalist, you will develop skills transferable to many other different professional fields. There are the obvious ones: blogs writing, PR content writing or maybe managing a company’s social media posts and presence. But you’ll also find you develop skills that open professional horizons in ways you hadn’t thought of.... These will include: Confidence to talk to anyone about anything Translating complex issues into simply English Self-starting skills Scheduling skills Marketing and pitching techniques Administration skills such as typing Management skills Simple accounting skills

16.01.2022 Get snapping Smart devices seem to be attached to us these days. Make sure you take full advantage of this and capture suitable images whenever you're out and about. This will give you a stockpile of images to use on social media, providing you the perfect opportunity to promote yourself. Self-promotion could see you connect with others in the industry as well as assist with locating interviewees.... As a freelance journalist, you might supplement your work with some copywriting on the side. If you are posting picturesque images of local areas, this will likely attract an audience of local businesses who will then go on to investigate your profile. If you haven’t started to promote yourself on avenues such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, now is the perfect time to start.

16.01.2022 How’s your workspace? As a freelance journalist, you need to establish your own workspace within your own home. This may have to be the dining room table or a desk in the corner of the living room. If you are fortunate, you may have a separate study. Having a designated area means you’ll be able to set up a few essentials such as your computer, notebooks, etc. without having to worry about packing them up at the end of each day.... Make your work environment as comfortable and appealing as possible. Is the temperature suitable? Do you need a small heater so your workspace is pleasant to work in? Be sure to think about the suitability of your chair and whether it is comfortable for your neck and back when sitting at long periods. Also, pay attention to lighting. Do you prefer to work in a bright space or a warmly lit setting? Lastly, ensure there is enough space on your desk to operate as well as house numerous coffee cups. A hot tip on working from home fight the urge to have a kettle in the same room as where you work. Making coffee or tea gives you the perfect excuse to get up and have a good stretch. Proud of your workspace? Feel free to share a photo of your workspace below for the inspiration of others.

15.01.2022 Ditch the Dear Sir/Madam When sending a pitch, you must send it to the right person at the publication. Smaller publications may only consist of a few employers. However, larger ones will have people in charge of specific divisions. So, if your idea is to do with travel, you would have to email your pitch to the travel editor or the person in charge of commissioning travel pieces.... An editor of a particular section likely gets swamped with pitches that aren’t related to their division. They may pass it on; however, the odds of them getting distracted in the process, or even annoyed by receiving the email in the first place, are likely to be higher. First impressions count especially with pitches. Sending them to the wrong person or merely addressing it to The Editor, or worse Dear Sir/Madam, won’t get you or your pitch noticed. Journalists are inquisitive and resourceful and this is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that these abilities are in your repertoire. You’ll find that most printed publications will include a staff listing within the first few pages of their magazine. Otherwise, head to Google or Twitter. If all else fails, it’s time to pick up the phone and contact their office.

15.01.2022 Who said? Using a variety of vocab is essential for great writing. There is, however, at least one exclusion to this rule. It is acceptable to write she said, or, he says after every direct quote. Using claims and recalls works in context too. But this should be the extent of the verbs used to describe quotes. Verbs like uttered, chuckled or gushed should be saved for fictional writing. ... Newspapers use plain English and said is as simple as it gets. Don’t waste time trying to think of a creative alternative for said it’s not necessary.

15.01.2022 Time to move it! Studies have shown that sitting for too long can impact your health negatively. When you work in an office, you will find that you are often getting up and down from you sit discussing things with colleagues, going to the kitchen, walking to the printer and so on. ... You will also have to walk to and from your car or mode of transportation. However, if you are working from home, chances are you are stationary for hours. If you track your steps, you might shock yourself at how little you move during a day. Add some movement to your day by doing the following: Every hour, go for a walk around and have a stretch. Consider investing in a fitness tracker, most will send alerts if you have been inactive for too long. Remember to stand. If a standing desk isn’t an option, perhaps get up every time you make a phone call. Standing while talking on the phone can make you feel more confident. Allocate yourself a daily task to get moving. This could be putting the bins out or posting a letter. Download a fitness app and see what you can work into your working day. Take a lunch break and make sure this includes an aspect of fitness as well as food.

13.01.2022 Pitch Presentation We might sound like your grumpy old 6th-grade teacher but it’s true presentation is everything. It is particularly important when it comes to your pitches. Put simply they need to be readable.... Every pitch should: Use a common and easy-to-read typeface. (Suggestions: Times New Roman, Verdana and Ariel are still among the best to use). Use a standard font size. This is usually 10 or 11 point. Present your copy in black typeface on a white background. Use plenty of paragraph breaks. Three or four sentences to each paragraph. There is a rule of thumb one idea to one paragraph. Use double spacing between paragraphs. Use single spacing between lines of type, that is, sentences. Use left alignment. Use short sentences. We cannot over-emphasis how effective this is. If you write a long sentence, break it into two shorter sentences. Do not try and make your copy look pretty with colour or italics. Ditch the decorative borders on your fact boxes. Boring is best. This saves you, and your editor, time. Keep in mind that all they want to do is read your text. It’s that black and white.

11.01.2022 Get your own! Our biggest advice to students is to make sure they obtain their own quotes. This can be daunting, especially if you are just starting out and some fall into the trap of thinking it’s ok to reuse quotes that have already be published. To be successful, however, a skilled freelance journalist must carry out their own interviews with relevant case studies and experts. ... Here are the benefits: You set the questions. If you are recycling information, this might not fit your article’s angle. You’ll be free of copyright issues You have the opportunity of finding a unique case study that hasn’t appeared in the media before and can offer something entirely new for a specific topic You’ll learn something new your readers will too You’ll impress your editor with fresh information. The last thing they want to do is regurgitate information from their competitors. You’ll discover new developments about the topic that have occurred since the published pieces you’ve based your research on. Will it take more effort? Yes. Will it ultimately be much more worth it? 100%

04.01.2022 Make sure you get paid You live to write. That’s why you decided to become a freelance journalist. Though you would probably do it for the love of it, your hobby is now your job and that means you must get paid for it. Here’s how to make sure you do:... Include all relevant information in your invoices such as the commissioning editor’s name, the publication issue and the date published. If you were provided with a reference/purchase order number, make sure you include this too. Leaving this off your invoice will mean delays with payment. It's a good idea to ask if you require one at the time you are commissioned so you don't need to chase for this when you are ready to invoice. If you receive a rights form (a consent form to sell all rights), complete this and return it as soon as possible. Follow up on late payment. Your first point of call will be the commissioning editor. If they are unable to assist, ask them to direct you to who to speak to within the accounting team. Always remember you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar - be polite even when chasing payment!