THEN don't just save it for your circle of contacts.
Ever wondered where magazines and newspapers get their stories?
It could be you. We're on the hunt for heartwarming, inspirational, quirky or entertaining stories for UK newspapers and magazines.
We love stories about people who have overcome the odds or battled back against adversity. Find out more by emailing us here.
IT'S always rewarding to work on features that can make a genuine difference.
Continue reading "Code of conduct for online tribute sites launched" »
IT's been a busy time recently with some very interesting and worthwhile commissions. Here's a selection.
Your Family magazine: Focus on bullying
HOW can you nip bullying in the bud if your child is either the bully or the victim? Linda Jones reports. Read more.
NHS Choices: Caring for a loved one with depression
WHEN a loved one suffers from depression, OCD or has a breakdown, it’s not just their life that’s affected. Here are some tips on how to cope if you find yourself in the role of carer. Read more.
The Telegraph: Headhunted on Facebook
AS some companies ban social networks, others are using them to find recruits, says Linda Jones. Read more.
CONTRIBUTIONS to Press Gazette are continuing with a report on how to build a specialism as a freelance writer.
Our blog at Freelance Writing Tips is also picking up readers. Do get in touch if you have any questions. [Carol]
FIVE articles by Linda on how new and growing businesses can make the most of technology are now online.
They are: Networking and data storage, Upgrading your IT, Integrating your communications, Virtual working and Keeping your data in synch.
Thanks to everyone who helped by sharing their advice, support and experience for these pieces. It really is much appreciated.
AS Linda is far too modest to mention this, allow me to draw your attention to her advice in Press Gazette this week about sourcing and writing women's weekly magazine stories.
Apparently, she tells us, it's all down to the gift of the gab and attempting to "charm the birds out of the trees."
Now I'd like to say something witty about doing as she "says," rather than "does" but as she talked me into joining her in the company, I can't really can I?
There's another dose of advice for freelance journalists in this week's Writers' News courtesy of Alex Gazzola. That's off the back of a forthcoming book. Watch this space for more details, if Linda can get her head through the door. At least she has had the good grace to acknowledge how unrecognisable she is from that picture. [Carol]
LINDA'S blog all about multiple birth children, You've got your hands full is featured in an in-depth piece in The Telegraph today, by Diane Shipley.
As she can bore for England on the subject of blogging, (that's Linda of course, not Diane) it's great to see some recognition. She was also interviewed about twins on Radio Stoke earlier this week, in the wake of the sisters on Big Brother.
It's a shame more depressing and predictable news has taken over where that show is concerned. Suddenly Samanda don't seem so bad. [Carol]
WE'VE been delighted by the response to Linda's piece about Twitter in today's Guardian.
Thanks everyone for getting in touch with your kind words. Now she just has to think of some more stuff to write about!
Here's a further report about the micro-blogging tool and how it can help PR be more "quick and dirty" apparently. Nice. [Carol]
AS well as our piece in The Sun this week about Rachel and her brush with the law over a shuttlecock, we've also seen some other pieces published.
Today's Guardian includes a latest Technobile piece about the curse of conference calls and DollyMix has an interview with Anna Pickard from Little Red Boat.
Continue reading "Cheryl Baker, David Hasselhoff and more" »
OUR story about a young mum visited by the police over a missing shuttlecock (yes you read that right) is here.
It's a cracking tale and has a great showing. The Sun? We love it.
Well they say write about what you know. Who'd have thought the journey to Stratford, Coleshill or Solihull could prove so fruitful?
The current edition of the NSPCC's Your Family magazine features my piece about 'good cop/bad cop' parents. This was inspired by my experience of how mine and Neil's "parenting style" can clash.
Finding the case studies for this piece proved problematic. Plenty of people were prepared to discuss the issue but not 'on the record'. "Can you do it anonymously?" They'd ask. And when they didn't like my answer, out they dropped. And that was before the prospect of pictures opened a whole new can of worms. Still we got there in the end. I don't think there's much more stressful in journalism than when a pre-arranged interviewee drops out at the 11th hour. Even chasing money can seem easier!
Thankfully, the editor was entirely understanding. I'd like to thank all the couples, especially Katie and Dave for their openness and honesty in describing their experiences and conflicts.
An earlier piece from Your Family about multiple births can be read here and check out You've got your hands full for lots more parenting stuff. [Linda]
A latest Technobile piece is published in The Guardian today. You can read it here. Apparently there are security fears about these contraptions because you only have to swipe a card to pay (contraptions sounds about right, doesn't it?) as opposed to put in your pin number, making you more vulnerable to identity fraud. As you can see from the piece, my concerns were much more prosaic - like how to get Emily or Melissa not to park their behind on the 'shelf'. Earlier Technobile pieces are here, here, and here. [Linda]
This month's edition of the NSPCC's Your Family magazine contains our three-page spread on having twins or triplets. The families interviewed were a joy to deal with. Each had faced their own dramas and the sorts of challenges that are so often par for the course when you have a multiple birth family. There isn't a link available online to the current issue but it's available in all Early Learning Centres! What shone through, despite the inevitable difficulties, especially with babies born so early, was how blessed we all are.
Just to add to Linda's post about what we've been up to this week, I wanted to let you know that we have a starring role in Chat today. That's issue no. 38 dated 28 September. Its entitled 'Walking tall'. Needless to say we've all had a little tear after reading it this morning.
I rushed to the newsagents on the way to work and bought five copies. How about that for measured anticipation? The woman looked at me strangely as she ran them through the till. 'I'm in the magazine' I said, 'so I'm buying copies for my family'. She obviously thought I was mad.
Anyway, here's a couple of pictures that got away - Pontins Easter bonnet parade 1978 and Christmas 1984. Bill and Ben eat your heart out.[Carol]
Related posts: Women's weeklies? We love 'em, Our Carol's a winner
It has been an interesting few days to say the least - from the kerfuffle of a page lead in The Sun and all that entails to chasing the department of the minister for international development for a quote on how students can help change the world, and plenty more in between.We haven't had much chance to scratch our heads and wonder how on earth did we get here? But I think we could do with it. [Linda]
It's a memory that never fails to bring a smile to my face...
When I close my eyes I can picture the idyllic scene as if it was yesterday...me strolling along a sunkissed Indian beach in a leopard-print bikini on my 30th birthday.
Booked just a couple of weeks before over Teletext, it was a holiday of a lifetime. Little did I know it was the last time I’d be seeing such exotic climes for a long, long time.
Just a fortnight later I was reeling from the revelation I was expecting twins. And along with my bikini, my expectations of travelling to the other side of the world on a whim were consigned to the scrap heap.
Continue reading "We’re all going on a summer holiday...multiples on the move" »
Here's a picture of Melissa and Emily from about three years ago with their grandma and nan. While everyone looks delighted, this was a rare moment of being all together on Mother's Day. Asking grandparents to look after baby or toddler twins so that you can return to work, however, may prove an unrealistic option.
Having started to add some previous articles from Russia to this blog, it has also occured to me that it's also a place to post previous pieces about twins and more. Features are sitting in my document files on my home computer and I have previously discussed putting them online as a resource for families with Helen Forbes, the director of Tamba as many of them were written for the charity's magazine, Twins, Triplets & More.
Anyway, here goes with the first, it's a round-up of options for mums of multiple birth children contemplating going back to work - although for financial reasons, that's not always possible. It's important to note that the prices quoted for various services are now out of date.
Returning to work for mums of multiples
Worried sick about going back to work? Don't know where to start when finding childcare for your babies? Overwhelmed by rules and regulations or the potential cost? LINDA JONES has carried out an exclusive survey for Tamba so other mums can share their experiences with you.
IF and when to return to work is arguably the biggest issue facing mothers today.
For many there is no choice if the bills are to be paid. Juggling family and work commitments and agonising over childcare options become a way of life.
Scarcely a day goes by without another study about the effect mum working has on her baby, seemingly designed to heap more guilt and stress on an already hectic day, whatever the individual's choice. Go back to work and the baby suffers, says one camp. Stay at home and your career does, says another.
But while these mixed messages are of primary concern to mothers of single babies, for mums of multiples they may be irrelevant. They may not have the luxury of debating whether they have made the right choice because there is no choice.
Often they cannot afford to go back or do not have the energy.
And while it may be okay to ask Grandma to look after one baby while you're at work five days a week, it's out of the question for twins, triplets and more.
For single parents, the pressures are even greater.
Then of course there's the ignorance of supposed professionals to contend with. There's the childminder who insists that looking after two babies is the same as looking after one, the well-meaning lady in social services, who hasn't got a clue and the nursery that insists on always lumping your children together.
So what are the realistic choices? Here, women in varying circumstances explain their decisions.
Mourners Gather To Remember Victims Of Repression
Every year on September 5 relatives and friends of victims of Stalin's murderous political repression gather at a modest plinth in the shadow of St Petersburg's Peter and Paul Fortress to commemorate the start of the Red Terror. LINDA JONES reports.
They came not only to remember their dead, but to remind the living of their loss. Some were decorated with medals, others with photos of loved-ones who had perished on the whim of a tyrant. Some cried openly, while many more were lost in a silent world of darkness and grief.
Natalia Konstantinova was nine years old when her father was shot. He had been arrested seven months earlier, accused of designing a bomb to assassinate Stalin.
Phew. Have just read this about the falling sales of regional newspapers. Picked up on by the esteemed Jeff Jarvis, commenters add their two penneth about the "poor" quality of journalism outside of the big city.
Who could disagree with the following from Greenslade?
"...it’s undeniable that journalism is a labour intensive activity that make a time-and-motion approach to their work wholly inappropriate."
Continue reading "Regional papers' decline: Who's to blame?" »
We've been contacted by a magazine looking for heartwarming stories for Christmas. There will be a payment for anyone interviewed. They are specifically looking for stories about babies born around Christmas time, beating the odds – perhaps they were poorly and battled back or arrived much earlier than they should. They also want to hear about any stories from people who became the victims of a crime last Christmas or the Christmas before. As well as this, they are interested in any more ‘general’ Christmas stories – preferably (well as far as I am concerned anyway) connected with family life, romance or pets! Please do get in touch if anything springs to mind. Yes it is still only August and no I'm not going to broadcast which mag it is - it's a good fun one though. [Linda]
Graham Holliday makes some interesting points about bloggers being asked to review stuff in a piece for Comment is Free.
(And here's me thinking it was just print journalists who got stuff through the post and did nothing with it, save moan about how rubbish it all was or give it to their mates as birthday presents rush to file an objective review for their chosen publication.)
Now Passionate Media client Gabriella Goddard is embarking on a 'virtual book tour' - which she says is a genuine first in the UK. The 'virtual book tour' is apparently a well-worn marketing tool in other parts of the world but new to these shores.
When I first heard the words 'virtual book tour' I imagined this was something akin to bloggers being sent a copy of Gabriella's book and being asked to write about it - something that Graham illustrates may be as useful as a chocolate teapot. In fact it's something much more ambitious and sophisticated than that.
In her press release, Katie writes that Gabriella will use the "combined innovations" of online messaging, podcasts, blogs and forums to ‘tour’ the country, which she says will mark a new era in book tours and book signings.
The virtual tour, set to start tomorrow, will involve Gabriella engaging in Q&A sessions at pre-arranged times on blogs and forums as well as video blogs on Youtube.com and conducting live web chats on Skype, Typepad, MSN Messenger and Myspace.
Gabriella said: "With more people "social networking" online and buying books over the web, it seemed a logical step to create an online book tour where I can spend more time interacting and engaging with my potential readers, which can be difficult to do at book signings.
"You are also opening yourself up to a much bigger audience at every stop on the tour, one that is international, versus the more traditional methods of book signings and talks which are limited only to those that can make the journey to see you."
Through her virtual book tour, Gabriella, will offer advice and support to anyone facing a challenging situation, whether in their career, relationship or life in general.
Gabriella has various blogs and forums already booked into her schedule, including publisher, Penguin’s own podcast site.
Katy Szita, publicity director at Healthy Penguin said: "Publishers are always looking for innovative ways to promote their books and we know that there is huge scope for reaching a much wider readership online than through print media. When Gabriella Goddard suggested undertaking a ground-breaking virtual book tour we jumped at the chance to get involved."
I posted here about not giving up when an idea isn't immediately accepted by an editor. Today I am delighted to report the piece described as 'one that got away' has seen its way into print. The first I knew was when my Corrie Blog editor Flamin' Nora emailed me to say it had made her smile. Thanks Nora that means a lot, you know. [Linda]
We've never been in a position to be offered a kill fee before. But I was aware of guidance that says you shouldn't accept one. I've also seen some pretty robust discussions on journalists' forums on the subject. Two days ago, we rang a paper to find out about a piece where we'd supplied the words and they'd gone out and taken their own pics. The response was that it was a "perfectly good story but the editor didn't go for it that day, and we could invoice for a kill fee if we wanted." As we sold the story a couple of hours later to another paper, we're pretty sure we shouldn't. Especially as the same story will hopefully also make its way to a women's weekly. Any further advice welcomed. [Linda]
My Technobile piece on so-called online networking is published today. For someone more used to dealing with women's weeklies, it's been brilliant to write for The Guardian. These commissions have been like buses - you wait for ages for one to be published then two come along at once. Anyway my point was that these networking groups aren't the place for me, for a number of reasons you can read in the article. I'm sure people will disagree. [Linda]
In the week when this lady rightly caused a storm by proclaiming her kids were boring (Cue pretty nifty backtracking..'but I never said my children were boring' - no of course not, that's why it said it in the headline.) We have written for the Guardian on a how can we put it? More down to earth view of going out to work when you have children. Ian Wylie, the editor of the Work supplement explained the piece should focus on a particular incident or anecdote to illustrate an issue - and we chose Morgan's sports day (or perhaps Stitchgate as it should be known!) It's great to see the piece in the paper and funny to note that the only little change made was that a reference to Linda using words that would make Chubby Brown blush was removed. Perhaps that would have been more fitting of the Daily Star! [Carol]
Here's a piece about my experiences of satnav. It was hard enough for me to learn to drive (took 12 years and lots of being shouted at.) Now getting to grips with a satnav has left me a little bemused, to say the least. I'm sorry if I'm letting down "the sisterhood" by admitting how awful I am. Here's a survey that shows I'm not alone. [Linda]
Just look at this picture. Isn't it great? Look how glamorous Blanche is. I love it. This was the first offering in Fab Photo Friday last week over at Corrie Blog.My editor Flaming Nora, who is a wonderfully knowledgeable Corrie fan, dug it out from her huge collection for the new feature, which was inspired by the lady I call a blogging superstar, Keris Stainton. Other regular slots also now lined up are Yay or Nay Wednesday (thanks Gemma), Monday moan, Gimme Five, and Six Degrees of Separation Corrie style. If you do love The Street, then we hope you'll love Corrie Blog. Oh and in case you are wondering, the bloke in the top right hand corner is called Jerry Booth and was Len's business partner rather than Rita's beau![Linda]
Many congratulations to Melissa Murphy and the team at ichild.tv. The first issue of this new interactive parenting magazine is now online. Melissa asked us to contribute an article on what it's like to set up a business when you are a mum. And there we are. Carol says: "I wouldn't ever say it has been plain sailing but I'm glad I made the jump." How about that for an understatement? [Linda]
Download Postcard.pdf We've had some requests for advice on how to find so-called 'real life' stories - the sort you'll see in the pages of women's magazines.Here, for those who have asked, along with anyone else who's interested, is a picture of the postcard we have had printed and pass on to selected people - including friends, relatives, and business contacts. It has helped us a lot, not least as a conversation starter when we are chatting at the school gates, or elsewhere. We concentrate on 'happy' stories and are looking for tales about women who have battled the odds. These are people who often don't realise they have a story - but are more than happy to be featured. [Linda]
There's some fighting talk from Lucy Jolin on JournoBiz that we can't help but agree with. She gives an expert opinion on how to write for women’s weeklies - and lambasts those who look down their noses at such titles.Plenty of writers consider such titles beneath them. According to some, these magazines and the stories in them are ‘cheap, trashy and sensationalist.’ Try telling that to the woman we reported on a few weeks back who is now having surgery for a terrible disease she discussed. She’ll show you the letters of support she’s had from all over the country and tell you about the friends she’s made since the article appeared. Oh and she can also describe the first holiday she’s been on in years after the magazine footed the bill.[Linda]
We’ve always marvelled at the London media’s attitude to ‘the provinces’ (their word not ours!) so it’s been reassuring to have our prejudices reinforced this week. One writer deemed we couldn’t be case studies as we weren’t in London while a city-based newsdesk told us they couldn’t follow up one of our stories, despite a flurry of initial calls asking for more information, because the people concerned were ‘too far away’. Gee thanks. And here’s us thinking you were a national news organisation. [Linda]
Related posts: The decline of regional journalism, who's to blame? Didn't you used to work here?
