@BettyKirkers So I have some thoughts about this. I'm goin…

@BettyKirkers Coming from someone who lives in the States that didn't do those things & instead pursued it later, I mean it with sincerity when I congratulate you on discovering your passion & deciding to pursue it so early! I'm frustrated you are being defensive of folks not paying talent.

@BettyKirkers Starting your own publication is probably very difficult. Again: I'm super happy you're doing it at such a young age & that you have peers collaborating in a joined vision.

https://t.co/GrgBWG50xQ

I started The Indiependent in 2014 when I was in sixth form, and have worked on it VOLUNTARILY ever since. I probably spend about 20 hours a week working on the site, alongside a day job which I need to do to live.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

@BettyKirkers As I'm in the States, I can tell you from experience & discussions w/ journalists at major pubs that Jschool isn't necessary in order to gain freelance clips. I wish more folks knew that. You really can do it without a degree!

https://t.co/cdd4q9nIm5

The amazing editors all give up their time to do the same, often juggling their positions alongside university/work. For them, they get the editorial experience which to someone looking to apply for a journalism course or go on to work in the media industry, is valuable.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

@BettyKirkers Pitching to national or international publications can absolutely be intimidating no matter what level of experience or age you are. Thankfully there are several resources out there which can be found online to help folks with that vs 10+ years ago.

https://t.co/FTnLRm0TUf

Trying to pitch to national publications is depressing for an experienced freelance journalist, let alone inexperienced newcomers who i) don\u2019t have any clippings and ii) don\u2019t understand what a pitch is or how to write one.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

@BettyKirkers A great resource for folks to learn about pitching is @TimHerrera 's post on @NiemanLab which helps explore the art of pitch writing. It was published in 2018... another bonus of the evolution of access & resources for folks not going to jschool.
https://t.co/t2TNp3m8jV

@BettyKirkers The @WritersCentre (a UK org) also offers many helpful tools to help learn about these types of things to help folks learn the business & craft. This is a link to their free resources:

https://t.co/TWPLcFUzoD

@BettyKirkers I could likely direct you & folks to several others but at 3AM my time during a personal crisis I apologize for not having all of these readily on standby. Please know there are several sites dedicated to helping folks with this. I might start a thread or what not about it later.

@BettyKirkers I can, however, direct folks to a few other places that offer assistance! One is @TimHerrera 's freelancing with Tim newsletter & weekly webbies. You can get his substack with resources (including more of these types of sites/ pages of info) here: https://t.co/OeeKNMkbMI

@BettyKirkers @TimHerrera As a note, these webbies are on Sundays here in the US. I recognize the time difference may be difficult but even without those webinar sessions (with folks talking about these very things- how to pitch, what editors are searching for, etc) there is still a TON of valuable info!

@BettyKirkers Another one is UPOD Academy. While this one has paid discussions from editors & an immersive workshop, it may be beneficial to those who choose to invest in it. There's also a FB group which is totally free to discuss things with other writers.

https://t.co/rs3lEYSrFX

@BettyKirkers My writing buddy @BrookeKnisley on the other coast (I still like our sunshine best coast) also did her own podcast with some helpful info for freelancers/budding writers. You can listen to that here:
https://t.co/xlbmuCtn1y

@BettyKirkers @wudanyan does some awesome work helping freelancers too. I totally recommend following her + looking at her resource @TWC_pod which offers a bunch of valuable resources for freelancers of all levels.

https://t.co/jktlNEZcf6

@BettyKirkers While I don't have the following you have & understand how scary it is for folks on here, I must also implore folks to utilize Twitter & FB as resources to connect with other writers. You can find some here via the hashtag #writingcommmunity but there are several more out there!

@BettyKirkers Going back to things though- established websites are also communal portfolios. Folks should absolutely be paid for their efforts when they contribute. Everyone deserves it! No one should have to work for free.

https://t.co/hoYdbflRtI

It functions as a communal portfolio site, where people do not have to spend any time or money setting up a website or learning digital skills, you can just write words and share them with an established readership.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

@BettyKirkers The fact that a national publication didn't pay you for your effort upsets me greatly. I'm happy for your byline but that doesn't negate them not paying you. The "exposure" reward/guilt portion of this industry needs to stop, not be further purpetuated.
https://t.co/XZBQ4YKm5L

Spending some time writing for a publication that can i) give you those clippings and ii) teach you what a good pitch should contain is a useful experience.

As a student, I wrote for free for a national newspaper and got very excited about my byline.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

@BettyKirkers There are also spaces that discuss monetizing your blog. @problogger is one that's been around for ages. These can be found with some research & while I'm reading you are not super well off financially, that doesn't excuse not paying folks for efforts.

https://t.co/ooSHWz9Wnu

But the bottom line is, The Indiependent is a money pit. Maybe that\u2019s my failure to monetise it effectively - if it is, then I would love to hear from the \u201cshould not write for free\u201d crowd how to change that.
— Beth Kirkbride (@BettyKirkers) December 7, 2020

So I have some thoughts about this. I'm going to start with the optimistic: congrats on learning your desired path at an early age & wanting to jump in. That's genuinely great, however your thread is very defensive of toxic industry traits which shouldn't exist to begin with.

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