Disabled Writers

One of the most frequent questions we get is “how do I pitch?” Pitching sometimes feels like an opaque process, and this question is probably better termed “how do I pitch and get a piece accepted?”

Unfortunately there’s no magic formula for getting accepted, but we can help demystify this process a little to increase your chances.

Decide what you’re going to write

Writers, especially early career writers, often make the mistake of approaching editors with an overly-broad topic, rather than a specific story. Think “I want to write about public transit” or “I am really interested in cooking.”

If you’re having trouble differentiating, think about the last few stories you read and really enjoyed, and dig down on what they were about. Instead of “I read a really interesting article about horror movies,” ask yourself what made the review interesting: “This movie review foregrounded a feminist perspective in analysis of the depiction of women in horror, exploring tropes in the genre and their connection to larger social issues.” (Like this piece in Bitch on how our hatred and fear of aging interacts with the horror genre.)

Topic: Potatoes

Story: For potato farmers in Idaho, climate change is proving devastating. A surprising alternative crop might help them weather the coming storm.

Topic: Cooking

Story: A continual misogynist debate swirls around recipes with lengthy essays seen on cooking blogs, but is anyone talking about the disability implications?

Note that the “stories” here are also loglines you can use to pitch your piece.

Decide how you’re going to write it

Once you have a handle on a specific story, decide: Is it going to be a personal essay? Reported feature? Investigative piece? Opinion editorial? Think about how you will build that story out.

For example, your feature on potato farmers in Idaho: Do you have sources lined up? If not, do you know where to find them? Do you think the piece will require travel? Is there a multimedia component? Is there research available to draw upon?

Think about prior reporting, as well: What makes this piece unique? What are you bringing to the conversation that is fresh and distinctive? You want to think about this ahead of time because it should be in your pitch, and an editor may ask for more details.

Also ask yourself why it’s important now. Maybe it’s a response to something in the news, or to a cultural conversation happening in society as a whole. If it’s a timeless feature, it still needs a clear hook. Why do you want someone to read this now, instead of a year ago or six months from now?

Decide where you want to place it

Hopefully you’re already reading widely, so you have a good general idea of where a piece like this might go. The recipe story might be a good fit with Eater, or with Bitch Magazine. The Counter, Grist, High Country News, or Civil Eats might be interested in the potato feature.

Think about why you want to submit to a specific publication; not just “I’ve always wanted to appear in…” but what it is about a particular publication that makes you feel like the story belongs there. Do yourself a favor and search the archives to make sure they haven’t run something substantively similar already, and to identify work you can reference in your pitch or in conversations with the editor.

Once you’re feeling ready, figure out who to contact and how. Some editors list their emails on their social media bios or the publication’s website, some outlets have a submission email or use a submissions manager like Submittable, others may write threads soliciting stories that include their contact info. If you’re reaching out to a specific editor, take note of the spelling and styling of their name and the pronouns they use.

Writing the pitch

This is the part everyone’s always anxious to get to, but the above was all necessary to get you set up for success. Be aware that every editor is slightly different; you may have heard pitch emails need to be short, other editors love longer emails, others genuinely don’t care. Some publications have pitching guides you should definitely take advantage of. In all cases, your pitch should express your voice and lay out the story you want to tell in a clear, compelling way. It should also tell the editor who you are and provide clips so they can learn more about your writing voice.

If it’s a simultaneous submission, say so; most editors are reasonable people who don’t get mad at writers for this (and you should withdraw your piece if it is picked up elsewhere). Also include any information about potential conflicts up front (“my sister is a physician in this hospital system, but she works at a different facility and is not a neurologist”).

Also be aware that some editors are jerks. Some have very rigid expectations of what should and shouldn’t be in a pitch and how you should communicate. If an editor never responds or sends a nasty reply, that’s on them, not you, even if it stings. Think of it this way: You may have avoided an unpleasant experience.

A pitch could look something like this:

Subject: Pitch: A theoretical title for my story

Dear editor,

I hope you’re doing well. I’m a freelance writer who has appeared in publication, publication, and publication, among others, with a focus on reported features about my beat. I’m writing with a story that I think will interest you, given your coverage of related topic: Logline.

Here’s some more specific information about the story I want to tell. I visualize it as a reported feature and have already been in contact with two sources; I also have connections through a local organization. There’s also some scientific research and data to draw upon, and I plan to contact state and local officials to explore policy implications.

You can see my clips at my website; my piece “Name,” which ran in publication, may be of particular interest.

I hope we get a chance to work together on this; if not, hopefully we can collaborate on something in the future.

Regards,

Me

What might that look like with one of our stories?

Subject: Pitch: We’re leaving disability out of the recipe blogging wars

Dear Eater Editors,

I hope you’re doing well. I’m a freelance writer who has appeared in Saveur, Bitch Magazine, and New York Magazine, among others, with a focus on reported features about the intersection of food and disability. I’m writing with a story that I think will interest you, given your coverage of the eternal “just get to the recipe” controversy and your interest in physical accessibility at restaurants: A continual misogynist debate swirls around recipes with lengthy essays seen on cooking blogs, but is anyone talking about the disability implications?

As George Stern’s blockbuster piece on inaccessibility at cooking websites illustrates, there’s a thirst for information about accessibility in the online culinary sphere, but surprisingly little of it. While numerous conversations pro and con have revolved around lengthy essays and headnotes, few have explicitly connected this issue to accessibility: Do these photo-rich essays make it harder for disabled people to use recipe sites? Does a lengthy block of text pose a barrier? These and others are questions people aren’t asking — and they should be, because they are an issue for some disabled readers, but they don’t have to be.

I visualize this as a reported feature and have already been in contact with two experts on web accessibility as well as two recipe bloggers. I’ll also draw upon research about content accessibility, looking not just at blind and low-vision friendly features but cognitive accessibility and other elements of access. I anticipate being able to talk to Researcher (University) and Researcher (Disabled-Led Organization) about their work around online accessibility, issues with cooking websites, and how we can fix them. Since this is a topic of conversation in disability spaces, I anticipate being able to speak directly with disabled people who experience this as an access barrier, along with disabled cooks and recipe developers.

You can see my clips at my website; my piece “The Question Isn’t Whether the Domino’s Website Is Accessible: It’s Whether Anyone Else’s Is,” which ran in The Verge, may be of particular interest.

I hope we get a chance to work together on this; if not, hopefully we can collaborate on something in the future.

Regards,

Me, A Fictional Person Who Wrote This Pitch

Now what?

Now you wait. Sorry!

Some editors are very good about getting back to you fast. Others are not, or may process pitches in batches or need to discuss them at editorial meetings before responding. That means if you pitch on, say, Tuesday an hour after the weekly editorial meeting at a small outlet, you won’t hear back until next Tuesday.

If it’s timely, checking in after a week is okay. If it’s more timeless, two weeks. If it’s EXTREMELY timely, say so in your initial pitch (“a rally is scheduled for Thursday, so I envision getting this into copyedits by Wednesday so we can take advantage of public interest”) and in your subject line.

Responses are likely to fall into four categories:

I love this, let’s go for it. Great! You can start negotiating specifics, like rate (yes, you can ask for more), kill fee, deadline, and other matters (publications like Pipe Wrench publicize this information so you can read ahead of time). You want to be under contract before you start, if possible, for your protection.

I’m interested, but have some questions. Maybe an editor wants a few more details about the story, wants to confirm that you have sourcing, or would like to offer feedback. Don’t feel like you have to rattle back a response immediately. Take your time to answer thoughtfully.

Pass. It happens! Some editors may provide feedback (“we just commissioned something similar” “it felt like there wasn’t really a story here”), others may not. If you disagree, definitely complain to a friend, but don’t fight with the editor or subtweet about it. If you want more info about a pass, one polite email is totally reasonable (“thanks for letting me know; can you let me know a little more about what you’re looking for so I can tailor pitches more appropriately in the future?”).

Nothing. This also happens, and aside from nudging there’s not a lot you can do about it other than taking note for future reference, and knowing it’s not something to take personally.

“The pen is mightier than the sword” is a quote that I’m sure every writer has heard at least once in their lives, and if they’re anything like me, has hundreds of knickknacks emblazoned with that very saying as a way to inspire them as they go about their writing journey. Where the saying falls short, however, is that in its attempt to inspire writers, it fails to explain how to make your pen mightier than any swords people may throw at you.

As a fifteen-year-old journalist, the question of how do I become the writer that I want to be has been one that has driven me during these years of attempting, and failing, and succeeding at being a published author. I’m here to offer some tips that I’ve learned during my five years of publishing my writing, especially if, like me a few years ago, you have no idea how to start down your road to one day (hopefully!) winning a Pulitzer.

1. We need your voice and story to be heard… because YOU have a story that NO ONE else does

How many times have you heard the saying “We are all unique and special in our own way”? Yes, I know it’s incredibly cheesy and undoubtably a favorite saying of corny principals everywhere, but the saying is so lauded because it’s true, and it’s especially true in writing. Every experience you’ve had can make for a good story, no matter how “common” it may be, since only you have your specific view on a situation, that’s informed from the way you live your life. Use those experiences to author a story that no one else can! In fact, in my eight years of schooling I racked up quite the list of experiences to write about relating to disability advocacy, some of which were examples of allyship and others of apathy. Those contrasting experiences led me to author this piece, on how teachers can support disabled students.

2. Read, read, and read some more!

Growing up, I was quite the bibliophile, preferring to escape to a world of typed letters rather than play outside with a soccer ball. On my good days, I could make it through an entire novel in a night (though it definitely wrecked my sleep schedule). Each of these novels put their own spell on me, made me hungry for just one more chapter. Now, as I continue down my writing journey, I aspire to craft things that leave readers hungry for just one more chapter, and, while a journalistic piece doesn’t have “chapters,” that need to keep readers engaged and invested in the story you are telling transcends across all forms of writing. How do you do this? By reading of course! When you examine a story similar to the one you are writing, take notes on why you sought out that particular article. Is it because you find the structure compelling and a good style to try to emulate (but not copy, remember tip #1 about being unique) or do you like the way the author played with words to create something new in the reader, whether that’s feelings or creating a new perspective they hadn’t heard before? When you look at other pieces that evoked in readers what you want your piece to achieve, you can realize what worked for them, and, well, what didn’t work so well, so you can use that insight in your piece — and you would never have known any of that insight unless you read, read, read!

3. Pitch!

So, you’ve listened to tips #1 and #2 and you think you have a unique idea that you’ve read up on and can offer a unique piece to the news cycle. That’s great! Now, your next step is trying to get it published! Gulp. Take it from me, I know how scary it can be to pitch things and put yourself out there, especially if you don’t have any “big name” publications or even any publications at all. You should still pitch anyways! I’m not going to lie to you and say that having prior publications aren’t helpful — they are, because they show an editor an example of your best work, but they aren’t everything. If you have a good idea and think you should be the one to pitch it, then do it!

A note on what I’ve learned you should include in a pitch you want to be successful (this is not proven obviously, pitching is always a gamble) which I’ve compiled from various editors. The first thing I’ll tell you regarding pitching is to ALWAYS READ THE GUIDELINES FROM EACH PUBLICATION. And, yes, I know this sounds like common sense, but it bears repeating because it’s so important. Guidelines are there for you to follow them, and by following those guidelines you stand a higher chance of getting an acceptance, since you aren’t making silly mistakes that could’ve been avoided had you just read the guidelines. OK, now that we’ve gotten that general reminder out of the way, writers should always attempt to make their pitch like a movie trailer, so it will entice editors to want to read your full draft. My last thing that you should include in a good pitch is always why you are the person to write whatever story you are selling, so that any editor knows the uniqueness (tip #1 coming back in full force!) that you can bring to the story.

4. Find a community

Writing can often feel like a solitary activity, since often, my creative process includes staring at a blinking Word cursor until I have an idea, or (more often than not) I realize the creativity isn’t flowing for whatever reason, and I have to try again another day, which can often feel isolating because, aren’t I the only one going through this?

As a disabled person, I’ve often felt isolated from the writing community at large since the community isn’t very accessible to me. That all changed when I found that a lot of writers interacted in or created communal spaces on online social media platforms (like the Disabled Writers Twitter page). In these online spaces, I’ve found people who have had similar experiences to me and can empathize and support me through the highs and lows of writing. In terms of disability, I’ve also found this community helpful because community members are willing to talk about their experiences being a disabled journalist, and how they advocate for accessibility in their workplace. Through this community I’ve learned that it’s OK to ask for communication to be done over a different format, for example, and that it’s always good to advocate for what you need.

5. Write when you are able and willing to, don’t be fooled by ableist productivity standards

There’s a common myth that all emerging writers should write thirty minutes a day. I emphasize in my prior statement that it is a myth that you have to write for thirty minutes a day. If that system of structured writing time works for you, then by all means, keep it up, but you in no way have to do that — in fact, it’s my recommendation that you don’t. By forcing yourself to write for thirty minutes a day, you are putting your creative brain on a schedule, and often, creativity and good ideas don’t work like that. For me, good ideas feel like a lightbulb lighting up the dark room of writer’s block, and by putting yourself on a time frame, those good ideas don’t come because you want them to come. In addition, this thirty minute a day phenomenon is rooted in the ableist idea that “we all have the same twenty-four hours” and for some disabled people like me, that just isn’t true, because we have health issues or wheelchair repair appointments or pain that inhibits our ability to be productive in the same way as our non-disabled peers, and that doesn’t make us any less of a writer than them. Write when you have an idea and are able to, not when anyone else says you should be writing.

Anja K. Herrman is a fifteen-year-old disabled writer. Her work has appeared on the Easterseals national blog, Magnets and Ladders, Rooted in Rights, Imagine World as One magazine, Input Magazine, the Huffington Post and The Letter Writers Collective. Her work is also forthcoming in HelloGiggles, and her work has also been recognized in the Ann Friedman Weekly. She is also the winner of the 2019 VSA Primary Division Playwriting Competition at the Kennedy Center and was a Top 5 finalist for the 2021 Sarah’s Inn Youth Voice Award. You can connect on Instagram at @iamakh2044, Twitter @anjakherrman, or via email at anja521 at icloud.com

It seems like pop culture criticism is everywhere these days, from Twitter threads and newsletters to podcasts and critical essays. If you want to write pop culture criticism but have no idea how to get into it, here is a quick guide to getting started.

If you’re really new to the form, start by reading some pop culture criticism—and lots of it. Part of learning how to write well is reading as much as you can, and it’s true even for a specific type of writing like pop culture criticism. Bitch Media—which, in the interest of full disclosure, is a publication that I contribute to semi-regularly—is, in my opinion, the gold standard of in-depth pop culture analysis and an excellent place to begin. Their diverse roster of contributors and commitment to intersectionality is particularly impressive, as is the variety of pop culture properties that their writers cover. The A.V. Club is great, too although they tend to publish more reviews and recaps than criticism.

Know the difference between a puff piece, a review, and a critical piece. These things are distinct, and knowing the differences between them is important! Puff pieces tend to be about celebrities, and while some purple prose on celebs’ beauty and talent might be okay for entertainment magazines (ask me how many yawn-inducing Vanity Fair profiles of celebs I read growing up), a more critical piece by design will not share many characteristics with a fawning profile. The point of a review is to communicate to the reader whether the book, movie, or other property being reviewed is worth the reader’s time and/or money invested in that thing. A piece of pop culture analysis might contain elements similar to a review, but pop culture criticism is really its own form – and an important one. As Emily VanDerWerff wrote in a 2018 piece for Vox on why cultural criticism is necessary: “We need cultural criticism not just to tell us which movies to go see and which ones to avoid, but to tell us things we already knew but didn’t know how to express. If reporting can explain the world to us, cultural criticism can explain us to us.”

Choose your scope — and the format for your analysis — wisely. If you’re analyzing a TV show, will you focus on one episode? A character’s arc through several episodes? An entire season of the show? If you’re new to pop culture analysis, you’ll probably not want to just start an entire podcast on the thing you want to examine; a tweet thread, a newsletter installment, or blog post might be a better starting point if you’re new to the form.

Make sure to pitch a fully developed idea to editors rather than just saying that you want to “write about [pop culture thing]” as your lede. I’m suggesting this because I have made this exact mistake many, many times. In general, it is best to have a specific angle that you want to take on a pop culture property instead of just wanting to write about a pop culture thing that interests you. To use a more specific example, let’s say you want to write about the character Bucky Barnes from the Captain America and Avengers movies; if you have a strong angle, such as “I want to examine the character arc of Bucky Barnes in [name of Marvel property] and how the Marvel universe portrays acquired disability, in the following ways: x, y, and z” — that is going to be much more interesting to an editor than writing a more general “I want to examine the character arc of Bucky Barnes in [Marvel property].”  

Remember, every pop culture criticism writer, no matter how successful, was once new to the form. Not to sound like a banally “inspirational” meme image from Instagram, but you have to start somewhere. And if starting somewhere is writing lengthy rants about music that no one will read — something that I did as a 16 year-old, although my definition of “successful” might not match yours — I’ve done it, and your favorite pop culture critics may have done similar things while starting their writing careers.

Writing and illness have always been interlinked for me. I started my first (very bad) fashion blog in 2009 as an escape from depression and the constant sickness lupus brought. I’d recently had to quit my job as a nursery teacher due to my crap immune system and survived a suicide attempt so was rebuilding my life but at a loss with what to do. I knew I wanted to be a journalist, but I didn’t know how, so to paraphrase Hamilton, “I wrote my way out.”

As I grew both as a person and a writer and began to accept my illnesses, I no longer wanted to escape from them.  But, whilst I’d accepted my illnesses, the one thing I still struggled with was my limitations; little did I know that would change.

I turned my blog it into a place where I could write about my experiences and in turn give others a voice. I gained a community and support from others in the same boat, which gave me the confidence to launch my career as a freelance writer and journalist focusing on health, chronic illness, disability rights and drawing attention to discrimination and injustice disabled people face.

I certainly had enough topics to write about: lupus, depression, dyspraxia, rheumatoid arthritis, celiac disease, asthma, osteoporosis, chronic migraines, anxiety. Add onto all of those two mini strokes, almost dying of sepsis, a hysterectomy at 28, and a still undiagnosed reproductive health problem that currently means I’m undergoing medical menopause.

My failing health gave me more to write about, but it also meant I struggled to write on my bad days. My arthritis and lupus would cause my hands and wrists to swell and seize up. My mental health could be so poor that I couldn’t get out of bed, never mind write. I can be overwhelmingly exhausted thanks to chronic fatigue and develop something known in the chronic illness community as “brain fog,” where you just can’t keep thoughts in your brain, it feels like your head is stuffed full of cotton wool.

My failing health gave me more to write about, but it also meant I struggled to write on my bad days.

As a freelance writer, I’ve had to learn when to take breaks and stop putting so much pressure on myself to always be pitching when my body is telling me otherwise. But I when I went fully freelance I learnt that this just wasn’t sustainable and would lead to more days off than days working as opposed to the other way round. I was used to be feeling ill because of my lupus, with a looming migraine and my hands in arthritis gloves and would still be at my computer because of the pressure I put on myself.

Not listening to my body only makes it worse. Headaches and brain fog develop into migraines, joint pain gets worse, and spreads throughout my body. The fatigue keeps battling with my stubborn nature until I’m sobbing with exhaustion and pain. If I battle through I make myself more ill and the work usually needs a lot of edits because of how ill I was when I wrote it. But, what can I say, I’m strong-willed.

I know the obvious solution for all of this is to rest, but as a freelance writer, if I don’t work I don’t get paid. Another consequence of me not writing means that my story doesn’t authentically get told. The main reason I push myself is that if I’m not working I feel guilty. In a world where your worth is based on how productive you are, it’s easy for a disabled person to feel useless and like a burden. So, I push myself.

But I’ve learned that instead of powering through all guns blazing, it pays to forward plan. As I know how forgetful I can be, I constantly make notes on my phone with article ideas. When I have a breakthrough on how a part of a piece should go, I add to it. On days when my hands hurt too much to write I use voice to text software and apps such as Dragon or Evernote. My single greatest investment has been a bamboo bed desk, which allows me to work from my bed with my laptop at an angle so I can lie down whilst writing. It even has a cup holder and little drawer for my snacks!

In a world where your worth is based on how productive you are, it’s easy for a disabled person to feel useless and like a burden.

Because of my terrible memory, I rely on setting reminders on Alexa to be sent to my phone to email editors and add to articles I’m writing — though I sometimes forget I’ve set them and when she suddenly announces I need to do something I think she’s a mind reading witch. I’m also massively old school so forever scribbling notes to myself that only I can understand.

As freelancing is my sole source of income, some days I don’t have the luxury of just not working — but the nature of my career means that I can choose when to take it slow, something I’m always thankful for. It means that I never take a good health day for granted and do as much as I’m able to and when I begin to feel the tell-tale signs of a flare — depending on the condition this can be aching hands, sleepiness, pelvic pain or headaches — I’m quick to head it off with support bandages, splints, medication or my trusty TENs machine.

My working week isn’t structured the same as most, I typically work from 9-12, have an extended lunch break and take a nap, then work for a couple of more hours. On bad days I can work the absolute minimum, which will be maybe one or two hours, and on better days I can do an almost full day. But it’s important to never push myself too far.

The nature of my career means that I can choose when to take it slow, something I’m always thankful for.

The most important thing to do when I’m having a bad day is to be kind to my body. Yes it can be revolting against me, but fighting back will only make it worse. On painful days I cut myself some slack and take it easy. Sleep is not the enemy. After living in this body for over three decades I know that instead of hating it, I have to love and appreciate all that it gives me. My body may be falling apart but it’s also resilient. Despite the pain it allows me to take my beloved Dachshund puppy on walks every day. I have a creative mind and the determination to share my stories, no matter what.

It can be hard, thanks mainly to my stubbornness, but accepting and setting my own pace has been vital in my growth as a writer. If I hadn’t learned to slow down I don’t think I’d be where I am now. I’ve learned that you don’t have to stop writing when you’re disabled, but you do need to listen to your body.

Rachel Charlton-Dailey is a freelance journalist and writer who specialises in health and disability. Her bylines include HuffPost, Metro UK and The Independent. She is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Unwritten, a new publication for disabled people to tell their stories. In her spare time she can be found (slowly) chasing her dachshund Rusty around the North East English coast.

My career as a freelance writer started purely by chance. A random invitation to a book club would introduce me to the possibility of writing, a career I had never really considered before. Though unexpected, the opportunity came during one of the most difficult times of my life and my ability to work as a disabled freelancer has given me a creative outlet, a source of income, and a cathartic form of therapy. 

After leaving my job of 10 years due to major episodes of anxiety and depression, I was also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The diagnosis came after years of being dismissed by doctors because of my weight. As relieved as I was to have a diagnosis, I was terrified that having yet another chronic condition would keep me from working again. 

At that time, I put all my value into having a paying job. Not being able to make money, after being the major breadwinner for my family, destroyed my sense of self-worth. If I wasn’t working — if I wasn’t making money — I was nothing. Still, my mind and body couldn’t go at the pace I had set before. It took a good 18 months to get healthy enough to start exploring who I was as a newly disabled person. 

If I wasn’t working — if I wasn’t making money — I was nothing.

That exploration led me to that life-changing book club meeting. I was invited to the small book club by someone I had recently met while exploring other new hobbies. At the first meeting, the two other members shared with me that they both worked as freelance writers. I was immediately intrigued. Seeing my interest, they explained how they got into freelance writing. They shared with me how I could pitch to publications and editors and offered advice about their experiences. 

For the first time in years, I felt like this was something I really wanted to do. The anxiety I felt about exploring freelance writing was more of a giddy kind of excitement instead of the manic sort of energy I was used to feeling towards the unknown. This was something I had to try. I initially submitted three pitches and was rejected three times. 

Still, the refusals didn’t hurt as badly as rejection usually did. Instead, I was proud that I had tried something new and was still excited to explore writing. That optimism was rewarded when one of the platforms that initially sent a rejection offered me a chance to ghostwrite as a freelancer. It didn’t pay well and it was a lot of listicles and fluff pieces, but it was just the start that I needed.

During the first year of my freelancing career, I stuck solely to ghostwriting. The editor I was working with offered me a ton of support as someone who was just starting out in the business. He had once been where I was so he was very helpful while I learned the job. During that year, I was able to ghostwrite on several websites belonging to minor media identities. It was fun, light work and the approval I felt when I saw an article perform well was just what I needed to get some of my lost confidence back. Eventually, I felt assured enough with my work experience to renegotiate my rates and received an offer from my editor for credited writing gigs.

Being a ghostwriter was great, but nothing compared to seeing my name printed under my words. I ended my ghostwriting career and used that new confidence it gave me to write about more personal issues. Through pitching to publications that I personally read and respect, I was finally able to work on more substantial topics. I finally had an outlet to explore themes like disability, fatphobia, reproductive rights, and gun control in my writing. 

Finding professional self-fulfillment and a way to monetize my interests really felt like a dream come true. Still, more than that, I found a freedom through freelancing that I never had with my former job and I never needed it more than then. Disability doesn’t look the same each day. My mental illness and fibromyalgia can be impacted by any number of variables, from stress and sleep patterns to the weather and my menstrual cycle. So freelancing seemed absolutely perfect for the inconsistencies of my disabilities. 

Finding professional self-fulfillment and a way to monetize my interests really felt like a dream come true.

One of the biggest issues I had when working a job with a set schedule was the guilt I felt when I needed to take a day off for my health. However, as a freelance writer, I’m allowed to have bad days. If my muscles are aching or my anxiety is through the roof, I can take time to recover. I can plan work around doctor’s appointments and write whenever I like without worrying that I’ve inconvenienced someone. Building relationships with the editors I’ve worked with has also been a great benefit of freelancing. I can honestly share my needs and eliminate stress about accommodating my disability. 

When pitching to other publications, I also discovered a wide community of freelance creatives — both disabled and not — on social media. As a tool, using social media sites like Twitter has helped me to self-promote and leave my comfort zone to find new opportunities. However, there’s the added bonus of connecting and communicating with those who share similar experiences, challenges, and aspirations. Since first interacting with Disabled Twitter and users who work freelance, these connections have become a never-ending source of information, humor, and support.

I’ve had so many meaningful interactions with freelancers that I’ve met via social media. Sometimes, it’s just reaching out to ask for an editor’s contact information, but it’s also those times we’ve re-blogged each other’s work to show our support of each other. If I need someone to proofread something or to bounce ideas off, I know help is just an app away. If I’m having a terrible pain day, I have a community of disabled friends who can commiserate and offer spoons. 

Besides offering better flexibility and an ever-growing support system, working as a freelance writer has been a form of therapy for me. In being able to write about the things that matter to me, I’m more able to turn my focus inwards. Writing through experiences such as the death of my father or my time with postpartum depression helped me better understand these tragedies. Unpacking the facts and feelings by retelling these stories has made me a more mindful person. The catharsis I experience from writing about disability topics or COVID anxiety is just like the relief I get from a great therapy session. I can only hope that anyone who reads my words experiences that same feeling. 

As a disabled person, I can’t fully express how grateful I am for the opportunities that freelancing has offered me. Being a freelance writer has enriched my professional life as much as it has my personal one. Though a career as a freelancer was unplanned, I can’t imagine what my life would be like without everything that work has allowed me to experience. The agency, the stability, the flexibility, the affirmation, and the community I have found through freelancing have made every struggle to get to this point completely worth it.

Samantha Chavarria is a disabled Latina freelance writer who lives and works in Houston. The life-long Texan writes about identity, wellness and disability advocacy, social justice, and pop culture, contributing words to platforms such as HelloGiggles, Bustle, Mitú, and Bitch Media. When she isn’t writing, she’s busy being a wife, mother of three, and spending too much time on Twitter. You can read more of her work and contact her @teoami on Twitter & Instagram. 

My name is Michael Baginski. This will be my second year as a contract freelancer. I am a writer, journalist, and I do a little video editing on the side here or there. I am also autistic. I was originally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome when I was born, and then later changed to being on the spectrum after therapy, doctor’s appointments, etc. I also have ADHD, which makes for a great concoction.

Everyone’s experience in media is different. And that is especially the case for media workers with neurological disabilities. They can have difficulty communicating with editors, fellow media workers, and just about anyone in a job-oriented field. It can be extremely difficult, speaking as someone who is autistic and diagnosed with ADHD who had trouble with many tasks at first. I can only speak for myself about my experiences, but I want to share my guidance for those who are in the media and have similar difficulties communicating their thoughts and feelings. This can be especially helpful for individuals who do not have disabilities, but have trouble speaking up for themselves in general.

One of the things I learned right away about pitching and having said pitch accepted for publication is that I needed to have a lot of patience. I truly believe patience is one of the most difficult skills I had to learn while working and in my personal life too. There are no set rules for publications to follow with regards to freelancers. You want there to be, as they can help you. But there aren’t. There are still small things you can do to manage that time well without getting yourself or another person upset. Being kind and courteous to an editor who treats you the same way back helps tenfold. The editor you work with might not have any control over how long a piece is sitting on the wayside. But if you take your time, follow up when appropriate, and stay in communication with your editor, the experience can be less frustrating overall.

Patience is one of the most difficult skills I had to learn while working and in my personal life too.

Last year, I pitched a piece for months and finally got it accepted. But due to budget constraints, I could not see my work finalized until four months later, in September. Yes, I was frustrated and relieved at the same time. Being told to be patient is something that can annoy a lot of struggling freelancers out there. Especially now during a pandemic. But as someone who is impatient and working on being less impatient, being patient has helped me overcome one of the obstacles I’ve stumbled getting past when I’m communicating with others.

Standing up for yourself is also important. Frustrations can get to you and you may start to withdraw because when you are distraught with sad emotions, you implode emotionally, and you have trouble concentrating on responding, rather than reacting. In addition to my autism, I have social anxiety and depression. I can respond very strongly with my emotions in a scenario that does not have a favorable outcome for me.

Being upfront, being confident, standing up for yourself, and not losing your professionalism during an exchange can help you clearly communicate your needs and what you need help with when working with an editor. Nothing is ever set in stone. The world of freelancing and contract work adds new factors into play every day. And sometimes, that can mean a date for a deadline you cannot meet or a late payment. So you ask if you can change a deadline date, for example, even though they never gave you that option. If they say no, ask why. If they won’t give you an answer, kindly decline moving further and thank them for giving you the opportunity to write for them. If you are waiting on payment, make sure to follow up when time has passed. I went from waiting 2 days to follow up, to a week when I wrote how-to guides for a site.

Depending on the size of the project, it is always a good idea to know your rights as a freelance contract worker. For example, NYC has an act known as The Freelance Isn’t Free Act. It allows a contract worker to take a client they were contracted to work under to small claims court after 30 days from the date of publication. Because it does not cover the whole state and only the city, you need to bring a publication that is based in NYC to court in order to utilize the law. Meaning, you can still utilize the law if you live in Texas and the piece you published was in New York City, like the New Yorker or Buzzfeed. You never want to get to this point, but if it is out of the hands of the editor you are working under, it’s best to know your rights in general.

It is always a good idea to know your rights as a freelance contract worker.

And if you can, join a union. Navigating my first year as a freelance media worker would have been a lot more difficult had I not first joined a union (FSP) that allowed me to be more confident in negotiating rates, dictating the best deadline I can work around, and having the support of my friends and peers.

I absolutely believe you should join a union for freelancers in order to improve your communication skills. When I joined the Freelance Solidarity Project in March of last year, I was very nervous because I did not feel I belonged. I was scared and very withdrawn because it was a new challenge for me to be more social and feel like I belong when I hadn’t written as much beforehand.

Fast-forward a year later, and I am finishing my one-year term as Events chair for the first rendition of their organizing committee. I would never have gotten that far into being elected without learning about what it means to be a part of a union, what rights I have as a contract worker, and what can be done to help gain and protect the rights of this generation and future generations of media workers. I was elected on my guarantee of wanting spaces where we had events (back when we could meet in physical spaces safely) to be as accessible to everyone as possible, and to not make anyone feel alienated from coming.

That is especially how I felt when it came to my fellow people with autism and how sensory overload can be difficult to navigate in a setting with loud music or people being crowded up on one another. I can’t tell you the future of events, but I can tell you that finding solace with people you’ve never met before, and creating friendships out of that, will help you communicate better. Being part of a community makes you feel less alone in your thoughts, and that helps expressing what is needed for you more clearly in the workspace. You also just feel good at the end of the day too.

Michael Baginski is a writer, video editor, and streams on Twitch. You can find him on Twitter talking about pop culture, politics, and Tim Curry @bagmanman. You can also find him streaming at twitch.tv/bagmanmanman because the one man was taken.