Advice for Writer with First Major Music Writing Gig

Down the wrist, not across the wrist.

haha. i anticipated that from you guys. anything else ?

hand in your shit on time and your editors will love you

Hand it in a day earlier and they will REALLY love you.

do not spend your $30 all in one place.
also, yeah, turn things in early! 90 percent of life is just showing up and so forth ...

don't overwrite

Hide your thesaurus.

Don't read the press packs.

Well, at least skim the bio part of the press pack so you don't ask them "How did you all meet" if it's, you know, actually THERE in black and white.

"I'd like to ask you a question that everyone asks you even though your bio clearly gives all of us the answer."

"That's nice. Can I kill you now?"

Thanks guys for all your responses. This is my first real professional writing gig and I'm slightly on edge. I've written for school papers but that doesn't really count. Also, I was wondering about pitching stories ? Do you see this part of the whole music writing game as essential. I mean it obviously is, but I wonder if there is any techniques or maybe a book you guys could recommend on this aspect of it. It seems like most of the writers I know hate this part of the job.

Listen to a lot of different styles of music.
Be witty and imaginative.
Use the active voice as often as possible.
Adhere to word counts.
Meet deadlines.
Eschew dullness at all costs.

I am both a freelance writer and a magazine editor, so here's both sides of the deal.

Always pitch a story. Never email an editor and say, "So-and-so band has a new album out. Can I write about it/them?" Find something interesting to say about the band, or do with the band, and write about that. Make the music incidental, even.

As far as the actual writing is concerned, sure, you could listen to lots of different kinds of music, but don't become one of those fuckbags that tries to make his "Band X is like Band Y and Band Z combined" analogies as obscure or genre-hopping as possible. Being witty does not mean writing pieces that take the form of an open letter to the band, or are written in the voice of a 13-year-old girl (unless you are a 13-year-old girl). Yes to the active voice. Yes yes a thousand times yes to word counts and getting your copy in before deadline if possible.

What exactly are you writing about oscar? Is it a live review/interview/album review?

Yeah grozart, that's the agenda as far as I know for now. Hopefully, I'll be able to do something more in depth later but getting those formats down first will be the first priority.

Make the music incidental, even.

Consult your editor before you do this. Nothing sucks more than a complete rewrite. (I also speak as an editor and a freelance writer.)

congratulations all the same. i think the best thing you can do (not that i'm an expert or anything) is not to work yourself up too much. If you have the knowledge, originality and talent it'll shine through. by all means familiarise yourself with the house style if there is one, but don't make it into a hindrance because that way you'll fret over every word in every sentence and will never be happy with it. Just write from within and see what comes out. have a good think and a listen to whichever band you are covering, then go somewhere else and do something else. ideas will come to you when you least expect them so it's always a good idea to carry a pen and pad with you, or even a dictaphone to record snippets of ideas while you're checking out the curly kale at Sainsbury's or whatnot. as with all writing, brainstorming is key, but tearing yourself away from the assignment is as important as working on it, so def get started on things as soon as you get them because that way you'll have more time to think about them.

use verbs to describe the music, over-reliance on "to be" is static and bor-ing.

in general I would concentrate on getting the facts straight and submitting the piece on time. yr literary ambitions will be easier realized w/experience. strive for objectivity, communicate the essence of subject in clear prose rather than trying to draw attention to yrself w/flashy approach. this is a beginning, hopefully,

good luck

>Consult your editor before you do this.

Well, yeah; I was still talking about pitching as much as actual writing, there.

Everything unperson says. And yeah, it does help if you turn in a story early and don’t overwrite.

I’d also say go out of your way to avoid reading work covering the same ground, of course this isn’t mandatory but things like reviews it seems to help.

as always i recommend seeking a more lucrative and rewarding line of work

get your stuff in on time, but not TOO EARLY. This gives fuckhead editors time to nitpick. You'd be surprised how your copy goes in word for word when they're up against deadline but word choices will be questioned when there's more time to contemplate...and it doesn't lead to be a better piece, just a slightly reworded one. Considering most people read this stuff on the shitter and throw it out in a week, don't get too worked up over it. By all means, do your best. But treat it like something you want to write and not something you have to...

find a steady and reliable dealer

save yourself a year of being broke and get a job in a record/book store now

yes, agreed. get another source of income. or cozy up to someone with a trustfund.

shit in your hand on time

Avoid the first person. Don't try too hard to dazzle with the first few pieces. Write to inform your readers, not to impress your peers. Avoid cheap snarkiness. Build a reputation for being rock-solid reliable.

While mike t-diva's advice is all very... sensible... it's EXACTLY the kind of stuff I tried my damndest to break away from with Stylus.

Heh, I am such a careerist hack! :-)