DURATION/TIME 8 weeks Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m Aug. 2-Sept. 20 LEVEL This class is taught at an intermediate/advanced level. At least one year of journalism experience is required. LOCATION West Hollywood, Calif. MORE INFO Email learnwest@mediabistro.com, or call (310) 659-5668 PRICE $550 ($525 for ) more info

Course Details

Freelance writers are the many-armed gods of journalism. They pitch, they write, they chase expense checks overdue since the Reagan administration. The Whole Freelancer is an intensive tutorial on the ins and outs of writing solo, from generating ideas and juggling assignments to battling procrastination, self-doubt, and loneliness. Never before have there been so many opportunities to freelance. But it's also never been so competitive to write your way to the top of the pack.

This is a rigorous, time-intensive course that meets once a week for 8 weeks. The odd-numbered course sessions center around a writing assignment. Students are expected to report and write a magazine-ready 1,000-word piece that will be read aloud and critiqued (with brutal honesty) in class, along with a pitch letter. Assignments may include a profile, a personal essay, a travel piece, and a business story. The even-numbered sessions focus on the bread-and-butter issues freelancers face: managing time, organizing, pitching, generating ideas, dealing with editors, making more money, and increasing your general happiness quotient.

Before you apply, understand that the Whole Freelancer, like freelancing itself, is not for the faint of heart--or the short of time. This is a selective, demanding course that requires a significant commitment. Your passionate participation is essential both to your own success and to the experience of others in the class. And like any crash course, this one includes a fair amount of bluntness about what's working and what's not in your approach to lancing free. If you're feeling thin-skinned, this may not be the class for you. Those who survive are destined to say goodbye to office life once and for all.

By the end of class, students can expect to have:
4 complete and edited 1,000-word articles with pitch letters, all ready to be sent out; an entirely new and thorough understanding of the freelancing as a lifestyle choice and as a business that you run yourself

Instructor Bio

Vince Beiser's Courses

Vince Beiser is an award-winning magazine writer specializing in criminal justice and other social issues. In his many years of full-time freelancing, Vince has hunted down stories from the Balkans to the Middle East on assignments for The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Village Voice, The New Republic, The Nation, US News & World Report, Harper's, and Rolling Stone. He has also held a number of staff gigs, including senior editor for Mother Jones, special projects reporter for The Oakland Tribune, and senior writer for The Jerusalem Report, Israel's leading news magazine.

Vince's work has been honored by Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Columbia and Medill Graduate Schools of Journalism, the National Mental Health Association, the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, the Los Angeles Press Club and many other institutions.

Testimonials

Vince's class helped me put my ideas to paper. With great feedback, I was able to fine-tune my query and article. It was published in a magazine two weeks after class ended. -- Kristy Lund

"I've been freelancing full-time for 2 years, and I wish I'd taken Vince's class before I started. The tips he shared would have improved my reporting and made my life a lot easier." -- Kenneth Miller

"Vince's friendly and flexible teaching style gave me a serious confidence boost in terms of getting started in a freelancing career. I highly recommend that anybody who has the slightest interest in freelancing hear what he has to say." -- Jennifer Jamall

"Vince was friendly, informative, and handled the class extremely well. I'd definitely recommend him and take classes from him in the future." -- Lauren Horwich

"I found Vince's class to be very informative. He was clear, logical, realistic, and encouraging." -- Maria A. Del Toro

"The class was very informative and empowered me with many helpful websites and resources that will help me develop new stories." -- Lisanne Alack

"Vince makes it all look easy! He's that rare, successful writer who's able to share what he's learned out loud in a way that is engaging and fun. You'll walk away equipped with what you need. -- Colleen Wainwright

"Vince's class was a fantastic stepping stone for someone just beginning to delve into pitching articles, yet also full of insider tips for those more experienced." -- Abby Mims

"Vince was very nice, friendly, and funny when he needed to be. Vince even gave us his email address and said we could email him with questions." -- Lesley McCave

"Within six weeks of Vince's class I had two articles accepted to a magazine -- one of them a feature, and best of all, I got paid!" -- Shasta McBride