Q: I'd like to write an article about weight loss, but I'm not a medical professional and I'm not sure how to make it unique. Do you have any ideas?

A: I confess that I made up the question above to fit some good advice that I received from freelancer Carla Passino when seeking advice on how writers can turn their weight issues into sellable article:

I don't write these kind of stories but not too long ago I gave an idea to a health editor on the topic (and was nicely paid for it): it was called "the fat scar" and basically looked at how women who had once been overweight continue to have self-confidence and self-perception issues even long after having lost weight -- because in the back of their mind, they still "see" themselves as fat. Coming up with the spin was relatively easy -- I know a lot of women who have this kind of issues -- so I suppose my suggestion to other writers would be to try and keep their eyes open and the stories will present themselves under the guises of their mothers, sisters, neighbors. And, while it is rude, listening to other people's conversations at restaurants and cafes also helps (once overheard a friend's little girl, who is 6 years old, tell her mother at a restaurant that she'd rather not have potatoes with her steak because she didn't want to get fat -- weight issues at that age, go figure!) . But seriously putting together two *big* topics -- such as weight issues and psychological scars from childhood -- often results in a very sellable story.

I think it's good advice no matter what. If you have a real question though about freelancing, writing, pitching, rocking and rolling and whatnot, drop me a line.