Get the journalism chops you need to land good-paying gigs—working at your own pace!
- Is fear of making a mistake or looking stupid holding you back from pursuing your dream of becoming a successful article writer for print magazines, websites, or content marketing companies?
- Are you stuck writing for content mills and can’t seem to move up?
- Having trouble getting editors excited about your story ideas?
- Worried something you write will get you sued? (Yikes!)
- Are you earning less than you should because you didn’t go to journalism school—but you don’t want to shell out $30k to attend (and spend two years doing it!)?
We heard you!
That’s why we created a course that will help you become a more confident article writer – fast – and earn big as a freelancer!
Imagine the pride you’ll feel when you show your friends your byline. Gain the freedom of being a successful freelance writer who can set their own schedule.
Our J-School webinars, transcripts, and resource guides will give you the kick-start you need to start landing lucrative gigs. Eliminate the worries that you’ll mess up or get sued, learn how to generate an idea that sells, get up to speed on article research and writing—and move forward to pitch major magazines and websites with confidence. Also…have fun while you’re doing it. (Have you ever heard Carol and Linda teach? Fun is their middle name. Seriously: Carol Fun Tice and Linda Fun Formichelli.)
We’re offering these J-School materials in a handy self-study format: Start with the first training, and the course will keep track of where you are and send you on to the next unit as you progress! Plus, stay tuned for news on a special Support level where you get your article reviewed and a live Q&A for answering questions.
What you’ll learn:
- Story Ideas That Sell. You’ll discover dozens of strategies and sources for finding story ideas and slanting them to fit specific publications.
- News-Gathering 101. How to find fresh research, locate credible sources, and conduct lively interviews that get you great quotes.
- Article Writing Intensive. We share all our best tips for delivering well-written pieces your editor will love. Then, you can write an article draft and submit it for possible review in our live training and Q&A session
- Journalism Ethics 101. Worried about getting sued? Don’t know if you’re writing things that could get you in trouble with your editor? Learn the correct ways to deal with sources, use quotes, and cite existing materials.
In this session of J-School, you’ll get:
- Four 1-hour recorded webinars covering all the journalism basics—finding story ideas, interviewing sources, writing a compelling article, and avoiding getting sued.
- Four 1-hour Q&A podcasts, where students asked all the questions that are on your mind—and got answers!
- More than 40 pages of worksheets, tips, and resource links to reinforce your training.
- Complete transcripts of each event.
- Live Webinar: Article draft review/Q&A (which will be recorded & transcribed, too!) to be held at the end of class, on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Plus these 7 super-useful bonus trainings:
- Interviewing tips (PDF)
- Idea generation tips (PDF)
- How to write a profile (PDF)
- Watch Carol write a headline that goes viral (PDF)
- How to Make Your Story Idea Irresistible to Editors (audio & transcript)
- Watch Linda write an article (PDF)
- 7 Ways to Get Editors’ Emails (PDF)
Here’s what 4-Week J-School grads say:
“I am totally flabbergasted that this morning I received the green light from the national editor of Natural Awakenings magazine to write an article whose idea came from my participation in Carol & Linda’s most recent J-School! This was the first query I’ve ever written, and I got the assignment from a magazine whose readership is between 1-3 million. I am a complete novice to freelance writing, and I am totally over the moon. Thank you so much Carol and Linda for the push to brainstorm article ideas and the opportunity to fine-tune query letters in the J-School class.”–Lane Vail
“I acted on the information and landed my first paid gig for one of my favourite magazines. If you want to accelerate and take your writing to the next level, then J-School will do it. “The information in this class is practical, fresh, and current. Responses were prompt and tailored to my situation, not a cookie-cutter response. The cost and value of J-School is an investment you benefit from in numerous ways, and again and again. “–Diane Dutchin, WriteEncourageEmpower
“My last clips were years ago. After taking J-School and having my query letter reviewed in Freelance Writers Den, I landed my first glossy-mag assignment from Pregnancy & Newborn. Lesson one of J-School (the story ideas session) changed my life!” –Lisa Baker
“After signing my byline for an article today, I finally consider myself a real journalist. I owe it all to 4-Week Journalism School. Since taking your class and being in the Den, I’ve signed my first contract with a newspaper, and am working on my third submission. I’m building relationships with editors and getting assignments. “One local magazine editor told me he would pay me for a front-of-the-book piece that’s usually reserved for in-house staff writers — that never would have happened without taking your class. I wouldn’t have the confidence to interview sources live or build professional relationships with editors and other writers. I feel very blessed!”–Janet Thomson
Meet your instructors:
Linda Formichelli is a veteran freelance writer and the co-author of The Renegade Writer: Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success and The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock. Linda has written for close to 150 magazines — from Pizza Today to Redbook — and two dozen corporate clients, including Pizzeria Uno, OnStar, and Sprint. She teaches an 8-week course on breaking into magazines and also offers phone mentoring. Her blog is The Renegade Writer.
Carol Tice is a longtime freelance writer and writers’ coach. Her freelance clients have included Forbes, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Seattle Magazine, Entrepreneur, Costco, Lending Tree and many others. Her Make a Living Writing blog was named one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers three times, and appeared in Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers twice. She created the writers’ support and learning community Freelance Writers Den. Carol and Linda co-wrote the e-book 13 Ways to Get the Writing Done Faster.
SATISFACTION GUARANTEE
Worried 4-Week J-School might not be for you? Well, there’s no risk to trying it! Because we’re so confident that you’ll find it well worth more than the class fee, we offer an unconditional guarantee.
If you aren’t satisfied with the knowledge and resources you get in 4-Week J-School, simply let us know and we’ll send you a full refund. Period.
More J-School Raves:
“My first article was published in the Sanford Herald on Christmas Day. I’ve got an open door with the paper for continued work. The editor was impressed with the sample articles I sent. I will be recommending that other writers take J-School in the future. Thanks!” — Bree Normandin
“Carol, I know J-School has helped me immensely. You were exactly right about experts’ willingness to be interviewed. You’ve also helped me learn about writing for the market — and the importance of marketing — my biggest challenge, I think.”–Cheryl Bryan, Cheryl’s Desk
“I had considered trying to write freelance, but had no idea where to begin. Now, I fully intend to submit a short article for either Natural Health Magazine or Whole Living by the end of next month, and for me that is huge. I moved across the country at the end of 2010 and have been struggling to find work as a writer ever since. “Going into J-School, I knew I would have a lot to learn, but really had no idea how much I didn’t know about the industry and proper journalism. I was inspired and motivated by the lessons. Thanks for creating a great course and providing such quick and thorough feedback on my questions and homework submission. I haven’t felt this excited about my future as a writer in a long time, and I have you to thank for that. I feel like I got more than my money’s worth from your class.”–Courtney Buell
“J-School gave me structure and context in a condensed version. I also really appreciated all the research sources. The whole course was like a map that pointed me in the right direction and got me traveling on the right road. Thanks!”–Leigh Brookes
“J-School was awesome! I took J-School a few months before I left my full-time gig. I wanted to broaden my knowledge and give myself more writing opportunities, and I found J-School to be exactly what I needed. The benefit became very clear when a few weeks after I finished the course, a trade association I’d worked with wanted me to take over their monthly print magazine. What I learned in J-School gave me the idea to interview and write profiles of their members, so I pitched them the idea and they went for it! “I just signed a year long contract with them, and they’ve thrown me other projects, too — press releases, speeches, electronic newsletters, and website content. Because of this work, I’ve been approached by other trade associations. J-School gave me insight and knowledge, and that builds confidence. My road to where I am today has been relatively smooth — because of J-School, I haven’t experienced the horror stories I hear from a lot of new, or even seasoned, freelancers. THANK YOU for putting the course together, and for playing a part in my journey.”–Amanda Ibey, JustDailyLiving
“It’s an understatement how valuable this training has been for me. I just started freelancing this past January, so I am fairly new. After last week’s letter-of-intent/query lesson, I put one together and sent it off (via email) to a few publications this week. I received a response immediately from a large technology magazine who wanted clips and my resume. A conference call this morning with two editors and bam! I’m now getting my largest assignment to date at $1.00 per word. I am still shaking in my boots! “I am ecstatic over the short timeline of LOI submission to assignment. But I know it was what I’ve been learning in class, and more importantly applying it that made the difference. Now I have a better idea what to say to actually get my foot in the next door. Thanks Carol and Linda.”–Rose McNeill
The only J-School session in 2016
More than 600 writers have already taken advantage of the tips in these materials to get better article-writing gigs. Coming up shortly, we’ll have the only supported J-School session — with article feedback! If you need this knowledge, get on the waiting list and be first to hear when class will begin:
