Food Writing FAQDo you want to be a food writer, too? Many of the visitors to www.JeanPatterson.com send e-mails asking for advice or information about food writing. If a topic isn't covered below, please feel free to send in your own questions. What does a food writer do? Q: What does a food writer do? It depends. Being a food writer may mean developing and testing recipes, writing cookbooks, reviewing restaurants, writing magazine or newspaper articles about food, interviewing chefs or growers, or doing historical research. Some food writers are freelancers and work for a number of publications; others have a full-time job with a specific publication or Web site. Q: Does a food writer need to have a culinary arts degree? Formal training as a chef is an asset, but not a necessity. Fun as it may sound, culinary school often means a $30,000+ investment and one to two years of full-time study. Some culinary schools like the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) offer weeklong workshops in food writing. Visit the CIA's Web site at www.ciachef.edu to find out more. Q: How about a journalism degree? Similarly, a degree in journalism is helpful, but not necessary. If you're a good writer and know your subject well, no one will ask to see your curriculum vitae. Q: Do you recommend learning French? Mais oui! (At least the food words.) Q: How did you get your start as a food writer? How long did it take? I've been working as a full-time freelance writer since 1998. After completing a degree in English at USC and working for four years at a wire service in Los Angeles, I knew that I wanted to be a freelance writer. Eventually, I realized that I could do something else I love (cook) at the same time. To get the attention of the editors at food magazines like Cooking Light and Bon Appétit, I sent out query letters with article and recipe ideas. After my share of rejections, I eventually managed to match up the right ideas with the right editors. Q: How can I get started as a food writer? Food writing is not a career you can just jump into -- you first have to build up a list of clients so that you have a steady income. If you're serious about food writing, one way to start would be to approach your local newspaper and offer to write restaurant reviews, or to send in recipes or articles to the food section. If you want to write for a food magazine, write to the editor and request a copy of the writer's guidelines. This will give you an idea of the types of articles the editors are looking for. Then send in a query letter with one of your very best ideas. Q: I'm interested in a career as a food editor. Can you give me advice on job requirements, courses to take, and internship opportunities? The job requirements for a food editor depend upon the type of publication. A vegetarian or health-oriented magazine looks for a nutrition degree; a gourmet magazine wants someone with either a culinary background or a journalism background, or both. In either case, any writing courses that you can take will help you, especially nonfiction writing. Many food magazines have internship programs, as do the food sections of major newspapers, such as the Los Angeles Times. Q: Can you recommend any books about freelance food writing? I don't think any freelance writer could live without a copy of Writer's Market, which lists thousands of magazines, publishers, and agents (Writer's Digest Books, edited by Kirsten C. Holm, updated each year). How to Write Irresistible Query Letters by Lisa Collier Cool (Writer's Digest Books) gives helpful techniques for transforming article ideas into persuasive proposals. Anyone who needs to write or edit a recipe will appreciate Recipes into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers and Editors by Joan Whitman and Dolores Simon (HarperCollins). And finally, for definitions and spellings of food, drink and culinary terms, Sharon Tyler Herbst's comprehensive Food Lover's Companion is like a second dictionary.
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