Aspiring "Food Writers"

[MarketStEl]

Well, while you're at it, let's discuss how "biscuit" fell into disuse in the United States in favor of "cracker," while the term is still used in Britain to describe an unleavened crispy snack bread. (And what do they call the baking-soda rolls we still call biscuits?)

[Carrot Top]

Well, while you're at it, let's discuss how "biscuit" fell into disuse in the United States in favor of "cracker," while the term is still used in Britain to describe an unleavened crispy snack bread.  (And what do they call the baking-soda rolls we still call biscuits?)

←

Righty-O. Let's do.

Let me continue this minor posting frenzy by starting yet another topic.

Will do. Seek and ye shall find.

This one might be a real puzzler, Sandy.

[MarketStEl]

Well, while you're at it, let's discuss how "biscuit" fell into disuse in the United States in favor of "cracker," while the term is still used in Britain to describe an unleavened crispy snack bread.  (And what do they call the baking-soda rolls we still call biscuits?)

←

Righty-O. Let's do.

Let me continue this minor posting frenzy by starting yet another topic.

Will do. Seek and ye shall find.

This one might be a real puzzler, Sandy.

←

Not:

1) seeing a post on this subject anywhere else, and

2) knowing where this topic would fit in the new eG Forums hierarchy,

I'm going to post a topic-starter in "Ready to Eat" ("biscuits"/"crackers" being snack foods, I think that might be the closest fit) and hope a moderator or forum host can issue further guidance on where this topic about food terminology really belongs.

[rconnelly]

Who inspired you most in your decision to write of food?

I've always wanted to be a professional writer and fortunately I am doing that although not full time.

I love food so this is a natural outlet for me.

Lori Colwin is one of my inpirations although the wish was there long before I read her.

What is it particularly that you write of within the wide-varied subject?

Doing restaurant reviews and other food related articles for Tucson Weekly.

When did you take up the pen?

In 4th grade...professionally about 20 years ago

Where do you wish to publish your writings? Do you have any specific magazines/journals or publishers that you have an urge to present your work to for acceptance?

To write for the "Bigs" one day. Have had some bites, but so far nothing has panned out,

Why do you wish to submit your work to these particular outlets?

Because they're there!

How do you hope to have your writings affect the world of food and people?

I like to encourage people to eat locally and I get a bang out of people telling me that reading my stuff makes them hungry.

[Mayhaw Man]

Cake or Meat Pie kinda changes the discussion a bit, doesn't it?

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Well, I suppose that depends on the kind of cake that you are talking about.

And just for the record, in this particular case, I would be all over the pie.

[Devotay]

OK, let's see here:

Who inspired you most in your decision to write of food?

MFK Fisher and Calvin Trillin

What is it particularly that you write of within the wide-varied subject?

I tend to concentrate on issues of food quality, sustainability, seasonality, and traditions of the table

When did you take up the pen?

Actually about 25 years ago, but professionally it was 7 years ago.

Where do you wish to publish your writings? Do you have any specific magazines/journals or publishers that you have an urge to present your work to for acceptance?

I started with a couple of the local free newspapers, then the local real newspapers. I've placed a few freelance pieces in national magazines (always looking for more, by the way). My book will come out later this year, and I am the editor-in-chief of Edible Iowa River Valley

Why do you wish to submit your work to these particular outlets?

remember the guy who said, when asked why he robbed banks, that "that's where the money is"? Well, I publish to these outlets because they'll take my stuff. I keep fighting to get more regular gigs with the big kids (Gourmet, Saveur, B.A., etc) but until then...

How do you hope to have your writings affect the world of food and people?

I hope that people will gain (or regain) a sense of the importance of their food, of the centrality of the kitchen and table in our everday lives.

[Carrot Top]

I have a question for you all who have done this in a serious and considered sort of way (which I have not really, to date, done).

How long is it usual to get an answer on a submission?

I realize that many places have different policies on this.

The few times I've submitted things, I got positive answers within the week (four times, small journal, unpaid); twice within two weeks (slightly larger yet still small journal but with a more focused readership , unpaid); once within three weeks (local newspaper).

Is there a usual "wait time" for these things? Does it differ between types of journals or outlets? Does it differ if you are offering pieces you will be paid for, as opposed to those you are doing for free for the experience of it?

Just curious.

(I ask because there is one place I've submitted that at times has not responded at all to my queries, and at other times has quickly and with positive thoughts, and then again at other times seems to just not have the time to read and time sort of goes on with no answer, which feels like a stall to me. I really would like to move on and do something else than just "wait". This outlet does not pay for writing. Maybe if it were a "real paying job" I would feel differently. So I am looking for thoughts on this.)

Edited March 17, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[Carrot Top]

I've received some responses to my question above, through my private e-mail. Several comments were in common. One: Don't write for free. (As Sandy noted above.) Second: If you decide to write for free, it's easier to blog than to wait for a response from someone else (blogging was mentioned by Janet and several other people, I think, above). Third: Generally places that publish writing done for free are happy to give a yes or no answer within a week or two. If it is longer than that, then they are likely yanking your chain for some reason, or have internal difficulties that will get in the way of a "yes" or "no" answer in a prompt manner.

As I've waited six weeks for a yes or no answer, and still nothing forthcoming, I've decided to blog. At least.

Problem solved.

And thanks, from me, to those that sent me e-mails.

[Mar Calpena]

Who inspired you most in your decision to write of food?

I picked a bargain edition of "Best food writing 2000" in a discount bookshop. It made me realise the variety and quality of (English language) modern food writing. A few years ago I left journalism for good, and decided that if wrote again it would be about a subject I was passionate about.

What is it particularly that you write of within the wide-varied subject?

My view is that of a passionate amateur. Tongue-in-cheek commentary on Spanish gastronomy, recipes, chronicles of my culinary mishaps, food as a metaphor of life... I'm more interested in what food means culturally, and how it shapes people's view of life than in dry handbook instructions. My voice is that of the average person on the street who likes to eat well, not the one of the fussy connoisseur.

When did you take up the pen?

I'm a journalist by trade, and I've always enjoyed writing about food and wine... As I said, when I changed jobs (I am now a comic books editor) I decided I had earnt my freedom to write about what I damn please.

Where do you wish to publish your writings? Do you have any specific magazines/journals or publishers that you have an urge to present your work to for acceptance?

Surprise, surprise: nowhere. You see, English is not my mother tongue, so I have to accept that my prose will never be good enough to grace the pages of Saveur or Gourmet. Spanish newspaper food sections are normally written by staff members and quite short at that, and Spanish food magazines are mostly devoted to recipes. There's one Catalan food magazine called Descobrir Cuina I'm very keen on, but it's not common practice in Spanish journalism to submit one's work out of the blue. So I guess I'll stick to my blog, which is written in Catalan, forever. I've earnt my living as a journalist for over a decade. Whereas I would love to make money out of my food writing (and could live with the exposure, too), I don't need it to believe in what I do.

How do you hope to have your writings affect the world of food and people?

If I make anyone smile, or think about the way they eat (or enrage them!) for five minutes of their life, I'm happy enough. Having said that, every time one of my readers leaves a positive comment I'm in heaven.

[Andy Lynes]

Who inspired you most in your decision to write of food?

On a sunny day in 2003, I was standing on a New York sidewalk with Steven Shaw. He told me that I owed it to myself to write more and for some reason I believed him.

What is it particularly that you write of within the wide-varied subject?

I write of chefs and restaurants and food related travel and a little bit about wine.

When did you take up the pen?

Towards the end of the last century, but professionally in April 2004.

Where do you wish to publish your writings? Do you have any specific magazines/journals or publishers that you have an urge to present your work to for acceptance?

I have a strange urge to present my work to anyone foolish enough to pay me for it.

Why do you wish to submit your work to these particular outlets?

I refer you to my last answer

How do you hope to have your writings affect the world of food and people?

I would like them to laugh, but not for the wrong reasons.

[Carrot Top]

Here's something interesting that I received in my e-mail today that "aspiring food writers" might like to take a gander at - a call for submissions for foodwritings on culture and history:

Call for Authors: Food and Culture. ABC-CLIO is in the process of

developing a comprehensive 21-volume Encyclopedia of World History. We

are looking for interested scholars to prepare 500-1500 word articles

with a global perspective in the areas of Food and Culture.

Compensation: contributors will have their names associated with the

entries they contribute, and will receive access to the e-book version

of the entire encyclopedia (list price $1,800) for personal use.

Contributors assigned 3,000 words or more will also receive a credit of

$300 towards purchase of ABC-CLIO books.

If you are interested in writing 1 or more of the entries listed below,

please send a c.v. to Fred Nadis and/or Monique Vallance:

FNadis@abc-clio.com

MVallance@abc-clio.com

Open topics, with word counts:

Era 9 (1945 to present):

Globalization of Fast Food (including McDonaldization debates....) 800

words

The global spread of ethnic food/restaurants, 700 words

CAFTA and US food exports, 300

Era 7 (1750-1914):

New Techniques of Food Preservation: Canning and Freezing 600

Working Class Diet in Nineteenth-Century Europe 600

The "Cooking Revolution" in the West: Cooking Ranges and Cook Books 600

Food and Health: Dealing with Adulterated Food, 600

Vegetarianism, 600

Music Halls and Beer Gardens 600

Era 6 (1450-1770)

Food Production and Population Change in Central Africa 750

The Age of Buckwheat: Climate, Food, and Famine in Early

Modern Europe 750

Manioc Comes to Africa 200

Maize in Egypt: The 17th Century Staple 200

Maize Comes to india: The 17th Century Staple 200

Maize, peanuts and manioc 200

The Potato Comes to Ireland 200

Creative Destruction: Sugar Cane in the Caribbean 200

Effects of the Mollusk Trade 200

[Carrot Top]

First it needs to be said that I am unsure that I even want to be a "food writer". In considering it as a real job, it seems that plumbers can make more money and can even work their own hours. I entertain the idea twice weekly, each time for about fifteen minutes, and then wish to take a nap. The nap seems much more appealing.

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It was close to two years ago that I wrote this, above.

Several weeks ago in a nutty moment the idea of writing "for real" seemed more appealing than a nap for some bizarre reason.

I submitted a proposal (with a sample, if that's what it's called) for a short series to a real publisher, a newspaper.

Today my proposal was accepted, and I have to go there sometime soon to sign a "freelancer's contract".

Now all I have to do is actually write the things and have them work right.

I do hope it does not interfere with my nap time.

[tsquare]

Congratulations!

[The Old Foodie]

Fantastic! Congratulations!

[Carrot Top]

Thanks.

I still believe I could have made more money if I'd decided to train as a plumber, but there's still time for that if this doesn't work out.

[tsquare]

Thanks. 

I still believe I could have made more money if I'd decided to train as a plumber, but there's still time for that if this doesn't work out. 

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That really isn't the point. There are lots of other things to do - I haven't figured out how to get 6 figures myself (not even close), but it is amazing how many have.

[Carrot Top]

it is amazing how many have.

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I have, in a past career. And I agree with you, that really isn't the point.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Write, make money, be a plumber, take naps . . . whatever fits best.

Edited June 21, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[LittleChef22]

Thanks for sharing your stories! They are all so interesting and inspiring:)

[CitySweetTooth]

Who inspired you most in your decision to write of food?

I've always been a dessert fan and loved to look at pastries as much as eat them. Drawing them as comics seemed natural. I'm surprised it took me so long to do this!

I'm inspired by Poppy Z. Brite's work and also the manga Antique Bakery. Not typical, but since I'm doing a comic strip column it's a new thing!

What is it particularly that you write of within the wide-varied subject?

Desserts! The prettier and tastier the better. If it has appealing colors and shapes to draw, I'll definitely want to cover it.

When did you take up the pen?

I've been cartooning professionally for over ten years, but just started doing food comics this year. I did do a short story about food in 1999 though...

Where do you wish to publish your writings? Do you have any specific magazines/journals or publishers that you have an urge to present your work to for acceptance?

Currently my column is published in the L Magazine and I am working on some pieces for Shojo Beat and Edible East End and Edible Manhattan. I'd like to do more for any magazines really and eventually have my comics collected in a City Sweet Tooth book.

Why do you wish to submit your work to these particular outlets?

Since my comics have a regional focus The L was a great choice, plus they print in color and color is very important in my pieces.

How do you hope to have your writings affect the world of food and people?

Hopefully to help New Yorkers and visitors to New York try out great places they may not have heard of before. Eat more yummy desserts!