Archive for the Category ◊ Samples ◊

27 Jun 2011 The New York Times Backstory
Author:  |  Category: Ask Mridu, Samples  | Tags: , , ,  | 5 Comments

If you find the time, can you write in your blog and share with us how you made it to the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune?  I think NYT is the dream of many freelance journalists.  What was the experience like? Honestly, I haven’t tried sending queries to these major international dailies.  I think that I still need to learn more and get enough bylines and experience.

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When a reader of this blog sent me this question, I thought, what a great question. Let’s see how I can answer it. Then, having already taken a lot of flak on this blog for how easy it’s been for me to break into these publications (it hasn’t) and the fact that the NYT was a personal as well as professional struggle for me, I chickened out and wrote back, “Well, just send a good query letter.”

I felt a bit uneasy about that, because it’s not the complete truth, and like the poster says, NYT is a dream for so many journalists. So I’ve decided to share the back story.

I first pitched the NYT five years ago, and clearly I got the wrong editor because I received a very nice e-mail response saying while they liked my writing and my credits, they already had a full-time staff in India and didn’t take freelance contributions. I believed that and so didn’t try again for another couple of years. Around this time, I knew someone who was very close to me who did jobs (not writing) for the Times and who I trusted, and one day, I mentioned to him a few story ideas that I had that I thought were perfect for them that I was thinking of pitching as soon as I built up the nerve to contact them. Wouldn’t you know it, two of those ideas showed up in the Times that very month under his girlfriend’s byline.

My first reaction was to be gutted. I couldn’t read the Times for months without my entire body quivering with rage. But slowly, I began to get back my confidence, to realize that if my ideas had been good enough to be published in the Times, heck, I should be pitching them! But I didn’t, of course, not for another year or so.

When I was in the US, I became a regular reader of the Times and started seeing names of freelancers popping up routinely in the international section (my favorite part of the paper). When I returned, I suppose I was just a little bit wiser and a lot more confident about my abilities as a journalist. At a dinner at one of my editor’s place, I met a New York Times journalist, who I knew was one of the top eds and had decision-making power, and a few days later, I shared the idea for a story on plastic roads with her and asked if she might help me get in touch with the right editor. This lovely lovely woman e-mailed back within minutes with the name and contact information of the right editor, and a few days later, I had my first assignment with the the IHT/Times.

Now, here’s the thing: As lovely as this journalist is, I don’t think she would have given me any contact information unless she thought I had a good idea. My query letter was well-written, my credits were good, but what really made it happen was that the idea was stellar. Not only had I never seen it covered before, but when the piece was published, it was linked to everywhere. People loved it. (And no, I can’t take credit for that stellar idea, because Sam found it, e-mailed me and practically forced me to pitch it. I LURVE him.)

I’ve loved working for the Times, obviously (big surprise there, I know) or I wouldn’t continue writing for them, and I’m hoping they’ll continue to like me back and send more work my way in the future.

Oh, and the query letter that got it all started? Here it is. As you can see, it’s not the best query ever written; it’s definitely the story that makes this piece.

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Dear Editor:

[My contact] at the New York Times suggested I contact you.

I have a story idea [contact] thought you may be interested in, and so I’m including it below for your consideration.

A bit about me: I’m a freelance journalist based in New Delhi, India, and write for Time, Parade, Global Post, Ms., Marie Claire, and Women’s eNews, among others. Please feel free to check out my work on my website www.mridukhullar.com.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Mridu Khullar

**

Pitch: The Plastic Road Less Traveled

Two problems: One, the monsoon every year ensures that India’s already battered roads bleed and suffer extensive damage. Two, tons of wasted plastic disposed improperly is becoming a huge environmental menace, and the country’s landfills are overflowing with it.

One solution: plastic roads.

In Chennai and other parts of the state of Tamil Nadu, experimental plastic roads (1,500 kilometers) have already been placed. The result: cheaper, environment-friendly roads that not only don’t have to be repaired each year, but have no potholes, something most of the country’s roads can’t boast.

In fact, the idea has been so successful that it is being implemented in other cities of India as well: in New Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata.

The roads came about because of K K Plastic Waste Management Private Ltd, which was formed after the founder Ahmed Khan came up with the idea while he was experimenting with different kinds of plastic materials. He conducted research for several years, building one road, then approached the Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi (CRRI) to do further research and lay many more. It is done, though, with every state government’s approval as well as supervision.

There is currently only a 1 km stretch of plastic road in Delhi, but like I mentioned 1,500 kms in the state of Tamil Nadu, and several stretches in the city of Bangalore, the IT hub of the country, where many more are planned. In fact, the government of Bangalore is looking to make the city plastic roads only.

A unique feature of the project is that it actually makes use of the waste plastic bags that are used for food packaging as well as several other waste plastic that comes from everyday living and often ends up in the country’s landfills (and is typically burned causing health problems in surrounding areas). The costs of road-building have gone down by 10-15%.

**

Here’s the resulting piece: Plastic Roads Offer Greener Way to Travel in India

17 Dec 2009 Query: Spirituality & Health
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I sent this query when I was in Ghana and finishing up my first assignment for this editor. I typically would have waited to write and submit the first piece before pitching the second, but I knew this one would be right up his alley and didn’t want to waste any time because I was leaving the country soon.

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Dear X,

Hope this finds you well. I’m putting the finishing touches on the (previous) piece and should have it to you within the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I came across a very fascinating concept here in Ghana, and since I’m only here until [date of my departure], I thought I’d run it by you in case you’re interested.

Here’s a brief:

A large fish. An over-sized Coca-Cola bottle. A hammer. Even a mobile phone.

They could be art exhibits in a gallery in Paris. Instead, they’re coffins. Handmade, very detailed, and created to carry a deceased Ghanaian to his afterlife.

In the West African country of Ghana, funerals are as much a time of mourning as they are of celebration. The significance of symbols is strong, and hence a person, in the event of his death, is placed in a coffin that symbolizes his life. So a farmer may bid farewell in a cocoa bean coffin, a pilot in an airplane, and a cell phone salesman in, what else, a Nokia cell phone.

Death is taken very seriously, and the body of the deceased may have to be preserved for months while the coffin is carved out. The coffins themselves cost about $400 and up, in a country where a majority live on less than $2 a day. A death ceremony can send families into several years of debt-paying. All so that their loved ones can leave in style and find peace in the other world.

Near Accra, the capital of the country, skilled craftsmen have their stores and are open to the public to come view them at work.

I think the concept is fascinating on many levels, and the primary appeal I see for Spirituality & Health’s readers lies in the concept of celebrating death. Seeing the positive in what appears to be a negative. Finding joy in moments of pain. A sad event, a death is a colorful celebration, so much so that coffin-makers are a tourist attraction. And a minutely-carved piece of art is buried making it special and impermanent, just like the body that lies inside it.

What do you think? Let me know if you like the idea, and I’ll hop on over and get my research, interviews and photography done.

Thanks X. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
Mridu

**

The published piece: Going Boldly Into That Good Night

16 Dec 2009 Query: GlobalPost
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While this was an editor I had only worked with once before, we’d hit it off immediately, and had discussed everything from my crazy work-all-night schedule to the birth of his children. The editor had loved what I had done for them before and received fantastic feedback on it from his staff, so we were quite comfortable with each other. Because of that, even though he was still editing my earlier piece, you’ll notice that my query is laidback and doesn’t try too hard. I don’t need to mention credits or bio because he’s already aware of what I bring to the table.

**

Hi X,

Hope you’re well. I know you’re still looking at the [earlier] piece, but I came across this timely story that I thought I’d send your way. Let me know if you find it interesting.

When’s the baby due? Ask your astrologer

As the concern over the rising rates of caesarean sections grows around the world, in India, the opposite is happening: couples are increasingly opting for them. In consultation with their astrologers.

Middle-class Indians today, with access to some of the best healthcare in the world, are opting for premeditated caesarian sections in order to perfectly time the birth of their babies. In this practice that is both dangerous and controversial (but increasingly popular), couples consult with their astrologers to make sure that their child is born at an “auspicious time” of their choosing, at great risk to both mother and baby. No doubt astrologers– and doctors– are profiting. Some hospitals now even boast of astrology departments.

The story hasn’t been picked up yet by any international media, and I’d love to report on it for you. Let me know if you can use it.

Thanks so much, X. I look forward to the edits and hearing what you think of this story idea.

Best,
Mridu

**

The published piece: In India, C-Sections are in the Stars

15 Dec 2009 Query: ELLE
Author:  |  Category: Samples  | Tags:  | 2 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before, I got my start in journalism with ELLE’s Indian edition, and have continued writing for them over the years. I have a relationship with several of the editors at the publication, and my queries are often quick, personal notes, sometimes just a line or two.

Because I understand this publication intimately, I went ahead and did my reporting as well as asked a photographer to accompany me even before we had the assignment. Since we went as a team, you’ll see that I pitch this piece using a “we.” I don’t mention it here, because the editor is no doubt aware of it, but it was the first gay pride parade to be held in several cities.

The query took about ten minutes to write.

**

Dear X,

Hope this finds you well. I’m writing because I’m sure you’ve heard of the Gay Pride Parades that took place around the country yesterday in Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore, and I wanted to offer you a story on the parade as well as the issues surrounding the gay and lesbian communities in India.

I was at the parade yesterday with photographer BK, who flew here from Sri Lanka. We spoke to several activists and straight people who were attending the parade, and thought it would be a good opportunity to talk about homosexuality in India. Despite being part of a gay pride parade, it struck us that several people who had come to stand in solidarity with gay people were quite homophobic (one straight student told us he had dressed in his shabbiest clothes so that he wouldn’t get hit on by gay men.)

In addition to the parade itself, I think the article could focus on the problems that the gay community faces (forced marriages, violence, alarming rates of suicide) and solutions (the arts are a huge outlet when it comes to expression of freedom in the community). It would also take a look at the class factor: while middle-class and upper-class homosexuals have been able to gain a level of acceptance in their communities, for the majority of homosexuals in India, it still seems like an impossible dream. Indeed, many people at the parade wore masks to cloak their identities and several refused to speak to the media for fear of repercussions.

I think the gay pride parade has brought the issues of the homosexual community into the spotlight, and hence this would be a very timely piece in terms of talking about the achievements made and how much more there is to do. A Supreme Court judgment on the law against homosexuality is due in the next couple of days and I’ll make a note of that ruling as well.

Let me know if you agree. I can have the article written in the next ten days so that it can be published in a timely manner. Professional photographs by BK are available.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Mridu

**

The published piece: Pride Meets Prejudice

14 Dec 2009 Query: Ms. Magazine
Author:  |  Category: Samples  | Tags: , ,  | 3 Comments

Here’s an early holiday present from me to you. For the whole of this week, each day I’ll be posting a query letter that led to a sale. The published pieces are all available online. If you read them, you’ll notice that the queries often look different to the pieces, because once the editor gets involved, his or her vision becomes part of the final product as well.

I sent this query to Ms. Magazine in July 2007, it was published a year later. This was my first assignment for them.

**

Dear X:

Six states in India banned sex education in schools late last month, saying that the course material was too explicit, encouraged sexual conduct in young people, and was against the Indian culture.

To discipline students further, two high schools in Mumbai came up with another rule: girls and boys will not be allowed to touch each other. If they happen to brush against each other by accident, they’ll be penalized.

In a rapidly developing India, where pre-marital sex is still considered taboo (even though reportedly a quarter of the nation’s youth admit to engaging in it), and the generation gap has become a gaping hole, more and more young people are fumbling for reliable information on sex, contraceptive choices and methods. Even in educated India, the inhibitions and taboos surrounding sex make information inaccessible.

But education is just the first step. Getting access to contraceptives is a whole other battle. When Nikki B. went to the local pharmacy to buy the morning-after pill, the looks from the men across the counter, she says, made her feel like a prostitute. The next time, she went with her boyfriend and pretended to be married to him before making the purchase.

Doctors act as moral police, too. When patients reveal that they are unmarried, several of them are given lectures, stern looks, or are completely dismissed. The result is a large number of youngsters who feel reluctant to approach doctors and health workers about their sexual health, and are as a consequence, susceptible to STDs, genital infections, even AIDS. Abortions among unwed mothers continue to be on the rise.

Not surprisingly, this moral policing is directed mostly at women.

Would this be a story you might be interested in? I’ll talk about the lack of willingness among parents to talk to their children (especially girls) about sex, interview women from different generations to get their takes on the issue, and talk to health and education experts to find out what this means for the future of India’s youth.

[My bio]

**

Resultant piece: Have They Forgotten the Kama Sutra?

28 Jul 2008 Query: Women’s eNews
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This was my first query to Women’s eNews. I’d earlier sent them a Letter of Introduction and the editor sent me writer’s guidelines and encouraged me to pitch ideas.

Some things to note:

1. Even though the project isn’t aimed at women in particular, I emphasize why it’s of importance to women, and hence relevant to the publication’s audience: “The project is particularly of help to women, many of whom are widows and have children from their previous marriages.”

2. The article speaks of a huge problem (one written about hundreds of times), but also gives details of a unique solution (which hasn’t been written about at all). There’s a freshness about it.

3. I’ve done my research. This helped me give lots of details of the background of the people involved and why this project is not just a simple government-funded effort, but something that held meaning to the people behind it.

**

Dear [Editor]:

Thank you for your e-mail. Here’s an idea that I think would work well for [Name of Publication]. I hope you agree.

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In a country of arranged marriages, it’s hard enough for a woman to exert her identity. Add AIDS to the equation and you have women who can never have healthy relationships.

In India, few women–married or unmarried–can afford to come out in the open about their HIV status because of the stigma attached to AIDS and the morality issues that surround it.

Daxa Patel, of the Gujarat State Network of Positive People, has come up with a unique solution–a marriage bureau for HIV-positive people.

The bureau was set up by Daxa and her husband Vithal Patel, both of whom are HIV positive. Daxa found out she was positive when she got pregnant, though neither of them have been able to determine how they got infected. On a doctor’s advice, Daxa aborted the baby, but has been in a happy relationship with Vithal for the past seven years.

The couple became HIV counselors and thought other people deserved to be in happy relationships as well. The idea behind the project was that people with HIV might be happier together than alone or with partners who were HIV negative.

The project is particularly of help to women, many of whom are widows and have children from their previous marriages. Many of them need not only social security, but economic security as well.

I propose a piece on this marriage bureau and the people behind it. I will also interview couples who have come together through the network, and others who’re seeking partners with their help. The article will additionally help explain the situation of AIDS in India, which according to recent UN reports is now considered the country with the most number of AIDS cases.

As I mentioned in my previous e-mail, I’m a freelance journalist based in New Delhi, India, and have written for publications such as Marie Claire, Elle, The World & I, The Times of India, Yahoo.com, Chicken Soup for the Soul and East West Magazine.

Details of my work and published credits are available on my website: http://www.mridukhullar.com.
I’m happy to send samples of my recent work.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you.

Warm Regards,
Mridu Khullar

**

The resultant article:
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/3201

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