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How a freelancer pitched a personal essay about running and romance to Runner’s World
For my latest installment of “How I Pitched It,” I talked to Amanda McCracken, a freelance health, travel and relationship journalist in Boulder, Colo. McCracken, who’s written for outlets including The New York Times, NPR and The Guardian, shares the story behind her May Runner’s World essay, How the Best Lessons I Learned During Racing…
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3 fun and creative ways freelancers can celebrate their work
Despite national and global despair in 2025, the year in writing for me was largely — gasp — fun. I’d been a health correspondent for a national publication throughout the pandemic, transitioned to freelance in 2023 and wrapped up an eight-month, mentally and emotionally draining investigation in 2024. I was ready to delight in storytelling…
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How to find and tell fresh stories about infertility and reproductive health
From news about the Trump administration’s insulting potential strategies to incentivize women to have more babies to dire headlines about abortion bans increasing infant and maternal mortality, there’s no shortage of depressing — if not downright dystopian — reproductive health stories for journalists to follow and write. And while we have a responsibility to inform…
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March Lunch and Learn: Pitching to your ideal publication
Seeing your byline in a magazine you’ve read since childhood or an online outlet all your friends devour is the pinch-me moment many freelancers dream about. But you can help make it a reality by taking some strategic steps, some AHCJ freelance members said during the March Lunch and Learn. Here’s a summary of what we’ve…
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How to update your AHCJ Freelance Directory profile
AHCJ’s Freelance Directory is a key perk of membership for freelancers. The public-facing database allows editors to search for health journalists who could be a good fit for their projects. For example, maybe an editor is looking for someone with expertise in mental health who’s a “professional” member, or someone whose full-time gig is journalism…
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Laid off? 8 tips for accidental freelancers
As if frigid temperatures, catastrophic wildfires, and an administration that belittles science and the media weren’t rough enough, January 2025 also left hundreds of journalists without jobs. If you’re one of them, I’m so sorry. Getting laid off is emotionally, practically, and financially destabilizing, especially when your identity and sense of purpose are tightly tied…
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