One of the challenges I find in working at a remote site is the loss of the newsroom dynamic, in which reporters and writers work with editors to shape the direction of an article or project. Here are some tips for dealing with this situation.

• Describe your assignment in an email beginning “just to confirm that I will be writing about …” Go into as much detail as you can, to allow the editor to correct any misimpressions you may have about the assignment. Also write down whatever you agreed about deadline, length, and payment terms. In some cases, this email will open a dialogue that will help you produce copy that meets the editor’s expectations. At the very least, you have confirmed your agreement with the editor.
• Email or talk with the editor after you’ve done your research but before you start writing. Working in a newsroom, when you go out on assignment a good editor would likely ask you what you’ve got when you return. In a remote working situation, this email or phone conversation gives the editor a chance to weigh in on what s/he thinks is most important or share ideas about other research/reporting that could make the story better. You get feedback as you work, much as you would in a newsroom.
• Share your notes. In a newsroom, your conversation with the editor would likely take place as you flip through a reporter’s pad. Sending an organized version of your notes file serves a similar purpose. This can be particularly useful if you are writing for a specialty or niche publication, as editors of these newsletters and sites often have expertise that you would benefit from tapping for your article. It also gives you a chance to organize your thoughts and spot holes in your research before you begin to write.
• File a draft, and let the editor know you are available for rewrites. In a newsroom you might engage in a side-by-side editing session that is impossible in most remote working relationships. If you and the editor have built enough time into the schedule, you might exchange files with “track changes” activated so you can learn from the editor’s work on your article. Working in Word or similar word processing program, you also can exchange comments that might clear up potential misunderstandings.

Some assignments, particularly spot news and short how-to assignments, don’t warrant this kind of back-and-forth. But for data analysis, blue-sky research and in-depth reporting, these procedures can help freelancers produce copy that meets the editor’s expectations.

I’ve found that most editors are amenable to working with this or a similar system. I’m interested in hearing what works for other editors and writers – please use the Contact form to send me your thoughts.