Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Always Be Looking For New Opportunities

With a background in news and feature writing and advertising, two years ago I decided to write gags full time, which I had been doing on the side for the past 20 years. Over the years I've written for many cartoonists...several of whom I don't write for currently. Right now I'm writing for five syndicated cartoons and five cartoonists who submit to various publications. Cartoons, with my gags, have appeared in The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, Barron's, Wall Street Journal, Better Homes & Gardens, First for Women, Playboy, the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, and many others. Oh, and I also do proofreading for a marketing company. I started this blog about eight months ago with the goal of helping people write better gags and letting them in on what it's like to be a behind-the-scenes gag writer.

I'm always looking for new writing opportunities. I search the Internet for syndicated cartoons I feel I can write for and, if so, I contact the cartoonist to see if they use writers. I have a profile on LinkedIn and Facebook and regularly try to connect with new people who I may be able to work with. I also scan job posting sites for new writing opportunities on a regular basis. I'm planning on writing a children's book - something completely new for me, but something I feel I must do. Sometimes I'm amazed at the work I've been able to develop for myself since I started doing this full time. I also feel that there's a lot more I could be doing. There's always room to grow.

I would ask that if anyone needs assistance with cartoon gag writing, please let me know. I can be reached by email at: gagsbyhelene@gmail.com.

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