A Conversation with Long-time Freelance Journalist, Vanessa Orr

Vanessa Orr has managed to maintain a successful writer career for over 25 years.  She’s a pro at juggling multiple streams of income – even taking on part time work over the years when necessary to keep developing her writing career.  Today she combines several types of writing including travel to support her family of furry children.  Vanessa joins us this week to talk about her experiences over the years as a freelance writer and share a little advice for keeping all those income balls in the air.

You’ve been a freelance writer for most of your adult life with a mix of corporate and travel writing. What initially inspired you to start your writing career? What has the journey been like for you?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I first learned to read. I was selected in elementary school to go to a Young Author’s Day event, and that was it—I was hooked! I couldn’t believe that you could make a living at this! I went on to study journalism at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and have continued to write ever since. I’ve held a lot of other jobs as well to help pay the bills, but I’ve always put writing first.

Freelancing is often a tough business with times of feast and times of famine. How do you balance your workload and income streams to keep things afloat?

I never say no to work. I say no to sleeping a lot, but when there’s work, you have to take it. When things are slow, I pitch a lot more, and I get in touch with editors that I’ve worked with previously to see if there’s anything I can write for them. I’ve done this for enough years that I have a pretty steady income with regular clients, but I still take every assignment, because it hasn’t always been this way.

As for travel writing, what advice would you give to someone who wanted to become a travel writer in today’s competitive and often low-paying market?

Hang tough, and if you have to take part-time jobs to keep you afloat while you’re getting established, do it. And keep pitching despite rejections; everyone doesn’t like everything. Try to find other writers who will give you advice, or join organizations like MATPRA and NATJA which are amazing resources for everything from how to write a pitch letter to how to find press trips. While it is a competitive business, people are willing to help if you ask.

Oh, and be gracious. If you’re lucky enough to get assignments, appreciate the fact that you’ve been given work, and that an editor or DMO has put their trust in you. Deliver a quality product on time, and ask for feedback. And do understand that while travel writing is an awesome job, it is a job. Do it well if you want more work.

You’re a member of  North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA) and also an active participant in the Mid-Atlantic Travel Public Relations Association (MATPRA) group for the Mid-Atlantic region, what benefits do you get from participation in these programs?

I can’t say enough about these organizations. I think the biggest benefit for me has been meeting other members—both writers and DMOs. While I’ve always been a features/business/health writer, I wasn’t very familiar with the travel writing world, and they have advanced my knowledge and contacts immeasurably. Both organizations really want their members to succeed, and will go out of their way to make that happen.

Where do you see your writing career going in the next 5 years – and what are your goals?

You’d think after doing this for more than 25 years, I wouldn’t be surprised by what happens, but there’s always something new around the corner. I’d like to increase the amount of travel writing that I do, especially to international destinations. I’m just starting to do more online writing, which I really enjoy, though my first love will always be print. The beautiful thing about writing as a career is that it gives you the ability to do almost anything you want, anywhere you want…and I want to do everything! How’s that for a goal?

You and I have had some legendary road trips together – what are some of your favorite travel experiences? And, where would you like to go next?

This is always a hard question, because I’ve enjoyed everywhere that I’ve traveled—there’s always something to discover at a new destination! I’d have to say that our road trip through Belize in a car with no brakes was pretty spectacular; so was the trip we took last year to Big Bend, TX, where the scenery took my breath way (as did the tarantula outside my hotel door). I like hanging out in little towns, too, and loved the road trip I did along the Lincoln Highway in Pennsylvania, where I got to stay in a 1940s motor lodge. I could go on and on and on. As for where I’d like to go next, I’m Scotch/Irish, so I would love to take a trip to Scotland and Ireland. Oh, and Italy. And the rest of America. And Latin America. And…well, you get the idea.

Vanessa Orr has been a freelance writer for the past 25 years and has written thousands of travel, business, health and general features pieces for a wide range of local, regional and national publications, ranging from Alaska Business Monthly to GEEK to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and CATS magazine. She is the editor and travel columnist for North Hills Monthly magazine, a publication serving Pittsburgh, PA, and also works as an advertising copywriter and producer.  Originally from Pittsburgh, Vanessa lived for seven years in Juneau, AK, before returning to her home state 15 years ago. The two greatest loves in her life are travel and animal rescue, with the result that many of her road trips also end up with fuzzy passengers headed to safe, loving homes.