WRITING IN ISRAEL

 

I’m often asked whether its not difficult finding writing markets living in  a non-English speaking country.

The truth is that  today a writer can live anywhere in the world and write for publications anywhere in and even  ‘off’ the world i.e. online.  No one even needs to know where you live – unless it’s to send the cheque ( that spelling gives away that I’m an ex Brit)

If you want to write about developments in hi-tech / bringing up children / advances in medicine /  latest building techniques / house decorations / spring cleaning /  car design /  sports or in fact anything and everything  - you can do it from New York / Paris / Tokyo / Jerusalem or  the top of Mt Everest  ( if your laptop functions there).

 

BUT – the fact that you can research and write from your bedroom doesn’t mean that you can expect to get your articles published if you  turn out inferior internet-research laden  pieces.

Any worthwhile publication will require expert input and up to date information that can be checked by their fact-checkers. And each publication will want interviews with sources and experts in their particular country or even town or state.

But that isn’t  difficult to achieve – it just requires putting in some effort. if you  contact  an organization like HARO  ( help a reporter out) or one of the many other sites ( google  something like ‘find an expert in home decorating’) they can match you up with an expert in your field in the country you need.

You can then make contact and interview  them by email / telephone / Skype or whatever your preferred method.

You may well find that some of the cutting-edge research in many fields is taking place here in Israel. I remember once researching a medical topic and all the top  experts came from the Weizmann Institute in Rechovot. A quick check with the editor assured me that they were happy to  have an interview with an expert from here as well as others more local to the publication.

As I mentioned above with the word cheque/ check, you will also have to match your spelling to the publication. English is not spelled the same in Britain and the USA. Again this is not an insurmountable problem. Here’s one site of many that can help you.

Of course this is assuming  that you want to write on subjects which are international. There are of course subjects which are much easier to write from Israel than anywhere else.

But that’s for another blog post.

THE ADVANTAGES OF ‘MATURITY’

When I went back to  employed work about six years ago as a teacher, I was nervous.

Most of my fellow teachers in the staff-room were my children’s ages, making me feel like some nearly extinct dinosaur.

But it didn’t take me long to realize that I had plenty of advantages over them.

I’m never in a mad rush to get out as soon as the bell rings, as there’s no teacher or babysitter waiting for me to pick up my starving children.

I don’t have to take time off for my children’s illnesses.

I’m not as exhausted as the young mothers ( and fathers) who never get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.

I’m pretty calm and have more self-confidence than many of those inexperienced  youngsters and don’t get upset over criticism.

Outraged parents and badly behaved pupils don’t faze me. (After bringing up 7 children nothing much fazes me. )

Yes, maturity carries with it many advantages.

Most of the major expenses of life have been paid for (mortgage, children’s education, most weddings etc) so I can allow myself to be employed part-time and devote more time to writing.

And as for the writing – well, as the years go by, I have far more to write about.

Essay subjects abound.  If it happened, there’s an essay in it somewhere.

I have enough  material on parenting (kept up to date by my grandchildren) to fill most magazines and websites for a long time.

I can now write for  most age markets ( grandchildren keep me up to date with teen-speak / fads/fashions / technical gadgets which are foreign animals to me).

I’ve always loved writing. I never said “ I’ll write when …….. I have more time/ the children sleep through the night / the kids are grown / I retire …etc

I’ve been writing regularly, even if not frequently, since I was about 15 and now that I have more time, those overflowing idea notebooks are coming into use.

So as I head towards my 60s I’m looking forward, G’d willing, to a busy writing and family life.

And you won’t find me at the cosmetic counter looking at those outrageously expensive “promise- to- make –you- look- ten-years-younger- in -ten –weeks lotions.

I’m comfortable in my (wrinkled) skin the way it is.