The chase is on

Ask any writer what one of their least favourite aspects is when it comes to writing articles, and many would say the chase.

You study the publication, write up the article or pitch, find out who best to send it to and off it goes. And then...nothing. Absolutely nothing but silence. You might want to send an email a couple of weeks after the initial submission and with a bit of luck you'll get a response to that but more often than not, you'll end up having to ring up the magazine to find out a) if they received the information and b) whether they've had a chance to look at it. This can be pretty intimidating.

Writers are often, by nature, shy and the thought of having to ring up and speak to someone can fill you with dread. But often, there's no other choice. You need to find out what's going on with the piece so that you can plan your next step.

Most of the time the person on the other end of the line will be helpful and pleasant. Make sure you have the date of when you sent the piece, what you sent and how (email or snail mail), and to whom. It won't look good if they ask you any of the above and you don't have the answers to hand.

Avoid ringing at lunchtimes, five minutes before the office is due to close or in the days running up to the launch of the latest issue. None of those choices will help endear you to the editor. Aside from that, it's a case of just biting the bullet and making the call. At least you'll know.

Good luck!