Pubspeaks

Writing About Architecture

Pubspeak Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Architect, writer and editor Michael Tardif informed, inspired and amused his Pubspeak audience at The Front Page in Ballston. He divided his presentation into several “how-to” and “can do” areas, which he detailed in his handout that he generously permitted us to reproduce here.

Quick Tips / Pointers:

  • You can write about any building type, but the “shelter” magazines, which focus on home design, make up the biggest market for freelance writers. Spend an afternoon flipping through magazines at your local bookstore.
  • You don’t need to be an expert on architecture (or any other art) to write credibly about it. The thoughtful commentary of an educated layperson is equally valid to that of a professional expert, and may be more relevant to the reader. My professional background as an architect is both an asset and a liability when I write for consumer-oriented publications.
  • That said, you do need to have a sufficient command of the subject to write authoritatively. See the list of suggested desk references below to quickly develop your architecture/design vocabulary.
  • Green/sustainable design is a topic with a minimum 20-year lifespan, with great cross-over appeal in general-interest publications. Become an expert on it. Ditto the “small house” trend.
  • Always find the human interest angle. Good stories about architecture are not about buildings; they are about people and the environments they create or live in. There are at least three primary parties to every building project (the homeowner or property owner, the architect, and the contractor), and at least one of them has an interesting story to tell.

Some good story angles arise from:

  • An interesting back story of the homeowner or property owner. What motivated them to do this project? How did it turn out? Did the reality meet or exceed their dreams?
  • The architect’s back story. Why this style? Why this house (building)? Why this client? How did the project come about? How is it different from other projects?
  • The contractor’s back story. Every contractor has at least one good story to tell about each project. Cultivate a relationship with the contractor and tease these stories out.
  • Unforeseen project challenges (water, rock ledge, contested property boundaries, utility easements, zoning restrictions), and how the owner, architect, and/or contractor dealt with them.
  • Impact of the project on personal relationships (this story angle is bottomless).
  • Rent the movie Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, with Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. Every new home design or renovation project is a version of this story, and can be equally entertaining.

Building Your Bona Fides and Your Income

I do not advocate giving your work away, but if you’ve never written about architecture and design, consider writing one-three articles for free to gain a footing. This is a strategic marketing tactic, not pro-bono work. Do not continue the practice for more than three pieces; one good piece is enough to show what you can do and get you paying work.
The demand for this market is strong. If you command a high price, you will get it. Don’t settle for the “going rate” if it’s below what you want to get paid. The corporate policies of publishers exist to be broken. “Can you do better?” is always a reasonable question. Another effective negotiating tactic is, “I understand your rate is 75 cents per word. My rate is $1.00 per word. Can you meet it?”

Conventional Wisdom Applies - Mostly

  • Become familiar with the publications for which you would like to write. Study the content, style, article length, and readership.
  • Download the media kit and/or editorial calendar from the publication’s Web site. The media kit will likely contain a demographic profile of the publication’s readership. It usually includes the editorial calendar for the entire year. If not, it’s usually available separately on the Web site.
  • Contact editors personally by phone. Ask them what they need or want, what gaps they need to fill in their editorial calendar, and then offer to deliver it to them. Keep it brief. Rehearse your 30-second elevator speech in advance: “Hi, my name is Jane. I’m a professional freelance writer. I see you are devoting the Spring 2008 issue to summer homes. There are some spectacular new summer homes on the Chesapeake Bay and along the Maryland and Delaware beaches this year. Can I help you with a story about summer houses in our area? I’d be happy to contact local architects and find the best, previously unpublished homes around.” (Note how this pitch allows you to make an offer about something you know nothing about – yet.)
  • Don’t pitch stories; pitch your writing skill, your ability to deliver, and your ability to meet the editor’s specific needs. “Cold-call” pitch letters or e-mails are not terribly effective in this market segment. Design magazines typically have a different theme for each issue. You might have a great story idea, but if it doesn’t fit the theme of an upcoming issue, the editor won’t be interested.
  • Many national “shelter” magazines (Architectural Digest, Dwell, Old House Journal, to name just a few) are eager to have contributors in all geographical areas, to reduce or eliminate travel expenses for freelance writers. Analyze national magazines for local content. Contact editors of magazines that lack local content. Write one good story and you may soon become their defacto “DC bureau chief.”

Essential Desk References (in rough order of utility/importance):

  • The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture, by Rachel Carley. This is an excellent pictorial guide to architectural styles and details. A terrific vocabulary builder.
  • A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia and Lee McAlester. Similar to The Visual Dictionary, with a bit more “academic depth.” Very useful for writing about historic preservation.
  • The Elements of Style by Stephen Calloway and Elizabeth Cromley. Subtitled “A Practical Encyclopedia of Interior Architectural Details, from 1845 to the Present.” Essential for writing about interior design.
  • What Style Is It? A Guide to American Architecture, By John C. Poppeliers & S. Allen Chambers, Jr. The “Michelin Guide” of style books. Keep it in your car.
  • The AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., edited by G. Martin Moeller, Jr.Similar guides, published by the respective local chapters of the American Institute of Architects, are available for nearly every major U.S. city. These are indispensable, time-saving encyclopedias of essential facts about the most important buildings and homes in every city.
  • Anything published by Taunton Press.
  • If you want to write about architecture and design, build your reference library. What you spend on a good book could earn you a $1,500-3,000 writing assignment. You’ll have it forever for future reference, and it’s a deductible business expense, to boot! Haunt the home design section of your local bookstore and second-hand bookstores. Out-of-print books on architecture and design can be invaluable desk references.

Information Resources on Green/Sustainable Design

Any skilled researcher will tell you that the Web is no substitute for real research in a good library. The topic of Green/Sustainable Design may be a notable exception. Much of the body of knowledge in this field is relatively recent, and went straight to the Web, a practice that is consistent with sustainable design principles. The quality and depth of information you can obtain online is quite remarkable. Here are links to just a few of the many good sites:

Building Materials Reuse Association
www.buildingreuse.org
A non-profit educational organization that facilitates building deconstruction and the reuse/recycling of recovered building materials. The Web site includes a nationwide directory of deconstruction contractors.

Efficient Windows Collaborative
www.efficientwindows.org
Learn all about thermal efficiency of windows and compare the efficiency of different products on the market.

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium
www.geoexchange.org

Green Seal
www.greenseal.org
Certifies environmentally responsible products and services with the “Green Seal” of approval.

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
www.greenguard.org
GEI has a mission similar to Green Seal, but with a special focus on certifying products and services that affect indoor air quality, including cleaning products.

National Association of Home Builders Research Center
www.nahbrc.org

U.S. EPA Energy Star Program
www.energystar.gov
Your tax dollars at work. Tons of useful stuff here. Go to this site first.

U.S. Green Building Council
www.usgbc.org
The “mother church” of green/sustainable design.

Whole Building Design Guide
www.wbdg.org

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