{"id":393,"date":"2011-11-24T21:12:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-24T10:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/fibro-qa-so-you-want-to-be-a-fashionbeauty-writer\/"},"modified":"2022-06-27T16:20:11","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T06:20:11","slug":"fibro-qa-so-you-want-to-be-a-fashionbeauty-writer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allisontait.com\/2011\/11\/fibro-qa-so-you-want-to-be-a-fashionbeauty-writer\/","title":{"rendered":"So you want to be a fashion\/beauty writer?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"FIBRO<\/a>Paula Joye<\/strong> has dedicated the last 20 years of her life to beauty, fashion and style. When I met her in the early days of my fulltime features-writing career, she was the deputy editor of CLEO<\/i>, a gorgeous (still is, see below), bubbly blonde with endless reserves of encouragement (for people like me) and unlimited potential (for her).<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
She pretty much fulfilled all that potential in magazines, as editor of CLEO<\/i>, Shop Til You Drop<\/i> and Madison<\/i> – and editor-in-chief of all three – and has now moved on to seeing where it will take her online<\/div>\n
(I’m thinking far) with thejoye.com<\/b><\/a>, which she describes as a ‘depot for beautiful things’.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

With a solid-gold background in beauty and fashion editing in her portfolio, I could think of no better person to ask about beauty and fashion writing. It’s a very specific niche in the publishing world (both print and online) and it calls for a particular set of skills. Not least of which is being able to write down, off the top of your head, at least a dozen different alternatives for each of these words: hair, skin, eyes, fragrance. Trust me, it’s not as easy as it looks…<\/p>\n

What are the three main skills you need to be a good fashion or beauty writer?<\/b>
\nPJ<\/b>: “1. You must love it, otherwise it will melt your brain. The way to find true satisfaction when specialising in any subject is passion – if you kinda like shoes or sorta think mascara is awesome, it’s never going to be for you.<\/p>\n

“2. Have an opinion. This separates the wheat from the chaff. The best beauty and fashion writers have a point of view that is engaging, 360\u00a0 and often humorous or self-deprecating. It’s not rocket science and shouldn’t be written as such.<\/p>\n

“3. Luck. Right place. Right time.”<\/p>\n

I think it’s an area of writing that people think is easy – but anyone who’s tried to write a hair story and come up with 33 different ways to say ‘hair’ (without repeating yourself) knows differently. What are the keys to getting it right?<\/b>
\nPJ<\/b>: “Finding 33 different words for hair! Creativity is key and the big one is to avoid cliches. It is an area riddled with them – find a new angle, throw the net wider, and don’t say stuff like ‘sun, sand and salt water can wreak havoc on your locks’. Just don’t.”<\/p>\n

Of course, there’s more to it than just the writing. Fashion and beauty editors spend a lot of time away from their desks, viewing collections, attending product launches, etc. Is relationship-building a vital tool in the fashion or beauty writer’s arsenal?<\/b>
\nPJ<\/b>: “One hundred per cent. It’s your mainline to experts, new information, inspiration – it’s the front line. The industry is about contacts and runs on the board – a big part of that is the network you create.”<\/p>\n

How do I break into this area if it’s something I’m passionate about?<\/b>
\nPJ<\/b>: “You can do it. Make sure you really want it (because it’s hard) and then dig your heels in. Work experience is essential. Try to get an internship within a magazine, newspaper or television fashion or beauty department. Start a blog or website as an outlet for your writing – and to become your CV.”<\/p>\n

Would you agree then that any potential fashion\/beauty writer\/editor needs a blog? What do you think are the key ingredients of a standout fashion\/beauty blog?<\/b>
\nPJ<\/b>: “You should only create a blog if you’re passionate about it – no matter what the subject matter. Yes, it’s a great way to express your creative point of view and self-publish, but it’s also a beast that needs to be fed. Daily.<\/p>\n

“Find your sticky point – and for everyone that will be different. The key to success is recognising the ‘thing’ that people are visiting your blog for, and capitalising on it.<\/p>\n

“A wise editor once said (and man, it’s true), ‘Should we give the readers more of what they want? Or less?’<\/p>\n

“It’s actually that simple.”<\/p>\n

\"pin\"<\/a> Visit Paula at t<\/a>hejoye.com<\/a> for everything you ever wanted to know about fashion, beauty, home, heart… and fun.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Paula Joye has dedicated the last 20 years of her life to beauty, fashion and style. When I met her in the early days of my fulltime features-writing career, she was the deputy editor of CLEO, a gorgeous (still is, see below), bubbly blonde with endless reserves of encouragement (for people like me) and unlimited […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[700,5],"tags":[729],"class_list":["post-393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-questions-answers","category-writing","tag-freelance-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nFibro Q&A: So you want to be a beauty or fashion writer?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Q&A with Australian influencer Paula Joye about how to become a beauty or fashion writer. 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