How to Finish an Article-in-Progress
What happens when you're hired to finish a piece another writer began?
Every time I think I’ve done pretty much everything there is to do in the freelance writing space, an assignment will pop up with some new-to-me twist that reminds me I still have a lot of firsts in my career. Case in point: my profile on Dr. Marcia Faustin, the co-head team physician for the U.S. gymnastics women’s national team. I’ve interviewed crazy successful people before and have written a healthy amount of profiles. However, all those articles began with one sole writer: me.
When it came to this story, I was contacted by the editor to ask if I could finish a process another writer had started. (There’s no big drama here; they had just moved on to another organization.) I’ve never had to take over a piece that was already underway but I was up to the challenge because I’ve unfortunately taken to heart the one useful thing you learn in improv class—say yes, then “and” the f out of life.
How did I finish a work-in-progress that was not mine from the start?
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