The world of online journalism often prioritises speed over substance. Frankly, that model has never really worked for me. Of course, timeliness is important, especially if you’re writing something in response to the news of the day. But finding a hook that’s original, that spotlights an element of a story that’s being overlooked or adds something new to the conversation is crucial. It’s also part of our responsibility as writers. As Rebecca Solnit put it in a May 2016 article in Lithub, “There are stories beneath the stories and around the stories.” It’s our job to find them and make editors and readers care.

• A couple of weeks ago, I hosted a two-part Writers Night School series on pitching as part of the Digital Writers’ Festival and they featured some of my pointers on their blog. You can read the piece here!.