Why I’ve written over 20 articles for Apolitical

This article is written by Rell DeShaw, Manager, Government of Canada

I started writing for Apolitical during the pandemic. I had been writing a personal blog for many years, which included some posts similar to the ones I write for Apolitical. But I work full time and my motivation to write at the margins of my full-time job was limited given my tiny readership.

The experience of writing for Apolitical was great from the start.

All the basics are in place to support you.

__You get all the raw material: __ You’ll be supported by templates and sample articles to get started.

You’ll know when you are hitting the key milestones: The team is responsive, and you will always know quickly if a pitch will work or if a tweak will be needed. You’ll also be given updates as to when the document has been sent to editors or is in the pipeline for publication.

Great editors will sharpen your work: The editorial team will help you sharpen your writing so that you know if you are getting your point across. The editorial team asks good questions and seeks the right clarifications. I’m a better writer after working with Apolitical.

You’ll know how many people are reading: The team will supply you with metrics on how many clicks your articles are getting.

If you are not sure if you have anything to write about, Apolitical can give you some fuel: Apolitical has a roster of frequently asked reader questions that they can send you for consideration. I looked at one of these lists a bit ago, and when I was done, I had written four articles on managing workload.

You can write an anonymous piece if needed: Apolitical understands that some topics need to be written anonymously.

You’ll be supported in the rare instances of the going getting rough: I recently got some pretty negative comments on a piece I wrote. They were tough to absorb, but I was incredibly well supported when I raised my concern.

Beyond the support you will receive, it's possible that you’ll reap some of the other benefits I have found from writing for Apolitical.

Sharpen your thinking: Writing about something always helps me sharpen my thinking about a topic.

Deepen your knowledge: I usually get the pleasure of deepening my knowledge of a topic when I write about it. I fact-check my assumptions and check out recent writing on the same issues.

It's nice to stretch your wings: Many public servants have great ideas and perspectives but no place to share them in their daily work lives beyond water cooler talks.

You might be surprised how easily your pieces come together: Several writers that I admire talk about how pieces that you feel passionately about just spill out of you when you start writing. I have certainly had this experience - it's invigorating.

And perhaps the most important reason of all:

You are supporting government workers worldwide: The reach is one of the great elements of writing for Apolitical. With over 200,000 readers worldwide your articles can reach a wide range of people. It has also been lovely to see that my work has been republished on other government sites.

👋 You can write an article like this one! Share your thoughts with a community of public servants. Learn more

(Image Credit: Unsplash)