What is your wish list when considering a freelance writer who has what it takes to be an ethical, resourceful journalist but without the industry know-how?

I have trained rookie and experienced freelancers on the industry and although the road is tough going, they are more willing to write on a long-term basis and they does not cost as much as an expert in the field.

Having worked on both sides of the fence as a freelancer entering a technical area and as an editor, I'd say the main thing a newcomer wants is a really good brief for the story, plus good leads. A good journalist can do a creditable job with those - and if any tweaking or additional input from superior knowledge is needed, that's where the editor comes in.

The other thing a new freelancer needs to be is a good researcher. I look for people who are enquiring and who go beyond the brief and dig up stuff on their own.

I really think Sheila & John describe my perfect method for breaking in new non-experts well. My biggest frustration with freelancers comes down to pitches that have little to do with my pub--if they don't do homework before they pitch, will they do the research? And budding writers who don't read--how can you want to be a writer when you don't actually value writing enough to read?

I suppose freelancers need all the help we can offer:
1. Training them on the house style of the publication and industry.
2. Freelancers can only read about the industry when we give them sources to (eg other news sites relevant to the industry that the publication is in).
3. Give them guidelines before they pitch. Most of them pitch with them thinking what would work, rather than what we want. Unless we tell them clearly and simply on what we want, they will always be doing guess work.

And of course, we need to be creating an environment for them to make mistakes and grow from it. However, due to the fast-paced production environment, how many of us have the luxury of time to train our freelancers?

They can only go beyond the brief and dig into the story when we are there to give specific ideas and angles to spur them on

Build up a pool of freelances, pay them a decent rate (they'll tell you quickly if they think it's below par) encourage them to come up with ideas but also give them leads.

Most importantly, try and make them feel they are part of the publication and not just contractors.

Simple things like inviting them to the Christmas party (where feasible) can count for a lot.

Try not and be overly critical as freelancing is a hard and stressful business and even the best and most experienced freelances need a bit of encouragement and support from time to time.

You should give your freelancers time to grow. If you ditch them after six months, you may be making a mistake because you have to start all over again with a new freelance.

If you have four or five freelances who have been working with you four to ten years on average, you will be doing well.