If you’re interested in food writing, check out freelance writer Elizabeth’s story.
by Elizabeth Ann Quirino
I have always worked as a writer. As soon as I graduated from college with a degree in BA Communication Arts from St. Paul University (Manila, Philippines), I worked as a copywriter for an advertising agency.
My first assignments were to write copy for a refrigerator and another ad for a margarine. On my first month as a copywriter, both ads I created were awarded “Ad of the Month” by the business community.
I was thrilled. I knew I was on to something good.
How I Started Out as a Copywriter
Through the years after graduation, I worked for various ad agencies in Makati, the financial district. One of them was Saatchi & Saatchi Philippines. I was trained by the best creative directors in the industry.
I wrote ad campaigns in two languages, English and Pilipino, for global companies and a range of products and services. I created ads for print, TV, radio and cinema. I wrote copy for different products and industries: food, baby products, health and beauty, pharmaceuticals, cars, airlines, vacation resorts, politicians, retail, and fashion.
Aside from writing for a living, I was a college professor at Assumption College in Makati. I taught creative writing and advertising subjects.
When we moved to the United States over 26 years ago, I continued working as a freelance writer and contributor. I was also a language teacher for Berlitz Institute.
My Writing Niche: Writing About Food, Culture, and History
As an Asian American, my niche is writing stories, features and books about Filipino food, culture, history and personalities.
I am a freelance writer and a correspondent for Positively Filipino, an online global magazine based in San Francisco, CA. I am based in New Jersey and I travel often back to the Philippines and Asia to research.
Food writing is not the only thing I do. But, it is the most visible and attractive to readers, thanks to social media. Before there were smart phones, as writers, we had to work harder to create an image or paint a picture in the minds of our readers.
Nowadays, I feel like the words are simply there to identify what’s in the photograph. So, as writers, we have to work harder and write better to compel the reader to go back to reading and enjoying it.
Food Writing is Not an Overnight, Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
I write feature stories, essays, books and cookbooks. My books are sold on Amazon.com. I also blog on my site Asian in America. All my writing projects provide different income streams.
Writing is not an overnight, get-rich-quick scheme. Writing is a craft one has to polish and nurture over time.
The longer you write, the better you become.
When you write well, readers take notice. When readers like what you write, they keep coming back for more of your work. You have to be consistent and continuously write.
If you stop publishing, readers forget you. Don’t let that happen.
Your Number of Followers Does Not Define Who You Are as a Writer
Right now, as a writer, one has to have multi-disciplinary skills. Writing well is not enough.
Having a huge following on social media is not enough and can be superficial. Your number of followers does not define who you are as a writer.
I keep my writing fresh, and new. I also learned other skills to complement my writing. I studied new culinary skills, food styling, videography and photography from the pros.
I took steps to learn about SEO (search engine optimization), Google analytics, content editing, market research, business and finance of publishing.
Instead of outsourcing these services, I learned these skills on my own to expand my writing and publishing business. It’s also more cost efficient to do these services in-house.
I Treat Food Writing and Publishing as a Business
I regard my writing as a service I provide. I treat writing and publishing as a business. I stay focused and try to be disciplined.
I keep reading, writing, and learning new techniques. I keep up with technology, and watch out for changes and innovations in the industry.
I have an unquenchable thirst for what’s on in the world. I stream TV and movies. I go to the cinema. I watch plays, and concerts. I download music I love. I scour the museums and book stores in countries I visit. I travel a lot.
I am also an artist. I sketch charcoals and paint in watercolors. I create my Chinese paintings to meditate. I draw inspiration from all these every time.
Advice for a Young Writer: Have a Multi-Skill Set That Complements What You Write
Treat writing as a business, not a hobby. If you work for a publication, go by the rules. If you freelance, stick to a writing schedule and write even if you don’t feel like it.
Treat competitors, colleagues, friends and mentors with dignity and respect. Be nice to all no matter how bad your day is going.
Have a multi-skill set which can complement what you write. Keep up with the industry, technology, trends and forecasts. Manage your finances. Learn about accounting, taxation, insurance and legal information that pertains to writing and publishing.
After all, the best salesman for your writing service is you, and only you, the writer.
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Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino
Elizabeth is a multi-awarded winner of the Plaridel Writing Awards for best in journalism, given by the Philippine-American Press Club in San Francisco, CA. Her food essay “A Hundred Mangoes in a Bottle” has won a Doreen Gamboa Fernandez Food Writing Award. She was an awardee of the FWN Filipina Women’s Network 100 Most Influential Women of the World in 2013.
Betty Ann, as she is fondly called, was born and raised in Tarlac, Philippines and now based in New Jersey, USA. She is a journalist, author, and a correspondent for Positively Filipino online magazine. She blogs about Filipino home cooking recipes on her popular site Asian in America.
She recently launched her cookbook: Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Food in a Multicooker Pot, a follow up to My Mother’s Philippine Recipes, a collection of her late mother’s favorite Filipino traditional dishes which Betty Ann transformed to everyday cooking in her American kitchen. Other books she has written are How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks; Statesman and Survivor Elpidio Quirino, 6th President of the Philippines; and she illustrated Color and Cook Food Coloring Book, an adult coloring book of Filipino food. All books are sold on Amazon.com.
Her writing has been published on Positively Filipino; FOOD Magazine by ABS-CBN Publishing Inc.; Rustan’s Sans Rival Magalogue; and QuirkDIY, Quirk Books Community Blog (Philadelphia, PA). She has made a guest appearance on the TV network KACL-LA 18’s Halo-Halo with Kat Iniba, which aired in California and Hawaii.
Betty Ann travels often to the Philippines and throughout Asia in search of traditional recipes and stories about culture and personalities. She is currently deep in the trenches writing her next book on Filipino food and family relationships.
For more information on Betty Ann, see her blog and Amazon author page, or connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Food In a Multicooker Pot
If you have a deep craving to try new flavors from a classic cuisine, cook from this collection of traditional Filipino recipes transformed to today’s dishes in an American kitchen. Award-winning journalist, author and recipe blogger Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino presents “My Mother’s Philippine Recipes” her second cookbook, a follow up to her first cookbook “How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks”.
Betty Ann, born and raised in the Philippines, of the popular blog Asian In America (www.AsianInAmericaMag.com), shares a special collection of her mother’s recipes from her childhood, often cooked and served to family and friends who stopped by their home in Tarlac. Friends relished the multi-course meals her mother prepared, cooked with produce ingredients harvested from their backyard and farms, expertly grown by her father. Some family favorites in this cookbook: Sinigang na Baka with Lemongrass, Tokwa’t Lechon, Pancit Palabok, Street-style Fish Balls, Carne Asada Kapampangan, Crispy Pata, Pork Barbecue, Spanish Cocido, Lechon Manok, Beef Kalitiran Pot Roast, Pastillas de Ube, Pastillas de Leche, Ube Puto-Leche Flan and some new dishes like Salted-Egg Potato Chips, Vegetable Siomai, Kangkong Salad with Salted Egg Dressing, Mango Tempura.
In this cookbook of 30 selected recipes each with full- color photographs, the author sets out to demystify the notion that mom’s cooking is hard to do. Betty Ann, now based in New Jersey, shares that you just need the right ingredients to recreate the flavors, the memories and the love mom put into each recipe. This cookbook is for the novice who wants to learn how to cook classic Filipino dishes or for the culinary pro who needs traditional inspiration.
Available at Amazon.
How to Cook Philippine Desserts: Cakes and Snacks: If you love a sweet ending to meals, then this cookbook “How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks” is for you. Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino, author, award-winning journalist and recipe developer of the popular blog, Asian In America, presents 30 all-time favorite Filipino desserts transformed from traditional heirloom recipes into modern treats in her American kitchen.
Her desserts are rice cakes, coconut sweets, cakes, pastries and special occasion sweets. Born and raised in the Philippines, Betty Ann, as she is fondly called, channeled her love for sweets in these heritage recipes from her family and friends when she moved to America.
Drool over 30 mouthwatering full color dessert photos for every recipe. Indulge in this 100-page cookbook of classic kakanins (rice cakes), coconut sweets like Bibingka, Putong Puti with Cheese, Kuchinta, Sapin-Sapin, Pichi-Pichi; to treasured family recipes of Crema de Fruta, Tocino del Cielo, Taisan de Pampanga, Mamon, Caramel Cake; and popular Ube (purple yam) recipes such as Ube Biko, an easy Ube Haleya, Ube Cupcakes, Ube Doughnuts and many not found on the author’s blog. After all, life is short. Make it sweeter with dessert.
Available at Amazon.