How I Went From Being the “Vibrator Queen” to Being the Senior Writer of a Sexual Health Organization
14
Mar
Thirteen years ago, I set out for an interview at the Boston Phoenix. I was up for an editorial internship in their new media department and, upon my arrival, I was ushered into the private office of the man who would eventually become my supervisor. He sat before me, rifling through my clips and pointing out [...]
One Quick Tip for Revitalizing Your Writing Life
7
May
Those who have been reading this blog for the past, um, forever know I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump. I’ve been feeling burnt out on the same old same old, lusting after lit mag credits, and wondering how to find a balance between the two. As a result, I just slowly… stopped… [...]
Is It Worth It To Drop Several Hundred Dollars on a Writing Conference?
29
Apr
I am a cheap bastard. Instead of spending money on pricey project management systems, I run my life through Google and GQueues. I avoid paid teleclasses and webinars in favor of business books that I dog-ear and pore through over and over again. I even married a web developer so I could get him to [...]
Where the Magic Doesn’t Happen
29
Jan
My husband and I have been in our new house now for just over three months. And though the boxes have been unpacked, and the items inside (mostly) put away, things are not… quite… there yet. Almost every room needs to be repainted (and, at the moment, the walls sport splotchy blobs of spackle). We [...]
What Kind of Writer Are You?
18
Jan
My writing partner once told me I was the most business-y writer she knew. To be honest, it hadn’t occurred to me that there was any other way to be. That was why, when I sent out an LOI last month in response to a call for book reviewers and learned that the position was [...]
Which Books Have Inspired Your Writing?
11
Sep
When I was a 5-year-old aspiring poet, I devoured books of poetry by Emily Dickinson and Edgar Allen Poe, memorizing lines that spoke to the part of me that knew I’d one day work with words. Later on, as a teenager, I read Bill Ervolino‘s humor column religiously, soaking in his words over breakfast while seated [...]
The Circuitous Route from Pitch to Publish
3
Aug
I once took a non-credit, continuing education class at the New School called From Pitch to Publish. It was about developing and pitching personal essays and narrative journalism pieces to print publications, but I feel the simplicity of the name hints at the vision many of us have of the book publishing process, too: 1. [...]
Bedazzle It! All the Extras Your Query Letter Needs
19
Jun
Query letters: They’re sort of my thing. While many of my coaching clients seem to agonize over their query letters, perfectionism and fear keeping them from ever sending the damn things out, I actually enjoy writing them. This nerd-tastic enjoyment is mostly thanks to some pretty fantastic teachers. Back in college, I took a professional [...]
The Freelance Writing Book That Will Take You From Small Potatoes to Professional
23
May
About a month ago, I attended the annual American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) conference for the first time ever, having snagged a free day pass because I was a panelist. I had a fantastic time. I popped my public speaking cherry. I took a shit-ton of notes at the other panels I attended. [...]
How To Achieve Full-Time Success with Part-Time Hours
8
May
Forget grad school. As most of you know, I’m a huge proponent of learning by doing. Of course, before I do anything, I also typically read a shit-ton of books. (All of the education at a fraction of the cost!) Back in 2007, it was Michelle Goodman’s The Anti 9-to-5 Guide that got me up [...]