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One of the questions I was recently asked to address in this newsletter was: How do I get better at using Twitter?
Now, I’m no expert. I’m just a girl, writing tweets, asking you to love her.
But here is my best advice for getting the most out of the Twitterverse.
Read MoreOne of the questions I got in response to the survey I sent out last week was: How do you take care of yourself as a freelancer and avoid overworking?
Read MoreInteresting subject line, eh?
I’ll be honest...it was a little clickbait-y.
BUT — it’s also true.
See, I’ve been taking some MasterClass courses to get me through the cruel, cold winter.
I started with the classes on comedy (because there’s nothing funnier than having someone break down the nuts and bolts of a joke to you, right? Hehe...heh...no.)
Writing takes practice. It takes an openness to critique. It takes a desire to improve.
Most of the people I know want that quick shortcut that’ll instantly make their writing better. So today, we’re going to talk about that.
Here’s a look back at another year of full-time freelance writing in 2018!
Read MoreI love the holiday season, but I dread when it’s over.
For someone like me that works alone (and has a lot of quiet time to myself), I look forward to having friends and family home for the holidays. It’s so different from my normal day-to-day. There’s so much life! And noise! And excitement!
But every year, right after the holidays, I find myself in a rut.
I love it when I get questions from readers of this newsletter in my inbox. LOVE. IT. Laura Bosco sent me a question last week.
She asked: How can I help one of my clients sound humble and confident when we write for his brand?
On one hand we want to be confident in what we know, but on the other hand, we don't want to come across as arrogant. A lot of advice is situational, there are many gray areas, and plenty of folks are smarter than we are. So how do you strike a good balance between the two?
Such a great question. An important one, too.
My first ever college intern and I just finished up last week. 😱 Can you believe it?! Time flies, man.
Katelyn, a junior at one of the local universities (English major) signed on in August to work with me over the course of the semester. She’s getting into finals in the next few weeks, so we wrapped things up right around Thanksgiving. Here’s what I learned from the experience.
When you hear the world explicit, your mind might go straight to that parental advisory sticker you see on CDs sometimes.
Today, I’m not talking about being explicit in that context. I’m talking about being explicit in the sense of communicating clearly, as in: “She was explicitly clear about her directions.”
Why? Because so often a major failure of communication (written or otherwise) happens when we aren’t explicit.
I decided I’m going to reflect on the past five years with you guys. Okay? You don’t even have to buy me lunch.
Read MoreI’ve been reading newsletters from Cait Flanders lately, and they’ve really been hitting home.
For context, she recently decided to quit blogging, to be “bad at the internet”, and to just live more intentionally (without having to tweet/blog/share every part of what she’s doing.)
This is something I keep turning over in my mind.
I want you to picture me wearing a black turtleneck for this newsletter, k? Channeling all the Sinead O’Connor vibes.
Ugh. Sorry. I’m old. That joke probably landed for about 15% of you.
Whatevs, let’s move on!
Today, I wanna talk about the problem with comparing ourselves to other writers. Because it is, indeed, a problem. And there are things you can do about it.
The first draft of anything I write (when I’m writing as me, not a client) is pure stream of consciousness onto the page. And by putting my inner dialogue onto the page (unfiltered), the writing voice is a reflection of my personality, my quirks, and how I sound in my most natural state.
Guess what? You can do that, too.
The art of snail mail is seriously under-utilized these days...but I’m still a big believer.
In fact, for years now, I’ve been sending out handwritten thank you notes to my clients.
I recently partnered with Basic Invite to up my game with custom thank you cards (and you can, too.)
Read MoreFollowing up, checking in (whatever you wanna call it) has helped keep my business sustainable (and growing!) over the past five years. And it only takes a few minutes to do.
So how can you do it, too? Even if you have the WORST memory or hate spreadsheets?
There are a few pretty simple options that are free (shoutout to my fellow cheap people!) Let’s look at ‘em.
In many cases, lots of time and money is being spent on writing/blogging efforts...but no one has taken the time to stop and ask WHY. Namely: WHY are we writing this?
It’s scary that so many people aren’t asking this question. It’s scarier that so many more don’t have a good answer when they do ask it.
I don’t really consider myself a journalist anymore.
The good news is: Most days, I still get to wear my journalist hat (which I imagine is a fedora.)
Wearing my journalist [fedora], I become a much better storyteller—and I’m able to quickly connect the dots and draw new, interesting conclusions based on the information I’ve collected. You can do this, too (with or without a fedora.)
Whether it’s telling a client story or writing an interesting blog post, taking a journalistic approach will help you tell better stories that are dripping with ethos.
Ever tried writing something without clear direction before? It’s a freakin’ nightmare.
You don’t know who you’re writing for. Or why. Or really what you’re writing about. I’ve been there, and I’ve learned that it just doesn’t work.
That’s why now, I start every writing assignment with a creative brief (which I plop right into the top of the Google Doc for reference as I write.)
Getting hired feels really hard sometimes, doesn’t it? Whether it’s for an amazing in-house gig at a company you admire, or a remote job that would eliminate your life-sucking commute each day, or even a freelance opportunity with a dream client—it’s not an easy process.
Not only do you have to stand out from the pile of applicants, but if you do, perchance, get noticed, then you have to dazzle during the interviewing process. So, erm...how do you do that?
I somehow figured out how to do that not once, but *TWICE* not too long after I graduated college.
This fall, I’ll have my first *ever* intern through one of the local colleges.
Working alongside me, said intern will get some hands-on experience with writing, running a business, and working in the online/freelance environment (mostly with software and eCommerce companies.)
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