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.
Recap: Five Years of Full-time Freelance Writing
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 MoreWhy I'm Changing My Newsletter Approach
I’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.
No One Can Write Like You. Embrace Your Voice!
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.
How to Write in the Voice That's in Your Head
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.
Freelancers: Write More Thank You Notes
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 MoreWhy Freelancers Should Follow Up More Often
Following 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.
Knowing the WHY That Drives Your Writing & Blogging
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.
How to Write Like a Journalist
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.
How to Build Better Writing Briefs
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.)
Gettin' Hired (Is Hard To Do)
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.
What I'm Teaching My Writing Intern This Fall
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.)
Quick Grammar Refresher for Writers
Should Freelancers Take a Summer Vacation? I say YES.
For some, the focus is fast growth, authority-building, #MAKEthatMONEY--all the time. Don't get me wrong: I, too, like to #MAKEthatMONEY.
But for me, I want to work efficiently, with clients I really like, on projects I enjoy--and really, that's it. I don't want ALL THE JOBS. Because I still want some time for "me" stuff.
Are Images or Words More Powerful in Writing? An Experiment.
Full disclosure: I wrote this in the middle of an intense migraine. It’s either really good or really bad. I’ve lost all objectivity at this point.
This week, I’d like to try an experiment and get some feedback from you on a particular topic that’s been rolling around in my brain.
Building Confidence as a Freelancer & Beating Imposter Syndrome
I've never done a “part two” in the 3+ year history of this blog, but there’s a first time for everything, right?
I want to continue the conversation we started last week about confidence.
Last week we talked about writing confidence. But today, I want to talk about a different type of confidence.
Here’s where this is coming from…
How to Become a More Confident Writer
There’s one thing I hear from writers more than anything else.
Know what it is?
It’s that they don’t feel confident in their writing abilities.
The 6 BEST Pieces of Writing Advice
I gathered six of the best pieces of writing advice from writers and authors who are ~way~ smarter than me.
My hope is that these bite-sized pieces of writing wisdom will help you with whatever type of writing it is you’re working on this week.
How to Nurture Your Creativity with Side Projects
You know, sometimes…sometimes I don’t feel all that inspired by my writing work.
Am I good at it? Sure.
Can I deliver on time? Yep.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m always excited to write the same types of articles day in and day out. Plus, my work can be fairly technical and research-heavy, which doesn’t always lend itself to a lot of creativity.
How to Be a Better Self-Editor
Is there anything worse than submitting a piece of writing somewhere and getting it sent back with endless edits?
Opening a document filled with notes is like an instant gut-punch.
It says, “You didn’t nail this one.”