Category Archives for Writing
How To Successfully Quit a Writing Project
As children, we’re taught that quitting is bad. We grow up believing that quitting is somehow associated with failure. The truth is, only through learning how to quit successfully can we discover how to evolve as writers and, ultimately, succeed.
Ask yourself this: How many times did you have to stop doing something because it didn’t work, only to discover a marvelous solution moments later? You wouldn’t have found this solution if you had insisted on banging your head against the proverbial wall.
Here’s another example, funnier and even more revealing: Imagine you’re driving in an unfamiliar area and, taking a wrong turn, you find yourself on a dead-end street. Would you wait there for a magic portal to suddenly appear so you could continue driving? Obviously not; it’s absurd.
The truth is, we quit things all the time and don’t even think about it much. That’s because quitting—at the right time, the right way, and for the right reasons—is an integral part of success.
Why should a writing project be any different?
Quitting a writing project can be what stands between you and the fulfillment of your writing aspirations. That is, as long as it’s done properly. And so, in this post, I won’t be telling you not to quit; I’ll show you why, when, and how to quit a writing project, in a way that actually brings you closer to success.
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Seven Ways to Organize Your Writing Life (And Become More Creative)
How organized are you?
For a lot of writers, the honest answer is … not organized enough. They can’t find vital notes, they struggle to make the time to write, and they miss deadlines. Their lack of organization harms their writing life.
Some writers worry that getting organized means the death of creativity. They picture color-coded spreadsheets, rigid schedules, or a dismayingly bland desk.
But the truth is, getting organized could be the best thing you do for your creativity and writing in general. I’ll show you why, and I’ll also share seven ways to organize your writing life.
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8 Ways Submitting to ‘Modern Love’ Improved My Memoir
On June 24, 2020, the New York Times published one of my essays on their website for the first time.
Soon after “All We Can Do Is Sudoku” appeared online, an executive editor from Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, followed me on Twitter. As a writer of nonfiction seeking representation, I was thrilled. I’d written the memoir To Have and to Hoard: How I Found Treasure in My Husband’s Trash and planned to query agents soon.
Publishing in a goal publication is a confidence-booster. But even reaching for your goal pub can increase your confidence and improve your writing—whether or not your piece is accepted. I didn’t know that when I dove in, so I want to help other memoirists and novelists use their time wisely.
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Learn While You Earn: How Journalism Can Help Your Freelance Writing
A reporter’s role is sometimes seen as a lowly occupation, but the truth is that a journalist must be multi-disciplined. The smaller the publication, the wider the range of skills needed. And these skills can be applied to other kinds of writing.
Whether you’re just setting out as a writer or have years of experience behind you, I recommend taking a job or internship at a regional newspaper.
While major publications may ask for a journalism degree, a small-town paper is likely to take you on if you can string words together while making coffee for the boss.
I was already an established freelance writer when I decided to take a job at my local newspaper, hoping to expand my skills. In fact, I was in my 50s, making me probably the oldest “cub reporter” in the business.
My predecessor had enrolled in a university course in journalism, hoping to further her career. Within weeks, she’d returned home, asking for her old job back.
“I’d done it all before,” she complained.
She clearly didn’t recognize what a valuable training course the role of junior reporter was. Unluckily for her, I’d already been appointed to her former post and I was learning the same skills she had while drawing a salary.
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