Writing Coach Podcast 226: Exhume your lede
WCP226 Exhume your lede It’s common for the lede to get buried in the draft (and sometimes final) article. In pitches, it can happen twofold: first there’s a tendency to take up a half a screen of nonessential small talk (“Hope you’re well”), and then even in what is supposedly the main pitch, there’s often […]
Writing Coach Podcast 225: Seasonal eval
WCP225 Seasonal eval Every three months marks a turn of seasons, and a refresh of the financial quarter. It’s the perfect time for an evaluation. Pausing to review and reflect on what’s actually happened allows you to plan from a more grounded place. 🔗 You might also like … Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google […]
Writing Coach Podcast 224 Archives: Best and worst clients
WCP224 Archives: Best and worst clients Freelancers often think of the editors who don’t want to assign them stories, and of readers who don’t want to read their stories and angles, when writing pitches. I don’t mean the editors don’t want to assign the stories because the pitches need to be zhushed up. I mean […]
Writing Coach Podcast 223: Cut-and-paste pitching
WCP223 Cut and paste pitching We all know we’re supposed to read a publication and tailor a pitch to their needs … but so many freelancers just cut and paste the same one-size-fits-none pitch and send it out to editor after editor. In general, the spray-and-pray approach maintains a low pitch acceptance rate. We all […]
Writing Coach Podcast 222 🍦 Have a taste
WCP222 🍦 Have a taste I used to work at a homemade ice cream parlor. When someone came in and was unsure of what to order, I’d offer them a taste. If they wanted multiple tastes, that was fine, but they didn’t get mint chip and coffee oreo and strawberry all crammed onto one tiny […]
Writing Coach Podcast 221: Vulnerability
WCP221 Vulnerability Ever wonder what “vulnerability” feels like? Try telling people you’re about to shop your book proposal when you’re worried maybe no one will ever buy said proposal. The proposal (or pitch, or post, or whatever it is) doesn’t actually make us vulnerable; neither does telling people about it. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple […]
Writing Coach Podcast 220: Don’t pay your dues
WCP220 Archives: Don’t pay your dues Some freelancers say they’re writing for low paying, low circulating, low quality, or otherwise low satisfaction publications because they need to pay their dues. If working this way was a sure route to high paying, high circulating, high quality, highly meaningful work, I’d be all for it. But it’s […]
Writing Coach Podcast 219: You can’t include it all
WCP219 You can’t include it all Whether you’re writing a short pitch or a lengthy feature, the urge to include more, more, more can be seductive. Succumb to this pull, and you’ll see productivity, speed, and quite possibly you and your editor suffer. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Audible | Android | RSS Whether you’re writing […]
Writing Coach Podcast 218: When it’s hard to let it be easy
WCP218 When it’s hard to let it be easy If you’ve experienced something as difficult in the past, or know that a task is challenging for others, you may subconsciously make it harder for yourself because you believe the dominant narrative that it is hard. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Audible | Android | RSS If […]
Writing Coach Podcast 217: Title TK
WCP217 Episode TK Please don’t @ me, the title is correct. 😉 TK (or a similar place holder, eg “XX” or writing a NOTE IN ALL CAPS) is a practical tool to take to remind yourself that after the current drafting phase you’ll need to come back and add some more content or context. Subscribe […]
Writing Coach Podcast 216: Enterprise stories with Ray Joseph
WCP216 Archives: Enterprise stories with Ray Joseph What’s the importance and impact of seeking out original stories that nobody else is doing? In this conversation with freelance journalist Raymond Joseph, we examine how much a unique story and/or angle matters for you, your career, your editors, and society at large. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple […]
Writing Coach Podcast 215: Are you experienced?
WCP215 Live coaching: Are you experienced Rebecca coaches a writer live who has worked on a number of pitches but keeps getting stuck in the same place. 🔗 You might also like: WCP 174 Archives: 100 reasons not to pitch today WCP 82: Live coaching WCP 74: Why you’re the one WCP 140 Archives: Portfolio […]
Writing Coach Podcast 214: Cultivate flow
WCP214 Cultivate flow My word of the year is flow. I began my inquiry asking, where do I already see this in my life? Where can I observe it when I’m writing, and when I’m not writing? What are the conditions that lead to my creating it? What research can I study to enhance my […]
Writing Coach Podcast 213 💃 Let’s dance
WCP213 🎶 Let’s dance Dancing and writing pitches have some surprising similarities. Today we break down why understanding one choreographic sequence prepares you for learning the next one, and the takeaways for writers. Pitching often seems natural or intuitive *after the skills have been mastered. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Audible | Android | RSS WCP213 […]
Writing Coach Podcast 212: Two-story goals
WCP212 Two-story goals We often notice that an article works on two levels: On an obvious level it’s about X, but what it’s *really* about is Y. Goals have a similar dynamic, especially when they’re well chosen and intentionally take us outside of our comfort zones. On one level, you identify a goal that’s in […]
Writing Coach Podcast 211 Archives: Story ideas you can’t google
WCP 211 Archives: Story ideas you can’t google Live events like conferences, conventions, and trade shows can be a rich source of multiple story ideas-or an overwhelming waste of time and energy. Plan ahead for 2023 by learning how to leave with a small notebook bursting with everything you need to write up pitches for […]
Writing Coach Podcast 210:Authors pitching publications with Jo Buer
WCP210 Authors pitching publications with Jo Buer Today you’re hearing the interview I had with novelist Jo Buer on her podcast Alchemy for Authors. Jo and I discuss how as an author of fiction and nonfiction books you can take charge of your writing career through freelancing, writing articles to enhance your platform, and increase […]
Writing Coach Podcast 209 Archives: Year-end pitching
WCP 209 Archives: Year-end pitching Should you pitch during the holiday season? Yes, if you want more assignments. No, if you want to take time off. There are two valid approaches to taking time off as a freelancer: 1. Take time off during conventional holidays. Editors and sources may be less available; family and friends […]
Writing Coach Podcast 208: Freelancing while sick
https://traffic.libsyn.com/writingcoachpodcast/Writing_Coach_208_Sick_V7.mp3 Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Audible | Android | RSS For many freelancers, getting sick quickly becomes finding hours or days when you’re able to push yourself to get things done vs. not getting paid, rather than taking actual time off. Today I’m talking about my own experience contracting coronavirus, and discussing how to care […]
Writing Coach Podcast 207: Analysis paralysis
LINK Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Audible | Android | RSS Indecision will slow down or prevent pitching, writing, growth, income, and most of the other good stuff in the writer’s life. If we wait to feel certain before making a decision, we may never choose. Deciding to choose can actually create certainty. Today’s episode features […]
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