Experience pays off. Experience is why some freelance writers command higher rates than others. It also helps us make things happen. Last week I saw a flurry of social media posts about a surprise prequel episode of The Bear dropping on FX on Hulu. Then I learned the episode, “Gary,” was co-written by co-stars Jon Bernthal … Read more
If you think creative writing is a waste of time, think again. I don’t apologize for using part of my business days working on creative writing. Whether it’s fiction, scriptwriting, or poetry, creative writing can help improve the same writing skills used to write blog posts, white papers, articles, speeches, or marketing materials. How, you … Read more
Ever wonder what happens when you give a freelance writer—or any writer—permission to record an interview? It gets transcribed. Either by the writer, a transcription service, or an AI program. Transcribing interviews, or even just reviewing a transcript for accuracy while playing back the original recording, helps writers identify the most quotable quotes and decide … Read more
Working with a freelancer should feel like working with a trusted colleague. Freelancers work independently, often serving as our clients’ sounding boards, creative partners, or consultants. Client turn to us for our expertise as much as for our skills. It probably sounds like a cliche, but freelancers succeed when we help our clients succeed. What … Read more
Thanks to readers’ ever-shrinking attention spans and appetite for consuming nuggets of information, concision counts more than ever before. Writing 350- to 500-word articles for Emmy taught me to quickly convey the essence of a person or subject, but writing 50- to 100-word bios for Cablefax and Variety proved a crash course in concision. Writing tight is … Read more
Whether I’m writing a resume or an executive bio, one thing is clear: Everyone has a story to tell. The funny thing is that they don’t always realize it. I recently completed three projects for two different clients that involved writing short bios (50 to 150 words each) of highly successful individuals. While one client … Read more
The summer’s first real heat wave had me craving ice cream. While I usually make my own, I love sampling premium ice cream when it’s on sale. Last week it just so happened that my favorite grocery store had Ben & Jerry’s pints on sale for $2.99 a piece. While perusing the store’s somewhat limited … Read more
While some writers follow the old adage, “Write what you know,” I prefer “Write about things you love.” Why? Writing about things you love gives you an edge over other writers Writing about something you’re passionate about is always enjoyable. Writing about subjects that interest you eliminates, or at least reduces, your learning curve since … Read more