The Writing Coach Podcast 28: Listener Q&A
This week I’m experimenting with a new podcast format. You’ve sent me some great questions, and I’ve selected a few to answer that I think will resonate with the rest of you. On today’s Listener Q&A, we discuss: • The importance of following up • Managing your mindset when you’re devastated by client responses • […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 26: Decolonizing science writing with Sibusiso Biyela
Meet Sibusiso Biyela, a South African science communicator and journalist interested in decolonize science communication using indigenous languages. Don’t worry, I don’t speak science, so we’re talking mostly about language, storytelling, politics. Sibs normally writes in English. He recently completed a story about a newly discovered dinosaur species in his mother tongue, Zulu, which doesn’t […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 23: Company of One with Paul Jarvis
Paul Jarvis, author of the new book “Company of One,” joins us today to talk about what it means as a freelancer to pursue more vs. enough, the importance of working on your business instead of always in your business, how he chose to say “No” to freelance work to get this book done, and […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 18: The creative process with Emma Philipson
Emma Philipson is the author of the very funny new book about the creative process, “Don’t just give up – quit!” She teaches creativity to adults in her native Sweden and shares her own process as well as what she teaches today on the podcast. In this episode Emma talks about using your creative muscles, […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 16: Freewriting for freelancers
My students have found freewriting to be the single most effective technique in their quests to become more fluid and more confident writers. Today we look at the what, how, and why of freewriting. I also share some variations that are specifically for freelance writers. There will always be time to evaluate, critique, and edit. […]
What to listen to (podcast recs for a short walk or long flight)
I have a literal to-be-read pile of books by my bed. I’ve always enjoyed reading one book for a while, getting into that voice, that story, that writer’s head, and then after 50 or 100 pages, or maybe just after dinner, reading something else. It becomes more of a conversation, the way ideas from one […]
Introducing The Writing Coach Podcast
Rebecca L. Weber’s Writing Coach Podcast features the sustainable strategies, mindset management, and creative skills development she uses to help independent writers around the world. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | | Audible | Android | RSS | or click on an episode below to listen. Listen to the Writing Coach Podcast Greatest Hits Playlist […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 24: The confident writer
Do you feel writing is your true creative, personal, or professional calling, one that brings meaning and depth to your life, and that lets you bring real value to the lives of readers … or at least has the potential to? If the answer is yes (or you’d like it to be), yet you struggle […]
MJT23: Clichés, creativity, and Malika Favre
I highly recommend you click below and watch A Little Film About… Malika Favre. You’ve likely seen her illustrations before, and the short is beautiful to look at in and of itself. But I want you to pay attention to some of the things she says about her approach and her process, and how it can apply to […]
Most popular posts of 2017
It’s that time of year when many people, including myself, look back at the year that’s been. Instead of tallying up all the items on my to-do lists that didn’t get done, I’m looking for things I did do. I invite you to try this as well. In 2017 I hit 20 posts in the […]
Freelance Writer Retreat near Cape Town, South Africa
Registration for the Freelance Writer RETREAT near Cape Town, South Africa, is now open. Two days of workshops focused on boosting your confidence, skills, and bottom line as a freelance writer. Plus, penguins. Imagine if you could easily generate freelance article ideas that delighted you, your editors (or the editors you want to write for), […]
7 ways your environment impacts your writing and creativity
Is your surrounding environment helping or hurting your creativity? As a freelance writer, you may feel like you’re supposed to be able to work anywhere. Maybe you’ve done great work under stressful conditions. But small environmental stresses can build up over time and erode the confidence, stamina, and support that lead to your best work. […]
That thing you want to write
Early bird registration is now open for the Freelance Writer Retreat near Cape Town, South Africa. Visit www.rebeccalweber.com/retreat to register. In my own small way, I’ve taken the advice of Toni Morrison to heart: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” A […]
7 most popular posts of 2016
Would you be surprised to hear that this Backstory blog was originally conceived of as a place to post comics about what goes on behind the scenes when writing articles? A few years ago, I was not imagining that I would be making videos, teaching freelance writers how to pitch, leading goal-planning challenges, or even […]
“Just” an interview vs. THE interview
During a very long delay at the Atlanta airport, way back when, I sat on the floor and read my first longform interview in Rolling Stone magazine. It was my foray into reading adult publications. I was enthralled by the in-depth conversations about the creative process, life on the road, and the surprisingly unglamorous backstories […]
Introducing the Modern Journalist Toolkit
Welcome to the Modern Journalist Toolkit, an ongoing series that looks at new approaches and methods to support reporting and writing. Expect to see a fair amount of technology—some of the most frequent questions I get are about what apps and tools I use—but also new attitudes and strategies that make sense in the 21st […]
Writing Coach 6-Pack Special
When I coach writing students, we normally work together for 12 or more weeks. This allows enough time to work on deeply on multiple challenges and ensures that we can continue to build on early successes. These students know that there’s no silver bullet to freelance success. However, I’ve had numerous requests for a smaller […]
Are you up for a writing challenge?
The 12×12 Write Now Challenge 2016 begins next Monday, 11 January. Despite the deluge of tweeted resolutions and planning widgets that proliferate at this time of year, I’ve yet to see a plan or process that really meets the unique needs of freelance writers. Over time, I’ve created my own approach to reviewing what I’ve done and […]
2015’s best video about writing and breakthroughs
This video was filmed in 2013, but it has new resonance in 2015, which seems to have been the Year of Ta-Nehisi Coates. For every (frustrated) writer who wants an early draft to be their best, consider that this MacArthur Genius also never gets that “perfect thing” in his head out on to paper. Perseverance […]
On My Bookshelf: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
If the title doesn’t tip you off, Elizabeth Gilbert’s theories about creativity and ideas are a bit woo-woo. Sometimes, seriously woo-woo. But most of her new book Big Magic is an easy-to-read take from somebody who is serious about her dedication to writing, and who sees creativity as a guiding life force rather than as […]
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