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 […]
On choosing not to be an underearner
Recently I opened up my schedule to people interested in a free mini coaching session with me. It’s a shot of quickie clarity—just enough time for you to describe one writing issue you’re struggling with and for me to offer some advice about the one next step to take. A couple of people transitioning from other […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 25: Why freelance writers really procrastinate
I know a lot about procrastination. I spontaneously invented my own time management approach when I was in third grade. We’d get a homework assignment each week on Monday that was due on Friday. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, I’d think, “I don’t want to do that. I’d rather watch reruns or read Judy […]
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 […]
What freelance writers can learn from Cape Town’s Day Zero
As a freelance journalist based in Cape Town, South Africa, the full meaning and impact of Day Zero is revealing itself both incredibly fast (what about this? and that! and the other?!) as well as incredibly slowly (such as the city’s non-release of details about logistics, or queuing for water). What is Day Zero? In […]
Freelance Writer Breakthrough: A new mini course
Register for the Breakthrough mini course (free for a limited time). Want a behind-the-scenes look at the best strategies for reaching your freelance writing goals in 2018? Please join me for a new mini course, which includes some of my best tips to help you build and sustain the freelance writing career you want. We’ll […]
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 […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 21: Are your editors on your list? 🎅🏿
Spoiler and disclaimer, my friend: I am NOT very consistent about sending holiday cards. I send them some years and not others; when I do send them, who I send them to changes; I’ve sent paper and ecards. All of this applies to friends and family as well as clients. So please don’t take this […]
Favorite freelance writer resources
Updated in 2022. I’m happy to share these resources with you: my affiliate-free (read: no kickback, just links to things I use and like) list of favorite tools, apps, and programs; a few downloadable guides; and the most popular blog posts. Listen in to this audio companion for this blog post, where I expand on why […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 20: Get your freelance clients to pay on time
Getting paid on time as a freelance writer isn’t luck of the draw. After more than a dozen years of freelancing full-time, I’ve had very few late-paying clients. Some of this is out of my control, but I’m quite diligent about a few things that most freelancers don’t bother doing. If you don’t think you have […]
The quarterback, the quiet friend, and “effortless” assignments
(Psst … Registration for Freelance Writer Bootcamp is OPEN. Click here to join the last session in 2017.) Recently I got an email from a new-to-me editor who works at a publication I’d never heard of. If magazines were high school archetypes in a teen movie, and the New York Times was the football quarterback […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 19: A new answer to “Why now?”
In South Africa, “now” means sometime in the near future. “Now now” means even sooner. And when an editor (anywhere in the world) asks why your story is important now, they mean when the piece will be published and read. That could be tomorrow, in three months, or a year. Anticipating this aspect of your story […]
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 […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 18: How to leave a conference full of freelance article ideas (but not tote bags full of brochures)
The first time I went to a large trade show as a freelance writer, I wandered around, mindlessly stuffing free tote bags full of every single brochure and pamphlet on display. When I got home I was completely overwhelmed. I had no idea how to coax those stacks of paper (most of which was a […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 17/Digital nomad: Freelancing on the road
When I saw this VW van in California a few weeks ago, I thought immediately about a recent article about #vanlife. Somebody who thought she could do her job remotely was surprised to find out that she couldn’t work on her computer during a bumpy ride, nor connect for calls in the middle of a […]
Takeaways from the ASJA writers conference
A few years ago a freelance writer tried to persuade me to attend the ASJA (American Society of Journalists and Authors) conference in New York City. I had lots of practical reasons why not to go: Me: It’s a 24-hour trip each way for me. I can’t afford to take off the days of the […]
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