The Writing Coach Podcast 32: Setting freelance writer goals, Vol. 2
Today’s episode is part 2 of Setting freelance writer goals. Three months in is the perfect time to evaluate what you’ve done, what’s worked and didn’t, and how to make a new plan moving forward. If you’re not seeing the results you expected, you’ll want to hear these common pitfalls and new approaches you can […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 31: How do you feel about breaking into your dream publications?
Your dream publication might be high profile, high circulation, or high paying. It might reach a specialized, niche audience, or be pushing the boundaries of innovative types of multimedia storytelling. Maybe your dream publication employees your dream editor, who is smart and funny and prompt. Or maybe your dream publication comes back to you time […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 29: The research rabbit hole
The research and reporting rabbit holes have to be some of the most seductive and appealing parts of the freelance writing comfort zone. You start off doing good work: nailing down facts, seeking rich data, locating interesting sources. But there’s always another twist and turn, and you can easily lose your orientation and not know […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 27: Name your niche
Clarifying a freelance writing niche gives you direction about what to focus on, which clients to target, and which stories to pitch. It helps with efficiency and productivity. And it makes it easier for clients to find you. Today’s episode explores how to identify a niche, when to drill down to subspecialties, and why you […]
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 […]
WCP Bonus: Why aren’t you making more money as a freelance writer?
Freelancing has so many moving parts that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. When you’re working a lot of hours, putting in a lot of effort, but not seeing a lot of financial return, that can add to the confusion: What’s holding you back from making more money? When we strip things back to basics, there […]
What if you loved to pitch?
What if you loved pitching, and/or knew you were really good at it? What would you do differently? If you’re avoiding pitching as frequently as ambitiously as you would if you were great at it, then you’re choosing to experience all the things you were hoping to avoid: silence from editors, not earning enough, and […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 20: Setting freelance writer goals
The freelance writer goal setting process I’m sharing with you today works for goals that will take half a day, one year, or anywhere in between. There’s one step in this process that most writers miss (and, consequently, don’t reach their goals). Listen in to make sure you don’t gloss over it. Listen to episode 20 […]
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 17: Overwhelm
Multiple clients, multiple topics, multiple deadlines … freelance writers deal with a lot of moving parts. Today we’ll cover the three kinds of thoughts causing you to feel overwhelm, and what you can do to remedy it. I won’t say that overwhelm is a popular topic amongst my coaching clients, but it certainly comes up a lot. […]
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. […]
The Writing Coach Podcast Bonus: Freelancing (or not) when other people are on vacation
Click here to listen to today’s bonus episode: WCP Bonus: Working (or not) when other people are on vacation Freelancing in December is usually a bit different from the other months. Maybe you’re taking some time off, your clients are, or your friends and family are. Let’s talk about deciding what you want (be it […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 15: How Nelson Mandela taught me to write faster
Today’s episode addresses two questions I get asked all the time, but never together: How can I write faster? What brought you to South Africa? These are somewhat surprisingly interconnected for me, and today i’m going to share with you one of the lessons Mandela taught me–how to write faster. Listen to episode 15 of […]
The Times, they are a changin’
If you’re old enough to know the song I’m referencing there, you need to check that your idea of what the newspaper or website you want to write for actually publishes isn’t from the same era. Reading a publication regularly doesn’t mean you’re ready to pitch it. For starters, you probably read like a reader: for […]
WCP Bonus: Boost your bottom line as a freelance writer
WCP Bonus: Boost your bottom line as a freelance writer This bonus episode looks at the most effective strategies to raise your bottom line as a freelance writer. You’ll walk away with specifics you can implement right away to increase your cash flow. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Android, or RSS. This bonus episode looks at the […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 11: Money and negotiation blocks
http://writingcoachpodcast.libsyn.com/wcp11-money-and-negotiation-blocks Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Android, or RSS. Often our thoughts about money and negotiations are so old, we don’t question them as optional belief systems. We think we’re observing reality. And then we make important choices based on that perceived reality. Most freelance writers I’ve coached say they’re underearning and want to make more money. […]
Writing Coach Podcast 10: Becoming a confident writer
The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber: WCP10 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? Subscribe to The […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 9: Longform articles and short documentaries with Christopher Clark
09: Longform articles and short documentaries with Christopher Clark Christopher Clark is a freelance journalist and filmmaker. He recently co-directed two documentaries about people living on the fringes of South African society for Al Jazeera and the BBC. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Android, or RSS. Christopher Clark is a freelance journalist and filmmaker. He’s reported from […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 8: Backstory of a New York Times travel feature with Sarah Khan
08: Backstory of a New York Times travel feature with Sarah Khan Sarah Khan is a freelance travel writer for the Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast Traveler, and Travel + Leisure. Today Sarah shares the backstory of her award-winning feature for the New York Times, “A Muslim American’s Homecoming: Cowboys, Country Music, Chapatis.” Subscribe to The […]
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