The Writing Coach Podcast 5: Pitching is …
05: Pitching mindset The first thing most freelance writers need to do to improve their pitching isn’t some editorial magic trick. It’s not tips on including a news hook, or how to write a great subject line, or having the right clips in your portfolio. Subscribe to The Writing Coach Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 4: The perfect black T-shirt
04: The perfect black T-shirt Tailoring your pitch to an individual publication will be a game changer if you’re used to a spray-and-pray approach. Simultaneous submissions may seem efficient in the short-term, but there’s a reason why most editors don’t respond to the same pitch you sent to their competition. Subscribe to The Writing Coach […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 3/Travel writing: Pitching stories before or after the trip?
03: Travel writing: Pitching stories before or after the trip This episode addresses two of the most requested topics my readers told me they wanted to hear about: travel writing and pitching. Should you pitch your travel story ideas before or after you have a notebook full of notes? In theory, you can do it […]
The Writing Coach Podcast 1: What’s your problem?
01: What’s your problem? Welcome to the first episode of The Writing Coach Podcast! đ In the weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing my coach approach with you to help you get out of your own way and move toward your freelance writing goals. Welcome to the first episode of The Writing Coach Podcast! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google […]
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. Itâs a shot of quickie clarityâjust enough time for you to describe one writing issue youâre struggling with and for me to offer some advice about the one next step to take. A couple of people transitioning from other […]
MJT23: Clichés, creativity, and Malika Favre
I highly recommend you click below and watch A Little Film About⊠Malika Favre. Youâve 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. Weâll […]
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 […]
âThe quarterback, the quiet friend, and âeffortlessâ 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 Iâd 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, ânowâ means sometime in the near future. âNow nowâ 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. […]
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 […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 14: Saving and organizing clips
[2019 update:] Click to listen to an adapted version of this post on the Writing Coach Podcast: The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber: WCP41 Sorting and archiving freelance articles Whether your articles are published online or in print, you need to be able to make them readily available for potential clients to read […]
She blinded me with science
Despite my lack of technical training, I’ve interviewed a fair number of scientists. Right at the start of our conversation, I tell them that I don’t have a science background, and ask them to please explain things to me in layperson’s terms. Usually they get it that I’m not a colleague and keep things simple; […]
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 […]
Modern Journalist Toolkit 10: Color Me Quick
One antidote to overresearching, overreporting, overthinking, and overwriting is a really tight deadline. This video offers some takeaway tips on quick reporting in the field: For many freelancers, breaking news is part of a mix that keeps things fresh and exciting. For writers who are used to working in isolation, there’s a satisfying sense of […]
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