5 Ways to Write The Cliché Experience Fresh
I’m looking up Narratively’s instructions on how to pitch, and I see this from their editor, Lilly Dancyger: “In case you’re wondering, here are some
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The Writer's Life
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All writers need to thrive: craft,
business, personal finance, and joy.
business, personal finance, and joy.
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Everything a Writer Needs to Thrive: Craft, Business Skills, Personal Finance, & Joy
When I decided to start a blog as a follow-up to my book Welcome to the Writer’s Life, I knew I needed to focus. Who
Conferences are Essential (and Expensive)
In 2018, I went to six conferences, which is, according to my bank account, too many conferences. Today I have a new podcast episode out
The Luxuries of Freelance Writing Life
My favorite music genre being Sad Guy With A Guitar And a Story To Tell, my favorite band is naturally Bon Iver. They’re coming to
10 Office Supplies Every Writer Needs at Home
I don’t know why it took me so long to realize I could buy things for my home that I’d only used in offices or
Why (And How) We Should Talk About Money
Every month, I have a dinner party where we talk about the most forbidden of fruits as far as conversation topics go: money. We eat
All the Tools I Use To Run My Freelance Writing Business in 2019
I bartered with another business owner to help her design her systems, and we were deciding which electronic signing service to go with. It took
Bria, How Did You Save Up To Write For A Year?
On the latest episode of my podcast, I get to talk with my coaching student, Bria, about how she saved up to take a year
How To Compost Artistic Envy Into Inspiration
I am feeling feelings about Kristen Arnett’s book, Mostly Dead Things, an absolutely fabulous and hilarious novel set in Florida. Psst: This site uses affiliate
Using Affiliate Links, Feeling Kinda Weird About It
As we walked down the beach one day, my mom and I saw two anchored boats cracking against each other in the waves. One had
Read This to Learn That: Tara Conklin’s “The Last Romantics” and The Family Saga
I just finished Tara Conklin’s book The Last Romantics on a plane, and I wanted to call, “Attention: People in the emergency row. Have you
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: John Hodgman
Like Will Ferrell or Amy Sedaris, it seemed like John Hodgman was creating a new kind of humor. We had no idea what he was
Read This to Learn That: Gaby Dunn’s “Bad with Money” and Starting as a Writer from Nothing
One thing I know about the writing life is that you get better at the thing by doing it. I started out hoping to be
Why a Writer Might Want to Care About Frugality
I’m doing Liz Frugalwoods’ Uber-frugal challenge this month, and I don’t like it. I mean, I like her and her challenge, but I don’t like
I Don’t Want to Be Frugal, But I Want to Be a Writer
It’s spending season. The sun shines upon Seattlites at University Village as I run to the Amazon book store, because it’s the only place to
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Michelle Obama
Is there anyone classier, smarter, and more of a person I might be tempted to put a photo of on my mantel than Michelle Obama?
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Anthony Bourdain
Before my trip to South America, I looked for places he’d been. I had 24 hours in Cali in Colombia, and he’d gone there, had
10 Beach Reads
“In my mind, a beach read is something that’s “unputdownable,” whatever that means to you,” says Susan Kehoe, managing partner of Browseabout Books. When the
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Zadie Smith
Zadie Smith is kind of everything you ever want to be. I’m in love with this short story I heard her read on the New
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Amy Schumer
As you know, Amy Schumer is ridiculous. I consider her my long-lost third sister. Not only does she have her book, The Girl with the
Read This to Learn That: Nature Writing
I’ve only once fallen in love with a piece of land, and I’ve been trying to write about it for a decade. When I bought
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay was sitting outside Hugo House one night when I went to a reading. My friend Jessica and I chatted with her about student
My Favorite Writers’ Favorite Books: George Saunders
George Saunders is an uber-favorite: kind, brilliant, hard-working. I’ve never met anyone who said a bad word about him, and he was very generous when
Tools to Write Without Distraction
You know that feeling like you want to just head out to a cabin in the woods and just write? Well you can get a
The Next Books I’m Buying for My Writing Business
The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone Ask by Ryan Levesque Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port Getting Things Done by David Allen