How to Write (or Not) During the Coronavirus Outbreak
It’s the time of Coronavirus, which is pretty much like the bad dystopian novel plot we all can’t believe we’re living. And I’ll tell you
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Everything I Know About Marketing I Definitely Did NOT Learn from AWP
“Yes!” said a young woman at the AWP conference for writers, rounding the corner to my all-the-way-in-the-back-corner booth. “This is where those stickers are coming
Writers Get Wild: Creating Your Own Self-Run Writing Retreat
My rent is $350 for the next three months, and I can’t tell whether it’s that or the physical space around me, trees instead of
10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Writing the Personal Essay
From my first essay nearly published a decade ago to the viral essay that got a million readers to the little goof essays I write now, here are 10 things I’ve learned about writing powerful personal essays
Your Writing Career Will Not Survive on “Please”
We stood on a closed-off street at a music festival, near midnight, third or fourth beers in hand, when the musicians on stage stopped in
The Most Important Thing Most Writers Never Do
I’d be driving and think, “Oh damn it, I never followed up with Susan.” I’d be shopping and realize it had been six months since
Why I’m Learning Grammar: Grammar Foundations Class Review
My coaching student scoffed. “Why are you learning grammar?” A part of me was with her, scoffing at grammar that meant memorizing latinate words. Grammar that
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
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