Jul 7Member-onlyHow do you keep moving forward as a writer?It’s a question I’ve said, and heard, as often as the sunset. What plagues many writers is the dire scenario of being static, progression in limbo, sorely hoping to achieve another milestone to hang on the mental mantle. But we don’t always get graced with the Muse’s inspirations that will…Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Jun 7Member-onlyWhat should you do during your slow weeks? Marketing!Every freelancer experiences the peaks-and-valleys trend in our business: some weeks, you’re overloaded with work and you might even be turning down offers. Then the next few weeks the gigs have dried up and you’re left wondering what the heck you should do beyond pitching editors or cold-calling potential clients. …Freelance Writing2 min readFreelance Writing2 min read
Apr 28Member-onlyHone your interview skills to write engaging profilesIf there is any journalistic format I’ve come to specialize in over the past 20 years, it’s writing profiles. …Journalism3 min readJournalism3 min read
Mar 22Member-onlyWhy my new solo show is the most vulnerable project I’ve ever writtenWhen I went full-time freelance in 2016, I wanted to dive deep into creative projects. First, I wrote a poetry collection published in 2017, and then I wrote a solo show called Jewnique about my tumultuous relationship with Judaism. Thing is, I was just scratching the surface with those shows. …Theatre2 min readTheatre2 min read
Jan 29Member-onlyHow to Tighten Your Writing (Part 4): Avoid clichés and strive for fresh imageryHave you ever read a story or article where the writers is so enamoured by well-worn and tired phrases that you wonder how they ever got past the slush pile? In the final instalment of my series on how to tighten your writing, let’s talk clichés. These boring same-old idioms…Writing Tips3 min readWriting Tips3 min read
Dec 31, 2022Member-onlyHow to Tighten Your Writing (Part 3): Beware the run-on sentenceIn this third part of my four-part series on tight writing, it’s time to learn about the importance of sentence variety. Too often the pacing of a paragraph or page is under-valued, disregarded in favour of what may seem more integral to strong writing, such as compelling verbs/nouns and strengthening…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Oct 31, 2022Member-onlyHow You Can Tighten Your Writing (Part 2): Avoiding Hedging and QualifiersIn this second part of a four-part series on writing tight, I want to break down one of the less obvious but detrimental offences a writer can commit: using evasive language such as qualifiers. What does that mean? Qualifiers such as “most” and “often” and “many” dot our spoken language…Writing Advice2 min readWriting Advice2 min read
Sep 24, 2022Member-onlyHow You Can Tighten Your Writing (Part 1): Rejecting RedundanciesWhen I coach writers, whether they work in creative fields or in journalism, I often see how their copy is laden with redundancies and filler. I preach the gospel of tight writing, which focuses on writing compelling sentences without the frills some writers believe they need to engage readers. For…Writing2 min readWriting2 min read
Sep 8, 2022Member-onlyWhat separates great writers from good writers? Discipline.When I coach creative writers, I stress one key point: If you want to be a skilled writer, you need to be disciplined. You have to put that bum in the seat EVERY DAY for at least an hour, writing new work (and not editing). I underline this behaviour because…Freelance Writer2 min readFreelance Writer2 min read
Aug 12, 2022Member-onlyHow writers can avoid burnoutAs a freelance writer, whether you work in journalism or prose/poetry, you’re told to hustle. Getting those gigs can lead to more revenue and experience and deeper relationships with editors. But the dark side of all that hustle is burnout, which can develop as a benign feeling of low-grade anxiety…Writers On Writing2 min readWriters On Writing2 min read
