A big area of growth for myself, as well as for many of the writers I coach, is being able to recognize our wins. This means identifying them when they happens. Without a disclaimer about why they don’t really count or why they’re an anomaly or how it’s not enough. When this is very challenging, it often indicates cognitive dissonance. The writer is so used to saying that things aren’t working, that the evidence to the contrary doesn’t compute. It’s easier to dismiss the win than to shift their ...
Jul 18, 2020•14 min•Ep. 96
Some freelancers avoid low-hanging fruit, and always have their eye on a tree in the next orchard over that they can’t reach yet. If the fruit is ripe and the right height, picking it now as you learn to climb the tree will sustain you with assignments that are sweet, simple, and easy to attain. But don’t pick unripe apples, or ones that are full of worms or rotting on the ground. Don’t pretend that these kind of clients will make you feel confident rather than reluctant to pick any more lousy f...
Jul 10, 2020•14 min
Melissa Noel is an award-winning, independent multimedia journalist, television host and media entrepreneur. She brings stories to international audiences with a lens on culture, travel, social issues and business. Melissa has covered stories out of the Caribbean region and throughout diaspora communities in the US and Canada for outlets such as One Caribbean Television, CBS News USVI, ABC News USVI, Huffpost.com, Caribbean Beat Magazine, and NBCNEWS.com. This is a jam-packed episode. Some of th...
Jun 19, 2020•53 min•Ep. 94
After a corona-induced hiatus, Listener Q&A is back. Here are my answers to some of your recent questions: + Should white writers avoid covering stories so that BIPOC voices are heard? + Can I get a media card as a freelancer? + I think my source doesn’t like the profile I wrote about her, and I’m not sure what to do. DID YOU ENJOY THE SHOW? Support the Writing Coach Podcast by writing a review on Apple Podcasts. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: WCP 92: Anti-racist reporting WCP68 Listener Q&A, Vol. V...
Jun 12, 2020•16 min•Ep. 93
Black lives matter, today and every day. This is not always reflected in the media. Today we look at how an anti-racist approach to reporting helps us get closer to the real truth of what is happening in the stories you cover. An anti-racist approach works both in stories that explicitly cover racism, as well as so-called softer stories where you may not have initially identified a racial angle. This process will require you to confront biases in society as well as within yourself. In No Name in...
Jun 04, 2020•23 min•Ep. 92
The way we think about certain events happens so quickly that it can seem like it’s the only way to respond. Some of our inner dialogue is so routine, or so convincing, that it feels inevitable—at least at first. Today I’m sharing with you a coaching client who noticed that a thread of thought was distracting her from what she really wanted to focus on. You’ll hear how you can redirect in the moment, and a powerful practice to intentionally direct your mind before you get caught up in a web of c...
May 28, 2020•17 min•Ep. 91
This is a followup to last week’s episode. Instead of coming up with a sophisticated justification for resisting pitching, this week we’re looking at two types of overpitching. Overpitching type 1 is when you are full on pitching. Pitching the socks off of every single story. You become a pitching warrior. If your goal is one assignment, you pitch so hard and so often and so quickly that you likely wind up with several. Many freelancers are in denial that this is what they need to do to reach th...
May 21, 2020•21 min•Ep. 90
How would your writing life be different if you felt more confident? You’re invited to join me for a free, live masterclass on Wednesday, March 20, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern / 6:00 p.m. BST. Click here to register: www.rebeccalweber.com/masterclass In this class we'll look at how you can increase your confidence NOW, without relying on external factors. What would you do if you felt more confident right now? Maybe you would … Make powerful freelance decisions quickly and see them through. Be willing ...
May 18, 2020•5 min
Are your emails annoying your editor? Are you sending too many followups? Too many story ideas? Are all your messages getting on their nerves? If your pitches are half baked, poorly written, and an overall bad fit for the publication, it really doesn’t matter how many you send. You can’t send lousy pitches and expect assignments as a reward for not sending them more often. Assuming your pitches are developed with the editor’s needs in mind, let’s look at the real situation. MENTIONED IN THIS EPI...
May 14, 2020•14 min•Ep. 89
Guilt is a useful emotion when it’s alerting to an ethical mistake we’ve made. But quite often guilt stems from beliefs that aren’t true or helpful. Simply telling yourself “Don’t feel guilty!” is more likely to make you avoid the feeling rather than deal with it. Today we unpack what to do if you’ve got a freelance assignment and you’re feeling guilty about it. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Please support the Writing Coach Podcast by writing a short review over on Apple Podcasts. WCP1 What’s your ...
May 09, 2020•13 min•Ep. 88
Do you plan your week from Monday morning forward, or from Friday afternoon backwards? When you send out a pitch, are you focused on who you want to write for this week, or who you want to write for in 3 months from now? I find it’s often much easier and more successful when I start from the future and work backwards to the present. Today we’re tapping into how to plan from the future. Would your future self benefit from you mastering the art of the pitch right now? The May session of Freelance ...
May 01, 2020•14 min•Ep. 87
Do you want to read something that will make you feel good? So does pretty much everyone else. One outcome of coronafatigue has been an increase of interest in solutions journalism as well as non-pandemic articles, as evidenced in the most popular lists and newsletters of many websites. These are a rich data source for freelancers trying to understand what editors are keen to assign right now. SMALL GROUP COACHING My small group coaching program, Freelance Writer Bootcamp, starts the first week ...
Apr 27, 2020•14 min•Ep. 86
Your ideal clients a few months ago may no longer be a good fit for you … and some clients who weren’t on your radar then may be perfect for you now. In simple terms, your ideal clients are assigning stories now, are able to meet or exceed your desired rates, and have potential for ongoing work. You likely have some other criteria that’s important to you as well. If you’re not clear about who you’re looking for, it will be hard to seek and find them—and can even be hard to articulate why your cu...
Apr 16, 2020•18 min•Ep. 85
Some writers rely on the energy of excitement to write pitches and articles. Sometimes excitement can be very useful for getting things done, but it’s not the most reliable or effective of emotions when it comes to marketing. Our editors and readers often don’t feel the way we felt while we were writing, and excitement can cause us to skip over essentials. Today we look at the power of excitement, as well as alternatives that may serve you and your stories better. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: New ...
Apr 13, 2020•17 min•Ep. 84
Janna Brancolini is an American journalist based in Milan, Italy. She covers environmental and tax policy in Southern Europe for Bloomberg Law, and her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Columbia Journalism Review and Business Insider. When coronavirus hit Northern Italy in February, Janna’s freelance work dried up. There wasn’t much to cover in her normal beats, and the travel story she’d been pitching was now off the table too. After initially pitching a few coronavirus stories that g...
Apr 02, 2020•34 min•Ep. 83
Hearing another writer being coached gives you the chance to recognize your own thought patterns and behaviors—and make changes accordingly. Listen to how a shift in perspective opens things up for the following freelance challenges: + A food writer struggles to develop a story angles that staff writers don’t see + A journalist questions where to pitch stories that will be relevant for print magazines a few months out + A blog ghost writer wants to leverage her unbylined work to find new clients...
Mar 30, 2020•35 min•Ep. 82
Reporting by video calls, like Skype and Zoom, often gets a bad rap. Freelancers don’t want to brush their hair and get on camera, sources don’t have the software installed on their device, and the whole experience can seem impersonal compared to meeting in real life. With social distancing and travel restrictions, this is the perfect time to reconsider both your attitude toward the technology and also the richness of rapport and reporting it can help provide. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Join my ...
Mar 19, 2020•18 min•Ep. 81
As freelance writers, coronavirus hits us both professionally and personally. We’re looking at these issues and how mindset management will help you handle: + Freelance workflow with rapidly changing editorial needs + Feeling criticized or blamed for how “the media” is handling coverage + Self-isolation, medical concerns, and information overload MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Let’s work together. Apply now for my small group coaching program: Freelance Writer Bootcamp. WCP1 What’s your problem? WCP...
Mar 16, 2020•32 min•Ep. 80
Join me for this free, live masterclass on Wednesday, March 11, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Click here to register: www.rebeccalweber.com/freeclass In this class we'll look at how you can increase your confidence NOW, without relying on external factors. What would you do if you felt more confident right now? Maybe you would … Make powerful freelance decisions quickly and see them through. Be willing to take risks with your words--and reap the benefits of improved skills. Seek clients who value what y...
Mar 10, 2020•4 min
Some freelancers are having stories postponed, killed, or ignored due to the spread of coronavirus. Let's look at how to protect yourself from shifting editorial plans, as well as look at stories that can be assigned now. Feature opportunities abound in how COVID-19 is impacting different segments of the population in your geographic area as well as virtually any niche you normally cover. This is the right time to use The Mashup, the idea generation technique where we ask what happens when X mee...
Mar 09, 2020•17 min•Ep. 79
Masterclass: Creating sustainable freelance writing success Join me on Wednesday for a free, live masterclass that covers some of the most pressing issues for freelancers who struggle to get consistent, meaningful work that pays well. This isn't the conventional, so-called freelancing wisdom that leads to mediocre results. These are the same principles I teach my paying coaching clients, who have broken into the Guardian, the New York Times, Bustle, Conde Nast Traveler, the BBC, and so many more...
Feb 24, 2020•4 min
Here’s looking at you, you green-eyed monster, you. Feeling jealous of another writer’s assignment, grant, income, relationship, skill, talent, age, credits, social media presence, book contract, education, or any other attribute can act like a double whammy. First, the compare and despair mode derails us from our own work and can be a huge time suck. Once you start down this particular rabbit hole, you can spend an awful long time down there not writing, not pitching, not developing or nurturin...
Feb 21, 2020•21 min•Ep. 78
Freelance writers shy away from talking about sales. “Got an assignment,” yes, but “sold a story,” much less so. “Salesperson” is associated with being “salesy,” which itself brings up a sleezy person trying to convince us we want something we don’t, or somebody who won’t give us a moment to process or consider. We’ve all been on the receiving end of somebody being salesy, and we didn’t like it. But you’ve also probably had a good sales experience, when somebody made a great suggestion, answered...
Feb 17, 2020•23 min•Ep. 77
Are you and your writing blooming? Sometimes valuing productivity and efficiency can be counterproductive. If you and your writing are blooming—or will be in the near future—focusing on the notion of being behind robs you of your enjoyment and even slows you down. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Support the Writing Coach Podcast with a review on Apple Podcasts WCP1 What’s your problem? WCP73 Freelance journal Freelance Writer Bootcamp More info and complete show notes: www.rebeccalweber.com/podcast76...
Feb 06, 2020•13 min•Ep. 76
It’s possible be a successful freelance writer with a single niche, several related subniches, multiple unrelated niches, or no niche at all. For most writers, the benefits of identifying and working within a niche outweigh the cons. Changing your niche isn’t going to be what transforms your career: It’s the process of clarifying what you do, positioning yourself, and testing the markets that reveal if a niche is a good fit or not. In reality, most freelancers already have a niche, even if they’...
Jan 30, 2020•14 min•Ep. 75
question, “Why are you the one to tell this story?” Some people will avoid answering or avoid pitching to avoid an existential freakout: “I’m not the one! They can just let somebody on staff do it instead. I’m not experienced enough and will mess it all up.” Others use the same cut-and-paste reply for all pitches. They’ve found an acceptable answer that allows them to avoid serious consideration of the question. Today we’re tapping into why you’re the one to do the work you most want to do and a...
Jan 24, 2020•14 min•Ep. 74
The freelance journal is a key tool to understanding your process, habits, attitudes, limiting beliefs, and true ambitions. Keeping a narrative record of what you’re doing as a writer and as a freelancer means that you will become more familiar with what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, why you’re making the choices you’re making, how well things are going, and what other options you can explore. This all serves as preventative to you saying later on “I don’t know how I did that,” because a) y...
Jan 16, 2020•21 min•Ep. 73
Many writers say that they always honor their deadlines for clients, yet aren’t accountable to themselves when it comes to marketing or creative work. Maybe you want to pitch more stories, finish your book proposal, or write in your journal every single day. In reality, signing a contract isn’t what actually makes you complete an assignment on time. It’s your decision to complete it (which you may choose because you like the consequences, such as feeling reliable and spending the income). If you...
Jan 09, 2020•19 min•Ep. 72
Register for my new masterclass on confidence this Wednesday. Doubt and indecision are like kryptonite to freelancers. What would you do in your writing life if you felt more confident right now? Maybe you'd: + Make a powerful freelance choice quickly and see it through, without overthinking. + Take risks with your words--and reap the benefits of improved skills. + Seek clients who value what you offer, and negotiate better rates. Confidence isn't something that comes as a reward after reaching ...
Jan 06, 2020•4 min
Are your 2020 goals based on a limited vision of your past accomplishments … or on what’s truly possible for you in the future? Today’s exercise will help you expand your goals and how to achieve them. NEW LIVE CLASS ON WEDNESDAY Join me in a new free class on building confidence as a writer on Wednesday, January 8. Registratoin is free but essential. Click here to sign up: www.rebeccalweber.com/freeclass Click here for more info and full show notes....
Jan 02, 2020•15 min•Ep. 71
