Dating/relationship analogies come up a lot when we talk about our editors and publications. It’s common for freelancers to have a mix of short and long term relationships, which tend to reflect different mindsets, emotions, strategies, decisions, processes, and company policies. It’s also common for freelancers to confuse or mislabel what’s really happening, and have a short term or one night stand mindset when they want something that will last a lot longer. This episode is not meant to be per...
Apr 05, 2022•14 min•Ep. 173
In the middle of the night I emailed myself an idea I didn’t want to forget. I sat down with my freelance journal and phone in the morning to use the message as a prompt. Here’s what I typed: Reason why chsbgdx So helpful, right? I wish I knew what this word (or phrase) was supposed to be. Since I consistently generate ideas, and I’m in the habit of writing them down, I’m not overly concerned about losing this one. It will show up in some other form, or I’ll just come up with more. Some consiste...
Mar 29, 2022•21 min•Ep. 172
This bonus episode looks at the application process for Freelance Writer Bootcamp. I explain how I review the applications on a rolling basis, and how this process may be of use to you in other areas of your freelance life. If you’ve told yourself that you want to join the Bootcamp but haven’t applied yet, this episode will give you more clarity about this as a first step in transitioning to the kind of writing life you want. The March sessions are about to start. To apply, visit www.FreelanceWr...
Mar 25, 2022•19 min
The equinox is the transition to autumn/spring, and it’s also the end of Q1. Seasonal and financial cycles impact us, as do many other cycles in our writing life. Some cycle frameworks aren’t that helpful, while others help us recognize that we’re not in the same energetic or growth phase at all times and allow us to plan accordingly. YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY … Download my free guide on how to pitch SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST Subscribe and write a review of the Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Po...
Mar 22, 2022•14 min•Ep. 171
Sometimes it’s faster in the short term not to change the way we’re doing things … but once we make the shift to more sustainable approaches, we reap the benefits long term. I changed the kind of printer I’ve always had, which will save a bit of plastic and hassle. And I changed the way I do my banking and pay for business expenses, which means I save time and effort when reconciling. You can also shift from an emphasis of breaking into pubs just for a once-off assignment to using it as a a spri...
Mar 18, 2022•11 min
“How do I get myself to do this thing I know I should do?” The short answer is to change the thinking that’s blocking you from taking action. When you think differently, you’ll feel and act differently too. I don’t mean go through the motions and pretend to believe things that aren’t true. Bridge thoughts are the opposite: first we identify the thoughts you have that are NOT true, and then we’ll replace those false beliefs with thoughts that ARE true. Bridge thoughts are a mindset management too...
Mar 15, 2022•19 min•Ep. 170
Join me on Thursday, March 17, for a live masterclass on creating sustainable freelance writer success, i.e., consistent, meaningful work that pays well. www.rebeccalweber.com/masterclass In the masterclass, I'll share with you: + A proven blueprint for pitching and selling freelance article ideas + How to turn a once-off assignment into an ongoing gig + The most effective way to get silent editors to respond to you + Plus time for answers to your freelancing questions during our live Q&A This i...
Mar 14, 2022•3 min
Do you need a blog? A subscription newsletter? A podcast? A TikTok account? A fill-in-the-blank thing that somebody (maybe you) is telling you is necessary to create and then continually update? Let’s examine your reasons why you may want to invest your time, energy, and money into creating content that you’ll be publishing yourself instead of on assignments for clients. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE … Download my free guide on how to pitch. SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST Did you enjoy this episode? Share ...
Mar 08, 2022•20 min•Ep. 169
A couple more freelance insights while playing Wordle over morning coffee, this time focusing on the roles of perseverance and giving yourself wise counsel. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM Did you enjoy this episode? Follow Rebecca to get notified next time she goes live on Instagram and tag her when you share the Writing Coach Podcast with your writer friends: @freelancewriterbootcamp WORK WITH ME Join the waitlist for Freelance Writer Bootcamp now and get early access to the application PLUS a super sp...
Mar 04, 2022•11 min
This is NOT an episode about how to improve your Wordle scores. Instead, let’s look at what Wordle can teach us about freelance writing success. Download my free guide on how to pitch. WCP 167 Organic tomatoes vs. Twinkies WCP 1: What’s your problem? Join the Freelance Writer Bootcamp waitlist SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST Did you enjoy this episode? Share your podcast takeaways with your writer friends. Tag Rebecca on Instagram: @freelancewriterbootcamp WORK WITH ME Get on the waitlist to wor...
Mar 01, 2022•28 min•Ep. 168
When you’ve developed an evergreen story idea, it may be accurate to say that there’s no reason why the story needs to be told now. But that’s only true when we look at your existing pitch. Your angle, your slant, your point of view doesn’t include a perspective that makes the story relevant now. Telling yourself the story doesn’t have one, that you don’t know how to find one, that you shouldn’t have to find one, etc., will likely lead to confusion, inadequacy, or doubt … and a pitch that seems ...
Feb 22, 2022•17 min•Ep. 167
When an editor posts a call for pitches, freelancers sometimes respond the way they would to the siren’s call. The writers retweet them, share them, subscribe to newsletters with them. After weeks of saying they’ll get around to pitching, they suddenly snap to attention. Typically, the writer skips over-analyzing (or even reading) the publication, and sends out a half-developed idea to join the hundreds of others in an inbox queue. As popular as calls for pitches are, they rarely lead to what wr...
Feb 15, 2022•13 min•Ep. 166
What do 1947, 1972, 1997, 2012, and 2021 all have in common? They all have big anniversary years in 2022: 75, 50, 25, 10, 1. We like these kind of milestones to remind us of past events, and the impact they have on how we live today. They can work well to anchor an evergreen story that’s worth sharing but that otherwise get lost in the relentless news cycle. This bonus episode looks at thinking about why a story needs to be told now, as well as an example of a feature that touches on an author r...
Feb 11, 2022•20 min
Most women say they’ve never negotiated their salary. As freelancers, we have so many more opportunities than staff employees to practice negotiations and to get better and better over time. When the lease on my house came up, I thought all I’d have to do was say I wanted to renew, and possibly negotiate a rent increase. I was not expecting to have to draw on all the negotiation skills I’ve learned through my years of freelancing. In this episode I share how the skills I’ve developed in my writi...
Feb 08, 2022•26 min•Ep. 165
Have you ever held back from turning your camera on Zoom? Sent a pitch via an anonymous form (the modern day slush pile) instead of the assigning editor? Imagined somebody saying that you were posting too much–or too repetitively–on social media? These are all slightly less obvious ways of holding yourself back. You may be aware of some ways that you’re already doing this, and less attuned to others. Holding yourself back may feel safe, comfortable, or familiar in the short term. When you hold b...
Feb 04, 2022•29 min
When we put ourselves out there, we take a risk. We risk not getting validation, assignments, contracts, money, Likes, comments, safety, etc. We risk approval internally and externally. The idea of putting yourself out there probably pushes buttons that you had even before you became a professional, published writer. You may have prior experience with it not being safe to say what you want to say. There may have been consequences for you, or someone in your family, or with one of your personal i...
Feb 01, 2022•25 min•Ep. 164
Two months ago I invited you to take a 90-day challenge to get paid on time . That episode includes the logistics of what to do to get paid promptly … and also addresses the resistance so many freelancers have about actually doing these things. Overall, you’ll see a shift in your cash flow when you do this challenge. But that doesn’t mean every single client will pay on time. Today’s episode is a real-time update of what comes next, i.e., how I handled a client last week who didn’t pay on time. ...
Jan 25, 2022•20 min•Ep. 163
The research and reporting rabbit holes are some of the most seductive and appealing parts of the freelance writing comfort zone. You start off doing good work: nailing down facts, seeking rich data, locating interesting sources. But there’s always another twist and turn, and you can easily lose your orientation and not know if you’re getting closer or further away from what you and your story needs. If you’ve ever said that research takes as long as it takes, or noticed that it’s taking so long...
Jan 18, 2022•20 min•Ep. 162
Neediness has been normalized in much of freelance culture, to our own detriment. Desperation compounds difficult situations by blocking our own resourcefulness. Even when desperation fuels our actions, it’s not energy that’s sustainable long term. Without defining neediness as a so-called negative frame of mind that needs (!) to be replaced with a “positive” one, today we look at thoughts and feelings that are more useful for getting the outcomes we want and enjoying our writing lives along the...
Jan 10, 2022•18 min•Ep. 161
The fundamental 5W1H questions you use when reporting are just as handy for examining your freelance life. When it comes to setting writing goals, WHO will you become in the process of achieving your goal? Is your goal setting process setting you up for success? Have you chosen goals that are distracting you from the writing you really want to be doing? Or are you holding unmet goals against yourself? Some writers have such a hard time believing that they’re good at setting at achieving goals, t...
Jan 04, 2022•19 min•Ep. 160
When it comes to making lasting changes in your freelance life, I’m more a fan of experiments than of resolutions. The latter tend not to work so well, often relying on willpower or self-shame as fuel to get things done. Some industries have business models based on these negative, dysfunctional cycles, and you don’t want to rope your own freelancing in with them. Alternatively, setting up a framework of experimentation conjures curiosity and exploration. For decisions to stick long-term, this i...
Dec 28, 2021•20 min•Ep. 159
Freelance writers often conflate two very different kinds of urgency. Confusing them impacts pitching and following up. First is the urgency of the story itself. This includes identifying why the story needs to be told now. It can be any kind of news peg or timely aspect that compels the editor to assign and publish the piece, and the reader to prioritize reading it. Second is our own personal/professional sense of urgency. This can be when you’re telling yourself that you need to place a piece ...
Dec 21, 2021•19 min•Ep. 158
Should you pitch during the holiday season? Yes, if you want more assignments. No, if you want to take time off. There are two valid approaches to taking time off as a freelancer: 1. Take time off during conventional holidays. Editors and sources may be less available; family and friends may be off too. 2. Freelancers make their own schedules and don’t need to conform to public holidays. If you want new assignments, pitch away. Many editors continue to check email and assign stories, and fewer f...
Dec 16, 2021•30 min
When I started freelancing, I was 100% DIY. One of the tricky things about making a good living as a freelance writer is getting a feel for what to do yourself and where to spend–or invest–time and money. Some choices that seem to be saving short term wind up costing you in the long run. Let’s look at some areas where you may want to invest in supporting your star employee. WORK WITH ME How do you land assignments that pay well enough to pay for these supports? Apply for the January 2022 session...
Dec 14, 2021•12 min•Ep. 157
When you’re interviewing a source for an article, you’d want to do some followup if they said: “I don’t know how a key part of my job works.” You’d ask the question again, or come at it from a different perspective. It should be the same when you wonder why you did (or didn’t) get assigned a story idea you pitched. If your default is “I don’t know,” you’re not using the power of evaluation and reflection to show you the way forward in your next pitch. The better you are at identifying the reason...
Dec 07, 2021•19 min•Ep. 156
Join me on Wednesday, December 8, for a live masterclass on breaking into your dream publications and achieving sustainable freelance writer success. We’ll focus on proven strategies to get consistent, meaningful assignments that pay well. Sign up for free at www.rebeccalweber.com/masterclass This won’t be 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...
Dec 05, 2021•5 min
“Is my pitch too long?” If you’re asking the question, the answer is probably yes. The question you really need answered is not how long your pitch should be, but why your pitch is too long: You’ve generated a bunch of options without making choices about what’s most important and what to cut back on. You likely are leaving out some key components. This pitch may be any length, but the picture is blurry. You and the editor have a very clear sense of what the story will be, but you’ve gone way be...
Nov 30, 2021•15 min•Ep. 155
This week is the start of the year-end holiday season in the United States, which is associated with a lot of personal and professional stress. This episode looks at meditation as a concentration practice that can help you center yourself before writing. When I was a kid, an adult I trusted made some negative comments about meditation that stuck with me a long time. Even though I logically reject those comments now as being incorrect, I still sometimes remember them and think I may be judged for...
Nov 24, 2021•18 min•Ep. 154
Freelancers often ask: How do I get a client to pay an invoice that’s past due? Instead of a how to on chasing payments, today we’re asking and answering a better question: How do you get clients to pay you on time in the first place? If you’ve had more than one late-paying client in the past few years, following the actions recommended in this episode can shake up the way you approach billing. I share some very practical things you can do straight away to break a cycle of late payments and impr...
Nov 16, 2021•25 min•Ep. 153
One of the best ways to start the new year strong is to finish this one strong as well. We want to make sure you're investing, rather than just spending time, money, and energy to get clients. When you are ready to get yourself a new assignment, do you factor in the prior investment you’ve already done to secure your existing clients? Or do you go out looking for a new client each time you need more work? As freelancers, we say we want anchor clients or regular retainers. But often we get caught...
Nov 09, 2021•21 min•Ep. 152
