Ken Weaver was working toward a Ph.D. in Particle Physics at ivy-league Cornell when he transitioned over to an MFA Creative Writing program at the University of Maryland in 2005. After a handful of years freelancing (and perhaps a stern talking-to from the fam), Weaver is now an award-winning beer writer, the author of TheContinue reading “Award-Winning Beer Writer and ‘All About Beer’ Editor Ken Weaver Spills about the Writing Game”
Tag Archives: advice
Everything I Should Have Learned in College About Professional Writing
I was going to cite a whole bunch of employment statistics—ones that show how having the right college degree helps you get a job—but instead, I am going to lay the truth down as per my personal experience: in terms of finding full-time, gainful employment, having a humanities degree today is roughly akin to havingContinue reading “Everything I Should Have Learned in College About Professional Writing”
How to Land Superstar Sources for Your Writing Projects
Often the hardest part about writing an article is just finding a decent source willing to sit with you for an interview. Even on the local level, business owners, public officials, and media personalities are usually too busy to just jump in and offer a great quote for you on a cold call. And ifContinue reading “How to Land Superstar Sources for Your Writing Projects”
Living to Write/Writing to Live: How One Author Cracked the Code to Success.
Andrew Blackman is living “a writer’s life”, and you can learn all about it on his blog of the same title. The long and short of it is this: he was a Wall Street Journal staff writer for a while, then participated in NaNoWriMo in 2007. During that month of intensive wordsmithing he finishedContinue reading “Living to Write/Writing to Live: How One Author Cracked the Code to Success.”
NaNoWriMo: Facing All of Your Worst Writing Fears in a Single Month
Anyone that has ever tried to publish a piece of writing knows that there are a number of steps along the way that can be downright terrifying. There is the intimidation wrought by that lone blinking vertical line on an empty Word Document to tend with, then the countless hours of tedious rereads and editsContinue reading “NaNoWriMo: Facing All of Your Worst Writing Fears in a Single Month”
A Faith Healer of Fiction– My Conversation with Manuel Munoz
At 41, Manuel Muñoz has hit what many would consider a stride in his writing career. He is an Assistant Professor in one of the best creative writing programs in the nation. His first novel, What You See in the Dark, was published in 2011 by Algonquin Books, following two selections of short stories: ZigzaggerContinue reading “A Faith Healer of Fiction– My Conversation with Manuel Munoz”
Sager Says—My Unlikely Conversation with a Best-Selling Author
It was by design that I was at Mike Sager’s talk with Chuck Klosterman on the University of Arizona campus during last month’s book fair. It was also by design that I harassed ever single writer and editor at the event that I could get to bend an ear in my direction. It was completelyContinue reading “Sager Says—My Unlikely Conversation with a Best-Selling Author”
To Post or Not to Post– A Cry For Help to Fellow Writers
I have reached a dilemma. To this point in my career, all of my published (and, therefore paid) work has been in magazines, plus a little bit of marketing to pay the bills. Though I love (and I really do love) writing journalism and everything that comes with it, I would say that I amContinue reading “To Post or Not to Post– A Cry For Help to Fellow Writers”
JUST KEEP MOVING!– A Hiker’s Guide to Writing Fiction
I am lost. I am in the middle of nowhere, wandering aimlessly, and I am almost out of water. What do I do? My instinct– Bail. Curl up into a ball and weep for my misfortune. When hiking in the Arizona desert, this is the equivalent of death. But as a writer, I have toContinue reading “JUST KEEP MOVING!– A Hiker’s Guide to Writing Fiction”
How long should it take to write an article or blog post from scratch?
I read a lot of posts on how long it should take to write an article or blog post, and as I sit here considering a particular 1000-word piece for a local magazine that is taking me way too long on the research end, I realized something– though maybe my hourly rate for this pieceContinue reading “How long should it take to write an article or blog post from scratch?”
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