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”
Tag Archives: writer
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.”
Freelance Travel Writer Eric Hiss Explains How to Get an Editor’s Attention
Eric Hiss has more than 18 years of professional freelance writing experience under his belt. Throughout nearly two decades he has managed to place his work in more than 40 publications including Condé Nast Traveler, Delta Sky, and the Robb Report, his curio cabinet features a prestigious journalism award from the government of India. AfterContinue reading “Freelance Travel Writer Eric Hiss Explains How to Get an Editor’s Attention”
Writing Honest Headlines, Using Keywords, and Living With Yourself
Many writers today seem more than willing to sacrifice clarity in headlines for web traffic, but more important still is consideration for the reader’s experience. Like every other citizen of the modern world, I get most of my news online. It should come as no surprise then, that like everyone, I am guilty of headlineContinue reading “Writing Honest Headlines, Using Keywords, and Living With Yourself”
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”
This Post Does Not Include a Photograph.
Good evening readers—or morning, or afternoon. I suppose it depends less upon when I am writing this post than it does upon what time it is for anyone as they are reading it. So good whatever it is to you wherever you are. I haven’t even started on my point yet, though already I digress.Continue reading “This Post Does Not Include a Photograph.”
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”
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?”
Getting to Know Your Characters– Exercises for Your Mind
Someone much more talented and wiser than I can ever hope to be (I think it was Paulo Coelho) once said that all writers must write from experience. After all, it is all we know (I crudely paraphrase, of course). As such, when working on a bit of fiction from a perspective that is anyContinue reading “Getting to Know Your Characters– Exercises for Your Mind”
Working on it... 