Is your story too personal to share on your business website?
Right now, you’re in the grind, working hard to promote yourself and your Next Big Thing. That means: Perfecting your brand story and popping it in your pocket so you can be quick on the draw Telling boatloads of mini-stories to get new followers interested, engaged, and on board Getting clear on why …
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Become a thought leader in 3 easy steps
I stand in the front of a room full of strangers holding a piece of paper in my hands. I feel myself sweating through my pink shirt. (Hello, magenta armpits!) I’m reading a true story from my life, talking for the first time about writing and publishing my most vulnerable newspaper article ever. …
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How to find your voice
Write for 10 minutes every day. Write down the moment. Describe what is happening, or what has happened recently. So that you have a record. So you flex your descriptive muscles. So you practice writing your ideas, your thoughts, and celebrating your life. For just 10 minutes a day. Your …
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5 Things You Must Know Before You Rebrand Your Website (and yourself)
When I quit my job in September 2011, I knew I needed a website. I wasn’t sure how I’d make money as a freelancer, but I knew I had experience in marketing and writing. So I chose the title “marketing communications consultant” and decided to learn from the market itself. …
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12 Months of Magic + My Year-End Gift to You
Greetings from McDonalds in Orange, Virginia, a town so tiny when you try to search for coffee shops, Yelp doesn’t believe it exists. I’m sitting here as my boyfriend referees a basketball game at the high school down the street. Once he’s done, we’ll head north for Christmas. Behind me, four men sit around …
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I hate it when “real” writers do this.
A few weeks ago, I met a fellow writer at a party. He told me a story that made me so mad I almost threw Chex Mix at him. Here’s how the scene went down: I stood in a swanky apartment full of my boyfriend’s parents’ friends, chatting to strangers and …
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Bypass burnout & end the year with a bang: how to relax during the holidays
Most years I enter the holiday season in a fog of to-do lists and fierce nostalgia. I think I look like this: I’m Jimmy Stewart, obviously. When in reality, I look like this: We don’t get much snow here in Virginia, but I imagine that lovely thick snow blankets the …
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how to answer the question “what do you do?” without boozing, sleazing, or wanting to die (part 2)
The holidays are upon us, and you know what that means…huge dinners, road trips, and meeting new people at parties! I got a jumpstart on family visits when I drove to New Jersey to celebrate my birthday. We went into NYC and saw An American in Paris on Broadway! My sister and …
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How to answer the question “What do you do?” without boozing, sleazing, or wanting to die (part 1)
Picture this: You’re standing at a holiday party, bopping along to a festive playlist and piling bleu cheese onto butterfly-shaped butter crackers. You feel FANTASTIC. Maybe it’s the candlelight, the rum punch, or your cute velvet dress. Who knows? Who cares? (Side note: Velvet is BACK, according to teen.com. Since …
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Sneaky writing habits that zap your authority
Remember when you were 2.25 years old and you cuddled on the couch with your mom? You both stared at a picture book splayed out in your lap, and she pointed to an illustration and asked, “What animal is that?” “DEER!” you shouted, beaming. And your mom smiled back. Or …
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