If you want to be a (better) writer…
Ditch your definition of writer, please. 🙂 Sooooo the dictionary defines a writer as “a person engaged in writing books, articles, stories, etc., especially as an occupation or profession; an author or journalist.” As a result, you probably think you can’t be a “writer” until you’re making money from it, or …
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How to defeat blank page paralysis and write great content NOW
Nobody wants to sit down at the computer feeling like they’ve got a gun pointed to their head and some sweaty psychopath shouting, “Okay, go time! Be smart and clever and funny and write a bunch of things! Go!” Yet this is exactly what we do to ourselves, right? Something …
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A morning routine to banish self-doubt and flood your day with love
Not so long ago, I woke up every morning with a basketball of tension swelling in my stomach. But this wasn’t your usual bean-burritos-with-copious-hot-sauce-for-dinner kind of tummy bloat. No, this was the product of fear and dread…a sickening belief that no matter how hard I tried, I would disappoint, let …
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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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