Archive for March, 2009

How to Become a Super Confident Freelancer

March 30, 2009
By Linda Formichelli
How to Become a Super Confident Freelancer

I was taking a look at a book called The 12 Bad Habits That Hold Good People Back by James Waldroop and Timothy Butler, and one of the habits stood out to me: “Never feeling good enough.” This is what holds students in my e-course back from reaching for their dream magazines (until I...
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Posted in Advice, Observations, Self improvement | 7 Comments »

F%*& You, Pay Me.

March 27, 2009
By Linda Formichelli

Check out this post by Erik Sherman on avoiding writer scams — and what to say when someone asks you to do “sample work.” (Hint: It includes the f-word.)
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Posted in Writing | No Comments »

The Best Productivity Technique

March 25, 2009
By Linda Formichelli
The Best Productivity Technique

I’m a co-founder of the Way North Writers group in Concord, NH. (If you’re in the area and would like to join, please e-mail me at lindaformichelli@gmail.com.) At our monthly meeting last week, life coach Star Dargin gave a great talk about goal setting. As we discussed the topic, one member brought up a...
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Posted in Writing | 10 Comments »

Revitalize Your Freelancing Career This Spring

March 22, 2009
By Linda Formichelli
Revitalize Your Freelancing Career This Spring

Want to break into magazine writing or get a new start in your freelancing career? Spring is the perfect time for a fresh start. We have several new Renegade Writer e-courses starting soon: • Alison Stein Wellner’s Travel Writing Workshop starts on April 13. One of her recent students said: “The six weeks just...
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Posted in Classes, News, Writing | 3 Comments »

HCI Seeking Essays

March 20, 2009
By Linda Formichelli

I got this message from HCI with a call for contributors: With Spring just around the corner, I wanted to update you on books in our Ultimate series. Our retailers have specifically asked us for two titles this fall; one that’s been on the list, The Ultimate Runner, and one newly added, The Ultimate...
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Posted in Opportunities | 3 Comments »

Monica Bhide on Food Writing: Essay in CS Monitor

March 19, 2009
By Linda Formichelli

Monica Bhide, who teaches our Intro to Food Writing e-course, has a beautiful essay in the Christian Science Monitor about following her dreams to become a food writer. Great job, Monica!
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Posted in Writing | No Comments »

The Five Percent Trick

March 19, 2009
By Linda Formichelli

In a guest post on the Zen Habits blog, Albert from UrbanMonk.net describes the 5% trick: My favorite tool at this stage is the 5% statement, created by Nathaniel Branden, who is widely considered to be the father of the self-esteem movement. It works by allowing you to take steps in small increments. Trying...
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Posted in Advice, Motivation, Observations, Self improvement | 3 Comments »

How to Find Hidden Travel Stories

March 16, 2009
By AlisonSteinWellner

I just heard from Marina Krakovsky, one of my travel writing workshop alumna, on the success she had in placing an essay she worked on during the course. I love getting news like that! And working with Marina, who is such an accomplished writer, was a total joy. Marina’s goal, when she signed up...
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Posted in Advice, Magazines, News you can use, Personal yammerings, Writing | 6 Comments »

Is Writing Talent Inborn or Learned?

March 16, 2009
By Linda Formichelli
Is Writing Talent Inborn or Learned?

I’m reading Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. According to the copy on the jacket flap, “There is a story that is usually told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and ambition. In Outliers Malcolm Gladwell argues that the true story of success is very different, and that...
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Posted in Observations, Writers, Writing | 10 Comments »

Be Intolerant and Boost Your Productivity

March 12, 2009
By Linda Formichelli
Be Intolerant and Boost Your Productivity

For a couple of days at the beginning of last week, I felt completely unmotivated: more blob than human. One part of me wanted to market, work on my assignments, and generally be active and productive. But another, stronger, part of me wanted to lie on the couch and surf the Internet all week....
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Posted in Advice, Personal yammerings, Self improvement, productivity | 14 Comments »