The Writing Coach Podcast with Rebecca L. Weber

Once you tap into the power of presenting a story idea (or just about any other writing related project) in a way that connects the dots for the recipient about how it will be relevant/helpful to them, you can bring that frame of mind with you to pitch almost anything.   I've seen Freelance Writer Bootcamp alumni transition seamlessly into landing staff jobs, being accepted into grad school, and s...

Six months into the year, let's reflect on, and possibly revise, your annual goals.   What you're telling yourself about hitting—or not hitting—milestones impacts your ability to reach your goals. What are you working on believing about yourself?   🔗 Mentioned in this episode:   WCP 160 Freelance writing goals: 5W1H goal setting WCP 2: Thinking thoughts and feelings feels WCP 1: What's your probl...

Sara Cincurova is a freelance human rights journalist from Slovakia, focusing on migration, conflict, human rights, humanitarian issues, and women's rights. She has written for The Guardian, BBC News, The New York Magazine, Al Jazeera English, Der Spiegel, Foreign Policy, The HuffPost, The New Humanitarian, Women's Media Center and many more. Sara extensively covered the conflict in eastern Ukrain...

When a freelancer says that they feel like they're going backwards, often they're hyperfocusing on a small piece of data instead of larger trends (e.g. a couple of weeks/pitches vs. quarters/years); or they've changed an important variable (e.g. pitching more competitive publications for the first time vs. pitching less competitive pubs they've already written for); or they're on the verge of a ma...

Are your emails annoying your editor? Are you sending too many followups? Too many story ideas? Are all your messages getting on their nerves? If your pitches are half baked, poorly written, and an overall bad fit for the publication, it really doesn't matter how many you send. You can't send lousy pitches and expect assignments as a reward for not sending them more often. Assuming your pitches ar...

Curiosity is a useful state of mind for freelance writers. Curiosity helps us identify great story ideas with unrecognized angles. Curiosity fuels our interest in improving our craft. Curiosity makes understanding the pitching process and other business of freelancing type processes fascinating. It opens up our imaginations to possibilities that we can't find otherwise. How do you get curious? Lis...

My first career in traditional education informed my work as a freelance journalist, and my work as a writer informs the coaching and teaching I do now online. This week I share a few of the mindset perspectives that have served me well through career shifts, and how building on prior career skills or subject matter makes us more robust as freelancers. 🔥 Work with me 1:1 Private coaching is for t...

A lot of freelancers find it easier to maintain the status quo by keeping on clients that aren't a good fit because they are so familiar.   After you've worked with a client for a few assignments/months, you have far more insight into what they're really like. If you knew then what you knew now, would you take them on in the first place?   🔗 Mentioned in this episode:   WCP179 Pregnancy and paren...

Today I'm sharing what it was like getting pregnant and having a baby during the pandemic. One of the things I got clear about early on was deciding what I thought I wanted my time off to look like (including how long, how "off" I wanted to be, and what the transition winding down and gearing up would be like), and also allowed myself to change my mind later on. This was so much cleaner than eithe...

Have you interviewed somebody who wanted to review your copy before publication? This is a surprisingly high-tension issue for many journalists, even thought it seems like it could be nipped in the bud with a simple, "Sorry, that's against the publication's policy." Today we cover: A simple method to reduce the number of times sources ask to review the copy Why they or you get so hot under the col...

Usually when I've left a news hook out of a pitch, it was because I couldn't come up with one easily, and hoped for the best. After all, there are evergreen stories out there. I've read and sold a few myself. Maybe you have too. I've tried slapping on a thin hook, which sometimes does the trick. And I've had some evergreen ideas linger in my ideas folder for a long time, and eventually a news item...

Showing up to do your work regardless of your mood is distinct from ignoring your emotions and telling yourself things are ok when you don't think they are.   Today I share with you one of my client's stories about how she was trying to push away the feelings that emerged when she told herself she's bombed a pitch, and how she reframed to open up to new possibilities for ongoing editorial relation...

Writing together can be a powerful experience in terms of connection, camaraderie, and support in the creative process. This week we look at ways to make the most of writing with others IRL and virtually. MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Writers' Hour   SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST #WRITINGCOMMUNITY Subscribe and write a review of the Writing Coach Podcast on Apple Podcasts. Share your podcast tak...

A tweet led to a blog post about how quickly editors dismiss most queries, and here I'm examining this breakdown in the context of journalists pitching freelance article ideas. The vast majority of freelance pitches can be rejected well before the first paragraph. The ones that get assigned instantly show a different kind of understanding of the pub's wants and needs, and each subsequent sentence...

Running out of reasons to avoid pitching? I've got you covered with 100 reasons why you shouldn't pitch today.   Many of these can be adapted to be reasons why you should not write anything else today, like the article you were assigned last week, or your book proposal, or your novel. You'll probably recognize a few of these reasons as ones you already believe to be true. Those seem real, immutabl...

Dating/relationship analogies come up a lot when we talk about our editors and publications.   It's common for freelancers to have a mix of short and long term relationships, which tend to reflect different mindsets, emotions, strategies, decisions, processes, and company policies. It's also common for freelancers to confuse or mislabel what's really happening, and have a short term or one night s...

In the middle of the night I emailed myself an idea I didn't want to forget. I sat down with my freelance journal and phone in the morning to use the message as a prompt. Here's what I typed: Reason why chsbgdx  So helpful, right? I wish I knew what this word (or phrase) was supposed to be. Since I consistently generate ideas, and I'm in the habit of writing them down, I'm not overly concerned abo...

This bonus episode looks at the application process for Freelance Writer Bootcamp. I explain how I review the applications on a rolling basis, and how this process may be of use to you in other areas of your freelance life. If you've told yourself that you want to join the Bootcamp but haven't applied yet, this episode will give you more clarity about this as a first step in transitioning to the k...

The equinox is the transition to autumn/spring, and it's also the end of Q1. Seasonal and financial cycles impact us, as do many other cycles in our writing life. Some cycle frameworks aren't that helpful, while others help us recognize that we're not in the same energetic or growth phase at all times and allow us to plan accordingly. YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY … Download my free guide on how to pitch S...

Sometimes it's faster in the short term not to change the way we're doing things … but once we make the shift to more sustainable approaches, we reap the benefits long term. I changed the kind of printer I've always had, which will save a bit of plastic and hassle. And I changed the way I do my banking and pay for business expenses, which means I save time and effort when reconciling.   You can al...

"How do I get myself to do this thing I know I should do?"   The short answer is to change the thinking that's blocking you from taking action. When you think differently, you'll feel and act differently too. I don't mean go through the motions and pretend to believe things that aren't true. Bridge thoughts are the opposite: first we identify the thoughts you have that are NOT true, and then we'll...

Join me on Thursday, March 17, for a live masterclass on creating sustainable freelance writer success, i.e., consistent, meaningful work that pays well. www.rebeccalweber.com/masterclass In the masterclass, I'll share with you: + A proven blueprint for pitching and selling freelance article ideas + How to turn a once-off assignment into an ongoing gig + The most effective way to get silent editor...

Do you need a blog? A subscription newsletter? A podcast? A TikTok account? A fill-in-the-blank thing that somebody (maybe you) is telling you is necessary to create and then continually update? Let's examine your reasons why you may want to invest your time, energy, and money into creating content that you'll be publishing yourself instead of on assignments for clients. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE … Downlo...

A couple more freelance insights while playing Wordle over morning coffee, this time focusing on the roles of perseverance and giving yourself wise counsel. FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM  Did you enjoy this episode? Follow Rebecca to get notified next time she goes live on Instagram and tag her when you share the Writing Coach Podcast with your writer friends:  @freelancewriterbootcamp   WORK WITH ME Joi...

This is NOT an episode about how to improve your Wordle scores.   Instead, let's look at what Wordle can teach us about freelance writing success. Download my free guide on how to pitch. WCP 167 Organic tomatoes vs. Twinkies WCP 1: What's your problem? Join the Freelance Writer Bootcamp waitlist SHARE THE WRITING COACH PODCAST  Did you enjoy this episode? Share your podcast takeaways with your wri...