Hello from VCCA! I’ll tell you soon what this colony is like, but for now, links from this week: Great question posed by Gigaom: Do we need defined hours of work anymore? Should your literary agent edit your manuscript? Helpful post from Rachelle Gardner. BootsnAll writes about how a travel break can be the best […]
Every September I go to a writer’s colony. Not because I planned it that way. I just realized this while preparing for my first residency at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, known among artists as VCCA. My two weeks there start today. Yup, today. In September 2009, I spent five weeks at The […]
It’s no secret (most) journalists don’t make a ton of money. While that’s been difficult to swallow as I’ve gotten older and friends in other professions have moved up the income ladder, I recently recognized a benefit to what I’d previously seen solely as a disadvantage. The less you make at your day job, the […]
At this time next week, I’ll be working on Book 2 at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (known among artists as VCCA) during my third writer’s residency. Check here for word about how this fellowship compares to the others. Links from the Interwebs this week: Thursday Bram is launching a new membership site […]
Last night as I was leaving the gym, I listened to a new voicemail from a friend. “You inspired me,” he said. “I quit my job!” My jaw dropped. Eyes widened. I’m all about living for your dreams and I love that my most recent Leap has inspired others to do the same but… He […]
When I was a newbie reporter at the Houston Chronicle, I once made the mistake of writing about how some city legislation would impact residents. “Impact means collision,” my editor said as he changed the word in my copy. “Like in a car crash. Laws don’t impact people. Laws affect people.” That day, his pet […]
When you do something different, people will say you’re crazy. They’ll say you’re lucky. They’ll say you’re getting it out of your system. The real surprise comes when they realize it’s not just a one-time thing. That you’re going to fit travel into your life or live simply or build an out-of-the-box career from here […]
Thank you all for your support as I transition to self-employment! I honestly don’t think I could’ve done it without you cheering me on. My first full week as a journalist/blog & social media strategist/budding entrepreneur was AWESOME. You’d think I would’ve slept in to celebrate my new flexible workday, but on Monday morning I […]
I tried 99Designs for the first time this week, and it’s going straight onto my hack list of awesome digital tools. If you haven’t heard of 99Designs, it’s a site where you can launch a contest to design whatever you need — a website, banner for your site, logo, book cover, etc. You explain what […]
We all know what fear feels like. It’s a ball in the pit of your stomach, a nausea-inducing throb in the gut. But how do you know whether you should listen to that fear because it’s a sign that you’re making the wrong decision — or whether you should tell it to take a hike? […]