Polysyllabic

A Traveler’s Library

steph — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:12:55 +0000

This week I wrote a guest post for Vera Badertscher’s travel blog, A Traveler’s Library. Check out my essay about Yann Martel’s Life of Pi.

7 Guidelines for Food Bloggers on Freebies

steph — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Noted food writer Dianne Jacob has written an interesting post about the ethics of food bloggers receiving free products for review. A great little article that’s sparked a ton of conversation. Scroll down to check out the comments.

Graciousness

steph — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:53:19 +0000

I really liked this post, so I thought I would reblog it here. Original link.

A excerpt:

Graciousness is defined by Webster’s as being good and courteous, and to a point I agree. But I think there is so much more to it. Graciousness brings with it a certain grace, a charm, that touches us. Gracious people are not just polite and kind, they share a rich attitude that embodies an abundance of a positive spirit. Let me give you an example. Follow for the rest!

Five Myths About Freelance Writing

steph — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 20:50:34 +0000

Jen Miller wrote an interesting article about Five Myths of Freelance Writing. In a nutshell:

1 – You must be poor/you must be rich.
2 – We’re hurt by this economy.
3 – You must start at the bottom.
4 – It’s all about writing!
5 – It’s easy!

For further explanation, visit Jen’s site to check out the article.

Using Twitter to Grow Your Business

steph — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 23:55:31 +0000

So far, this is the best article I’ve read on using Twitter to help grow your business. Lots of good tips and links.

New Years Resolutions

steph — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:18:23 +0000

This is more for my own benefit. I’m trying to be realistic here, so I’m hoping to keep these up until April, at which point they’ll hopefully be habits:

- Create a few standard LOIs to send out to prospective clients.
- Seek out and solicit at least five new corporate clients a week.
- Post at least two blog posts a week, preferably three (M/W/F).
- Get at least one magazine query out a week, regardless of how busy other writing exploits become.
- Set up a weekly schedule to be more productive: Monday = blog day (write posts, SEO, etc), Tuesday = LTK day, Wednesday = query/marketing/solicitation day, Thursday = features, Friday = writing education.
- Land at least one regular blogging gig, such as B5MEdia.
- Get at least ONE complete fiction outline together by March, and then start writing. Have at least 200 pages by the end of the year, ideally 300-400 (that is, if the overall book warrants that much space).
- Get two cookbook proposals together, one with Dianne’s help through her class.

That’s not so bad. These are all things I can easily accomplish, and if I get them all done, I’d say it’s a pretty productive year.

Edit: Jenny wrote a great post over at the Golden Pencil about advancing your freelance dreams in the new year. She poses some great questions.

21 Secrets of Freelance Copywriting Success

steph — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:04:24 +0000

I tend to shy away from list-type blog posts – I mean, come on… how banal how can you get? In this instance, though, Bob Bly has posted some great advice for copywriters:

21 Secrets of Freelance Copywriting Success

Thank, Bob!

The Rejection Letter Olympics

steph — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 06:04:26 +0000

Fellow FLXer Jenny Cromie has taken over the Golden Pencil blog, and she’s posting on a ton of great topics. This one I particularly liked:

The Rejection Letter Olympics

The idea is that you should be happy for your rejections, as it means that you’re getting yourself out there. No one really likes rejection letters (or if you do, you’ve got plenty to talk about with your MFT) but if they’re proof of your motivation to get your ideas circulating, accept them as a sign that you’re heading in the right direction.

Educating Fanny

steph — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:59:06 +0000

A great Food & Wine story about Alice Waters’ daughter, Fanny Singer, going off to college and how she deals with an entirely new world of food. A great little read:

Educating Fanny By Peggy Knickerbocker

An Aesop’s Fable for Food Writers

steph — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:36:39 +0000

A good little read, if you’re into literary culinaria (or even if you’re not):

Aesop’s Fable for Food Writers, by Jeannette Ferrary

Good advice from Jeannette: “Take notes… If you want to be a writer whose work is lit up and energized by the telling detail and the palpable freshness of the moment, get yourself a nice, little easy-to-carry notebook. And don’t leave home without it.”

Enjoy!