An overdue visit to Gratitude Road

This piece from The New York Times had some interesting ideas to help us express gratitude. It inspired this letter, which I unfortunately can’t deliver to its addressee. I hope it encourages some readers to write — and actually deliver — one of their own while they have the opportunity. Dear Ernie, I came to […]

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from Thich Nhat Hanh

Failed Queries: A Repurposing Success Story

I was too in love with this lead to let it go. So, even though this particular query failed more than once, I was eventually able to use its subject — and a variation of its first sentence — in a story on balancing a full-time job with a start-up business. Dear Ms. Editor: Not […]

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from Tecumseh

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If You Love Your Mission, Celebrate and Share It

I was honored to be selected as Umission’s Person of the Week this week. Umission is a local nonprofit dedicated to celebrating people who love their mission, activating people who want a mission to love, and investigating how to keep that mission vibrant and successful.” I am truly grateful to have found a mission I […]

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from Rumi

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Wednesday Words of Wisdom from James Brown

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When should freelancers turn down assignments?

When I started freelancing a few years ago, I hadn’t had a published clip in more than a decade. Eager to rebuild my portfolio, I spent the days I wasn’t teaching writing queries and letters of introduction and searching for new markets at my local library and bookstore. I have to admit I also watched […]

Wednesday Words of Wisdom from Socrates

Failed Queries: Take it from turtles and keep truckin’

Here is yet another entry in the Failed Queries category. Good thing I take the same approach as turtles. We may be turned away at times, but slow and steady really can win the race. Dear Ms. Editor: Turtles haven’t changed much in the last 210 million years, and their genes prove slow and steady […]