Feeling Rejected? Here’s What Abbott Elem’s Barbara + Modern Family’s Jay Say
Feeling Rejected? Here’s What Abbott Elem’s Barbara + Modern Family’s Jay Say
Plus 2 new resources + more for writers!
Hi and happy July!
Feeling Rejected? Here’s What Abbott Elem’s Barbara + Modern Family’s Jay Say
If I’m in need of a good laugh and/or some meaningful insight, I turn to one of two of my favorite TV shows: “Abbott Elementary” or “Modern Family.”
This past month, some of the comments the characters said really stuck out to me. I even wrote them down because I knew I would need to hear them again, especially after a rejection or mean comment.
I want to share those quotes with you and talk about how they can be helpful!
“People have thrown dirt on my name, and others have given flowers. It’s all a garden to me.” —Barbara, “Abbott Elementary”
It’s really helpful for me to think of this (analogy? metaphor?) when I receive a mean comment on one of my articles. Ultimately, most of us (if not all) are going to get a mix of hate and praise. What can that mean? It can mean you’re living your dream as a writer. That you’re living a full life that inherently has ups and downs. That’s great!
“Be grateful for the rocks life rolls in your path. One day you’ll see them as stepping stones.” —Jay, “Modern Family”
In the context of freelance writing, those “rocks” might be rejection emails, low views on Medium, and so much more. Even though Jay doesn’t love this saying after he reads it (it is a bit cheesy!), I love how it reminds me that we have to “fail” to get to where we want to be. Otherwise, how will we learn, meet our goals, and feel proud of them?
New Resource Alert: Worksheet Packet!
Do you struggle with:
Coming up with story ideas to pitch or write about?
Organizing your workweek?
Turning a story idea into a pitch, or a pitch into an article?
Knowing how to network?
Building your brand?
If so, let me help! I just created a packet of 10 worksheets that can help you in all those ways and more. I provide examples of “answers” to fill in from my own experience, too, to make the process easier and quicker for you.
Feel free to respond to this email with any questions. Otherwise, if you’re interested, you can buy it on my Ko-Fi shop for only $12!
Want Me to Edit Your Pitch for Free?
Then send it on over! Let me explain:
This month, I’m going to edit 5 people’s pitches in one document, then add it to my Ko-Fi shop. However, I need pitches to edit—so if you send me yours, you get a copy of the edit compilation for free! (The pitches will be anonymous on the doc, by the way, so no worries about that.)
If you’d like to submit one pitch, the form is here, and it’s due by Monday, July 24, EOD.
More details are on that same form, and I’m happy to answer any questions you email me!
Otherwise, be on the lookout for the finished product on my Ko-Fi shop and in next month’s newsletter!
Writing/Freelancing Tips
Pitch Calls
GENERAL NOTES FOR THE PITCH CALLS BELOW:
If the story is about a marginalized community, you probably need to be in that community to write the piece.
Mentioning my name in your pitch won’t help, unfortunately!
Who Pays Writers can be a helpful site to get an idea of how much publications pay.
Pitch calls:
Diem on Twitter: "Pitch call! Diem is seeking personal essays & opinion pieces for our weekly newsletter 💖 The Things We Don’t Talk About 💖 We’re looking for taboo, candid, fun, & thoughtful conversation starters around relationships, health, sex & money. Rates: $200 ~700 words." / Twitter
Anela Malik | She/Her on Twitter: "Freelance food writers, dabblers, and folks with fun writing ideas: my subscription food and beverage newsletter, Magic at the Margins, is accepting pitches! Pay is $1/per word, capped at $1,000 per piece, for stories that fit our community themes. https://t.co/W9jVoNrali" / Twitter
Mark Peikert on Twitter: "Looking for writers to pitch stories about anime TV series! mpeikert@indiewire.com" / Twitter
Want a bunch of these weekly? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.
Writer Jobs
Want a bunch of these weekly, all spelled out? Purchase a paid subscription to my writing opportunities newsletter! Here’s an example of what it’ll look like.
Writing/Freelancing Resources
And her free daily flex plan
Encouragement
There’s no such thing as failure podcast
Early week affirmations video
The “writer inspo” highlight on my Instagram (I’m going to keep updating this!)
My Articles + Updates
In honor of International Yoga Day, I shared an Instagram post about my experience with yoga and some related articles that were helpful for me to write. You can check it out here!
I was interviewed about my writing experiences, tips, etc! You can check that out here.
I finally reached 20K+ followers on Medium! I shared some details on how you can too here.
My grief essay was published in Human Parts! This has been a dream for quite some time :)
My (Affiliate But Also Genuine) Recommendations This Month!
Disclaimer: Since these links are affiliate links, I may make a little money if you buy the product using my link. There won’t be any extra charge to you, though!
Looking for a yoga mat? I fell in love with a woven mat I received from Everyday Yoga. I even wrote a review on it for Well+Good! If you’d like to buy the mat (or anything else from that shop!) please use my affiliate link :)
If you’ve ever struggled with depression — or just need a pick-me-up — I highly recommend Matt Haig’s book “Reasons to Stay Alive.” I bought this back in May and can’t stop recommending it. I also wrote an article sharing some of my favorite quotes. If you need other people to confirm it’s great, check out the comments on that article. If you choose to buy it, it’s less than $11 on Amazon! Here’s my affiliate link.
My all-time favorite resource for writers and creatives: Elizabeth Gilbert’s book “Big Magic.” Seriously. I read that book twice a couple years ago-ish, and I still think of and appreciate the reminders Gilbert gives. I shared some of my favorite encouraging quotes from the book here and here and here. You can buy it on Amazon through my affiliate link for less than $13 :) It’s a must-read and I will die on this hill!
Want More? Here Are Other Ways I Can Help
Don’t forget about my approved pitches document and Medium guide and coaching/editing services and writing checklist set and worksheet packet for writers (NEW!)
More of my content: (1) my writing Twitter // (2) my portfolio // (3) my resource set // (4) my newsletter with tons of writing jobs and pitch calls // (5) my Instagram (NEW!)
This newsletter is free, but if you’d like to donate, my Venmo is @AshleyBroadwater, my PayPal is paypal.me/aebroad, and my CashApp is $ashleybroadwater3 :) A huge thanks to donors!
That’s all for now! Thanks for reading this month’s newsletter. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions :)